Every Penn State fan is bruised and beaten after Saturday’s shocker. But perhaps no one took a hit harder than Drew Allar, not physically, but to his confidence level. Of course James Franklin took accountability for the consecutive losses saying, “That’s my responsibility and I didn’t get it done.” But for the Nittany Lions’ golden boy, the dream of a college football playoff run suddenly feels like a flickering light at the end of the long tunnel. Because after a gut-wrenching 42-37 loss to a previously winless UCLA team, he found himself in an awkward spot.

On October 4, veteran reporter Mike Poorman asked him point-blank if Penn State was still in the playoff hunt. Drew Allar’s answer was as defiant as it was uncertain. “CFP? Postgame I asked Drew Allar, ‘Are you guys still in the hunt for the playoffs?’ He turned and asked me, ‘What do you think?’ ‘I don’t know,’ I said. To which he replied, ‘Yes.’ That “yes” sounded more like a hope than a conviction. The Nittany Lions are now 3-2, with a brutal schedule ahead and an “ugly loss” hanging around their neck.

Penn State got outclassed early. UCLA’s interim coach Tim Skipper, fresh off a staff shake-up, unleashed a reinvigorated Bruins offense that left the Lions shell-shocked. QB Nico Iamaleava, once Tennessee’s prized recruit, looked like the 5-star phenom everyone expected. He torched Penn State’s defense, running for 128 yards and three touchdowns while throwing for two more.

By halftime, it was 27-7, and Drew Allar looked like a QB trapped in a nightmare. Sure, he finished 19-of-26 for 200 yards, two touchdowns, and zero picks. He even led the team in rushing with 78 yards. But when your QB is also your top rusher, it’s usually a sign something’s deeply broken. The offense had no rhythm, no identity. It’s just the QB trying to play Superman with no cape. That’s been the story all year. Flashes of brilliance buried under layers of inconsistency and an ESPN analyst called it like he saw it. 

Biggest flaw people are noticing in Drew Allar

If Penn State fans were harsh, the national analysts were downright ruthless. ESPN’s Jordan Rodgers didn’t sugarcoat it during a recent episode of Get Up. “The stock is down,” he said. “When it looks good for Drew, it looks really good. The problem is, we haven’t seen it very much, and it’s really glaring — his inability to create when things break down. You see that on third downs. You see it in the red zone.”

Jordan Rodgers’ point cuts deep. Drew Allar’s QBRs in crucial situations, 122 and 128, don’t just reflect inefficiency. They expose predictability. When the pocket collapses, the QB rarely improvises. He’s textbook, not instinctive and that’s a killer in modern college football. “The big-time throws to the perimeter every now and then, you’re like, ‘Man, that looks good,’” he added. “I think that’s what we hold on to. But I think it’s just inconsistency in making big plays happen when it’s not perfect.”

Maybe this loss will be a turning point. Maybe Drew Allar finds the grit that great QBs build from their lowest moments. But for now, one thing’s clear, Penn State’s playoff dreams are dangling by a thread.