Penn State's showdown vs. Oregon has the potential to be legacy-defining for Nittany Lions QB Drew Allar. (Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
Drew Allar came to Penn State with five-star hype and first-round projections.
Allar was supposed to be the quarterback who closed the gap on Ohio State, Michigan, and the rest of the nation’s elite. Instead, three games into his senior season, his QBR sits at 38.3 (111th in the country) – so low that he’d actually have a higher rating if he spiked the ball into the ground on every single snap (39.6).
That stat has become a punchline, but it’s also the truth: Penn State’s offense under Allar has been defined by stalled drives, missed opportunities, and big-game failures.
A History of Unfinished Business for Penn State QB Drew Allar
- Ohio State 2023 – 20–12 loss (Columbus): Allar: 18-for-42 for 191 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs. Penn State managed only two field goals before scoring its lone touchdown in the final minute. Drives consistently fizzled in plus territory.
- Ohio State 2024 – 23–17 loss (Beaver Stadium): Allar: 21-for-37 for 217 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. The Lions’ opening drive ended with a 29-yard field goal, and a third-quarter series died for a 44-yarder. Against the Buckeyes again, touchdowns were left on the field.
- Michigan 2023 – 24–15 loss (Beaver Stadium): Allar: 10-for-22 for 70 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs with a lost fumble. A 13-play, 66-yard drive stalled at the 3-yard line, ending in a 20-yard field goal. His only touchdown pass came in the fourth quarter when Michigan controlled the game and the outcome.
- Oregon 2024 Big Ten Championship – 45–37 loss (Lucas Oil Stadium): Allar: 20-for-39 for 226 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs. He flashed two dynamic scoring throws but also tossed two costly interceptions, including one that shifted momentum in the second half. Penn State’s offense couldn’t keep pace when the Ducks surged.
- Notre Dame 2024 CFP Semifinal (Orange Bowl) – 28–20 loss: Allar:15-for-31 for 178 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. With seconds left, he forced the season-ending interception. Even more damning: not a single pass was completed to a wide receiver all game.
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Different opponents, same pattern: Penn State’s defense gave them chances, but Allar-led drives ended in field goals, turnovers, or empty possessions.
Trouble Closing in 2025
That pattern has carried into this season.
Through three games, Penn State Football has moved the ball between the 20s but stalled when it mattered. Missed reads, late throws, unnecessary sacks. Field goals in place of touchdowns.
That’s why Allar’s QBR is buried at the bottom of the rankings and why some NFL scouts now call his play “uninspired.”
BUY PENN STATE VS. OREGON TICKETS
White Out Moment
Now comes Oregon again, but this time under the lights at Beaver Stadium, in front of 110,000 fans dressed in white.
A White Out isn’t just a spectacle; it’s a proving ground.
Moments like these are where Penn State quarterbacks have built their legends. Kerry Collins in ’94. Trace McSorley in the Big Ten Championship Game. Even Sean Clifford found statement wins that reshaped his legacy, including a Rose Bowl blowout.
Allar doesn’t have that yet.
Saturday is his chance to flip the narrative, to finally finish drives, to show he can deliver in the biggest moments instead of being remembered for the stat about spiking the football.
Because if the same issues repeat – field goals, turnovers, missed opportunities, then his legacy at Penn State will already be written, and all the hype, all the tools, and nothing to show for it when it mattered most.
MORE Penn State Football News from NittanyCentral:
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Penn State Football Must Limit These Four Players to Beat Oregon
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Penn State Football: 3 X-Factors Who Could Fuel a White Out Win vs. Oregon
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Penn State Football Recruiting: 5 Top Offensive Targets Set to Visit for White Out vs. Oregon
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It was at PRISM where Staszak produced live games and began his career as an on-air reporter.
After a couple of brief stints with CBS-3, WB-17 and WGAL-8 in Lancaster, PA, Staszak began a 12 year stretch at FOX 29 where he became the lead sportscaster in 2007. It was there that Staszak found himself in the middle of Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship coverage that earned him an Emmy nomination for best sports reporter in 2008.It was one of five Emmy nominations that Staszak earned over the course of his career.
All told Staszak covered three World Series, two Stanley Cup Finals, an NBA Finals and one Super Bowl during his television run.
Staszak left the TV business for 97.5 The Fanatic in 2013, where he enjoyed eight years bloviating his beliefs on how a professional football team should be run.In 2018 when he fortunate enough to be the first sports talk host in the city, along with cohort Zach Gelb, to provide post-game coverage of the first Super Bowl Championship for the city’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
Staszak was also a writer for 97.5 The Fanatic along with 4 Philly Sports and now covers Penn State athletics for NittanyCentral.com.
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