Oct. 29—Drew Allar didn’t even realize he had thrown an interception, the first of his college career.
He was under pressure and committed a quarterback’s cardinal sin of throwing late over the middle. Making matters worse, it came Saturday inside the Penn State 30 late in the fourth quarter of a close game.
“I didn’t even know I threw an interception until I got to the sideline,” Allar said. “I got hit. Usually you hear the crowd react, but there was no reaction.”
The less-than-capacity crowd at Beaver Stadium was silent because it was stunned. Could 32-point underdog Indiana upset the Nittany Lions?
Allar didn’t let that happen.
“When we were about to go on the field (after Indiana made a game-tying field goal), he said the time is now,” tight end Theo Johnson said. “He really showed up. I’ve talked a lot about how impressed I’ve been with how he’s grown week by week. He showed up big for us today.”
Allar delivered a strike to KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 57-yard touchdown, which enabled Penn State to beat the Hoosiers 33-24 and avoid a monumental upset loss.
“You have to flush it (the interception) and move on,” Allar said.
The relief in the stadium, on the Penn State sideline and in his face was palpable.
He’s carried the pressure of being coach James Franklin’s highest-rated quarterback recruit well. He’s thrown for 16 touchdown passes against the one pick in his first eight games as the starter.
But he also has looked tentative at times, appearing to avoid throwing an interception at all costs. Maybe it’s ingrained in him. Maybe Franklin and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich have stressed protecting the football so much to him because of how well the Lions’ defense had played before Saturday.
With the game on the line, Penn State needed Allar to be aggressive and to be an elite quarterback and he was.
“You throw your…
..
