Iโm still in disbelief. Still trying to process everything that transpired in an all-time classic in Miami Gardens. Thereโs a lot to taken in.
Penn State fell 27-24 to Notre Dame Thursday night in the Orange Bowl and College Football Playoff Semifinal on a last-second field goal.
Penn State Drops Orange Bowl to Notre Dame in Heartbreaking Fashion
The season is over. The closest PSU has come to a national championship in 30 years is gone. Itโs a gut punch for Penn State. You never know if youโre going to get back.
I was fortunate to watch the game up close behind the Penn State end zone with my sister at Hard Rock Stadium. Hereโs what I saw from the stands.
Drew Allar Fell Short
Letโs rip the bandaid off. Drew Allar played one of his worst games at Penn State. When the bright lights turned on against a good Notre Dame team, Allar looked hesitant in the pocket. He missed throws. Penn State didnโt take any shots.
When Penn State took the ball back with 49 seconds left and timeouts in James Franklinโs back pocket, it seemed realistic they could gain enough yards to land in Ryan Barkerโs field-goal range. Nicholas Singleton broke a 13-yard run to the Penn State 28-yard line to start the drive.
When Allar let go of the ball on the game-sealing interception, I pulled a Pete Carroll yelling โoh no!โ as soon as the ball left Russell Wilsonโs hand at the goal line for the Seattle Seahawks to lose the Super Bowl. It was stunning from Allar, a quarterback who typically makes good decisions and doesnโt turn the ball over. It was the play of the day, play of the season, and a moment to remember in infamy.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) January 10, 2025
Allar said his intention was to throw the ball at Omari Evansโ feet. He scrambled outside the pocket and threw across his body when a throw away to the sideline was well in play.
Notre Dame picks off Drew Allar late in the fourth ๐ณ pic.twitter.com/F0SZvM5fFa
— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2025
Allar closed the night 12-23 with 135 yards and one interception. Two other picks were called back due to penalties, one a questionable pass interference call on Tyler Warren near the end zone.
Allar only averaged 5.9 yards per attempt and threw seven interceptions all season. He struggled throughout the night and never looked comfortable. Notre Dame occasionally made him uncomfortable, but Allar never looked fulled entrenched in the moment.
Calls to replace Allar or that he should enter the draft to get away from Penn State are ludicrous, heat of the moment comments. Does Allar need to be better? Thereโs no question. Should the program cut their losses with a guy some scouts think would be the first quarterback selected in 2026? Penn State will benefit from having Allar back.
Iโve been one of Allarโs biggest backers and defenders since his freshman year and still am. Thereโs no defending that throw.ย
Allar completed less than 50% of his throws in losses against Ohio State and Michigan last season for a combined 261 yards. This felt like that version of Allar, rather than the confident QB we saw him become for most of the season.
No Receiving for Wide Outs
No wide receiver caught a pass. Letโs say that again for everyone in the back: no wide receiver caught a pass. Thatโs astonishing to believe. Going into the season, wide receiver depth and star power remained the No. 1 question mark.
Wide receivers were only targeted five times. Allar wasnโt putting the ball on the money, but ย Evans and Harrison Wallace III didnโt do him any favors. Itโs the same problem PSU had last year, but with KeAndre Lambert-Smith gone and Julian Fleming failing to produce, became a lot worse. Warrenโs impact could only mask the issues for so long.
Penn State needs to flood the transfer portal for impactful wide receiver talent and hit this time. Theyโve been active and need to add secondary help too.
Jaylen Reed departs after a solid career at Penn State. Zakee Wheatley returning after a game-high 16 tackles, one sack, one tackle-for-loss, and one interception is a significant piece back in the fold. Now we wait on Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Kobe King, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and others to make their decisions.
Penn State remains in need of secondary help. Coordinator Tom Allen likes PSUโs depth at corner, but whatโs the quality of the room? Jalen Kimber had a decent run but didnโt play much of the game in favor of Audavion Collins, Elliott Washington and Cam Miller. Miller fell down the Jalen Gratehouse game-tyingย touchdown inside five minutes and Reed lost his footing attempting to make a tackle in space.
OVER BETTORS WAKE UP ๐ฅ
GREATHOUSE 54 YARDS TO THE CRIB TO TIE IT UP AND CASH THE OVER pic.twitter.com/e8r659luzt
— br_betting (@br_betting) January 10, 2025
It was the perfect storm for Notre Dame to strike back after a Dennis-Sutton pick and Singleton score.
James Franklin Deserves Some Flack, but Not Full Blame
I feel bad for James Franklin. Many will look at the box score and say โbig game James lost another for Penn State.โ Did Franklin get outcoached in the second half? Marcus Freeman did a helluva job making second-half adjustments and rallying his team.
Penn State was arguably the better team, but Freeman might be the best young coach on the rise in all of football.
Itโs not Franklinโs fault Allar threw a game-sealing interception and didnโt play well, Miller and Reed busted the coverage, or wide receivers failing to get open. Players need to make plays and execute.ย
I do question why two guys were standing 10 yards off the ball on the game-winning field goal attempt seemingly playing for a block and potential return instead of bringing the house with the season on the line, but thatโs splitting hairs. Franklin did a great job this season. Thatโs undeniable. The next step is crossing the finish line and turning this dream into โwhen,โ not โif.โ
James Franklin is now 1-15 against top 5 opponents, 4-20 against top 10 teams, and 15-29 against the top 25. The numbers donโt lie, but this felt like the best path to a national championship and PSUโs greatest opportunity this century. The game shifted when Riley Leonard left the game to be evaluated for a concussion and Notre Dame ended the first half with a field goal. It turned into a TD to start the third quarter and a 17-0 run. Missed opportunities, lack of execution, and Freeman being on the other side doomed Penn State.
It turned out to be a better movie with a disappointing ending and staring at the end credits in straight disbelief.
โWeโve got a throwback program with throwback uniforms. โฆ Itโs about the guys,โ Franklin said after the game. โI understand the portal & NIL are a part of college football and weโll embrace that, but I want this to be more than transactional. I want it to be transformational.”
The belief is there and Penn State has built a culture rivaling any across the country. Itโs time the players step in and make the moment theirs.
Despite rushing for over 200 yards, holding a double-digit lead in the first half, and a 24-17 lead with six minutes remaining, Penn State couldnโt hold on.
Abdul Carter played a phenomenal game with an arm injury and should be a top 3 pick in the draft. Tyler Warren has a bright NFL future ahead of him and will go down as one of the greatest tight ends in Penn State history.ย
The Nittany Lions scored the gameโs first 10 points but couldnโt regain full control in the second half. Sound familiar? I had some Ohio State flashbacks just thinking about it.
In the first rendition of the 12-team College Football Playoff, Penn State clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, won a home playoff game against SMU in its first opportunity, and became Fiesta Bowl champions by defeating Boise State.
The Nittany Lions won 11 games in the regular season for the first time since 2008. Program record 13 victories. It was a successful season, but it doesnโt feel like enough.
This is the current ceiling for Penn State until it finally breaks down the wall. Theyโre not Ohio State. Theyโre not Michigan. They can compete with them, but like it took Jim Harbaugh nearly 10 years, itโs hard to break down the barrier to become the top dog.
The opportunity was there for the taking and it feels like this was Penn Stateโs best shot to strike. National pundits, and even fans, dubbed this an โeasyโ path to the final four. That proved the case with double-digit wins over SMU and Boise State. Penn State never gets blown out in these games, or blows anyone out, but always goes down to the wire and feels like youโre losing years off your life.
I was fortunate to watch the game up close behind the Penn State end zone with my sister at Hard Rock Stadium. As a Penn State supporter working in sports for a living, it was incredible experience and atmosphere.
As surprised as some Penn State fans are, Iโm sure some are not surprised at all.
As I watched a teary-eyed Drew Allar leave the field and Dani Dennis-Sutton, Abdul Carter, and Jaylen Reed look around the stadium one final time, it hit me. This is the last time weโll see this group together. Carter and Warren are off to the draft. Dennis-Sutton and Singleton may join.
This season may not be commemorated at Beaver Stadium like 2016, but itโs a season to remember and cherish for a long time. Penn State continues to get oh so close to winning a championship, but yet it still it feels oh so far.
