There has been a second Penn State loss this season. The Nittany Lions fell short to the Ohio State Buckeyes, losing 44-31. Penn State had a strong defense this game, but many turnovers by the offense. This brings on an important question for the university. After multiple bad turnovers during the Penn State Loss, is it time for the true freshman quarterback, Drew Allar take the start for the Nittany Lions?
Penn State Loss: Rushing Offense
It is impressive that the Nittany Lions kept it close during the Penn State Loss, even having the lead for a lot of the game. There was actually a lot of hope that Penn State would come out with a win. The Nittany Lions totaled 482 yards compared to Ohio State’s 452, according to ESPN. There were moments when the offense looked pretty decent but there were still many mistakes. It was the costly offensive mistakes that lead to a Penn State loss.
Penn State totaled 111 rushing yards for 33 attempts, according to ESPN. There were moments where the running game looked great, but moments where it just could not get going. Running back Kaytron Allen had a great game totaling 76 yards and one touchdown after 12 attempts. Fellow freshman and running back, Nick Singleton rushed for 45 yards after 14 attempts. When the team was able to find space through the outside, they were able to make a deep run. The attempts down the middle were just not working well at all.
The issue was that it became predictable and the Buckeyes’ defense knew what to expect. The running backs are both very young, but the offense will need to stress that if the middle is completely unbreakable, to try to change the play and find an opening to the outside. Too many 3rd and longs were the result, which meant Penn State had to throw the ball. It was these poor play calls that lead to the Penn State Loss.
Penn State Loss: Passing Offense
Senior quarterback Sean Clifford once again got the start in the Penn State loss vs Ohio State. Clifford totaled 32 completions out of 47 attempts. He even had one catch, but that makes it sound better than it actually was. Clifford threw the ball and it was deflected by the defense but he caught it. He actually lost yards on the play by making the catch. The quarterback also threw three interceptions and three touchdowns, according to ESPN. He totaled 371 yards, though, despite that number, it can not be all thanks to Clifford, but to his receivers striving for extra yards.
Of the 371 yards, 179 came from sophomore wide receiver Parker Washington. Washington scored one touchdown and his longest reception was for 58 yards according to ESPN. Washington put the team on his back during the Penn State loss and consistently pushed for more yards. There were multiple Ohio State players who went to tackle Washington on his long touchdown, yet he was able to break away for an extended run.
The Interceptions
The three interceptions that Clifford threw impacted the game horribly. One was a pick-six when the Nittany Lions were trying to come back late to win. The ball was thrown right into the Ohio State player’s hands for a walk-in touchdown. This brought them down by too many points to have a fair chance for a win. The turnovers in this game brought Clifford up to six interceptions this season. Clifford may be a leader on the team, but costly mistakes have been too much of a factor in this Penn State loss.
Penn State Loss: Time for #15?
After losing twice, it is safe to say Penn State will not rank high enough on the college football poll to make playoffs. At a 6-2 record, is it time for freshman quarterback Drew Allar to get reps in?
Allar has played in five out of eight games this season. Within those games, he has completed 18 passes for 31 attempts, according to Sports Reference. He even has two touchdowns on the year and zero interceptions. If the team has nothing to lose, why not build on the future?
There are four more games left in the season, two of which are home games, for the Nittany Lions which are all winnable. The order of these games is Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers, then Michigan State. There are two ways to look at this when it comes to a quarterback switch after the second Penn State loss.
To Start Clifford
Unless something drastic changes, the rest of Penn State’s opponents are unranked. Clifford is in his final year for the Nittany Lions so what is the harm of keeping him? Clifford has been a part of this team since 2018. Through five seasons, he totals 9,284 yards and 75 touchdowns, according to Sports Reference. He has also thrown 27 interceptions.
With two strong running backs, and a wide receiver who does everything they can, is it worth benching someone in what could be their last four football games ever?
To Start Allar
With this Penn State loss essentially knocking the Nittany Lions out of any playoff discussion why not build on the future? According to Sports Reference, in the few snaps that Allar has played, he has thrown for 209 yards. Allar was a five-star recruit heading into his freshman year. You can read more about it here in an article by Penn Live.
There was so much excitement for Allar committing to Penn State, and fans are still calling for him to start. This is someone who can be a star for the Nittany Lions, and it would be smart to let him adjust sooner rather than later. Having played in five games now this season, Allar loses eligibility to be red-shirted.
The three top players on the Penn State offense are Parker Washington, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen. What do these three have in common? They are young. Both runningbacks, Singleton and Allen are true freshmen just like Allar is, and wide receiver Washington is a sophomore. Allar playing can truly increase the chemistry between these three players who will be running the offense in the 2023 season.
With the next four games being against opponents they should beat, this is the time for Allar to make the mistakes that a young player would make. The Nittany Lions have proven that their defense can make stops. During the Penn State loss against Ohio State, three interceptions were thrown and the defense showed they can make up for the mistakes. It would make sense for Allar to go in and make these adjustments this year and fight for a strong season next year.
The Penn State Nittany Lions will head to Indiana next weekend to face the Hoosiers. In my opinion, I believe it is time for the freshman quarterback, Drew Allar, to make his start; however, I do not believe that head coach, James Franklin will make the switch.
For more NFL and NCAA football content:
Check out my article on what happened during the Penn State Whiteout last weekend that was extremely dangerous. Also, check out my most recent article on which 49ers players to watch for in their game against the LA Rams this weekend.
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