Penn State hosted Florida International in Week 2, resulting in a 34-0 blowout for the Conference USA team. It was a dominant showing by the defense, as linebacker Tony Rojas notched 10 tackles and Alonzo Ford intercepted a key pass by Keyone Jenkins. But behind these glitters lay Drew Allar’s first-half woes, involving obvious incompletions and the QB not just being in rhythm against a G-5 team. The same woes suggest that Drew Allar’s big-game struggles from 2024 may have carried over into his play against weaker teams. And James Franklin seems visibly alarmed!!

“I caught myself just overthinking a couple of times, not just going out there and playing….. Just overthinking it. In reality, I made that throw all week in practice, so it’s just going out there and shutting my brain off and going and playing,” described Drew Allar, the reason for his underperformance. Allar was talking about a fairly straightforward pass to Nicholas Singleton in the second quarter, which he missed. Moreover, Allar completed just 19 of the 33 passes, ending the game with a 57.2 passing rating. Now, James Franklin, in a recent presser, has sent a strong message to his QB.

“It’s kind of hard to see what somebody is thinking. But he missed some throws that he normally doesn’t….I think a couple of times that happened where you miss a really easy throw that he makes 99.9% of the time, and that frustrates, and if you’re not careful, that will linger,” declared James Franklin. The offense, in truth, for Penn State struggled wholly in the first half, turning the ball over easily on downs and getting their field goal blocked. Due to these issues, the Nittany Lions led 10-0 after the second quarter ended, despite being 41.5 favorites for the game. Even so, Franklin emphasized one key lesson for Drew Allar to carry forward.

“No matter what happens, the previous play, positive or negative, you must move on. You must move on to the next one,” said James Franklin. Still, he acknowledged that the trait is “easier said than done” to implement. “I think what happens is when you got people that have invested, the amount that a guy like Drew and most of our team have invested, that’s easier said than done to move on to the next play. And not get frustrated and upset with yourself, that’s why it’s such an important trait to learn. No matter what happens to previous play, you’ve got to flush it and you’ve got to move on to the next play,” concluded Franklin.

Allar’s FIU performances in the first, and second halves were starkly contrasting. His missed pass to Trebor Pena and a subsequent drop reflected that Allar was not at his best. However, in the second half, Allar quickly made a comeback, which was highlighted by his deep pass to Devonte Ross in the third quarter in the end zone, a pass that Ross caught in style with one hand. The problem then wasn’t exceptional plays for Allar, but simple routine plays, which may have happened, probably due to a lack of mental clarity. However, in the upcoming games, Allar can’t afford these mistakes.

Drew Allar instills confidence and vows for redemption in his performances ahead

Penn State goes on to face Villanova in Week 3, against whom the Nittany Lions are heavy favorites. The real test then comes in Week 5 against Oregon, followed by an on-road game against UCLA. The two games would demand Allar to be on his toes, considering Oregon’s Dante Moore is currently the 3rd highest rated passing QB in the country (213.7 passer rating). And Nico Iamaleava would look to make a comeback after disappointing performances in both games so far. Allar, for his part, seems ready, having learned from his mistakes.

“I left stuff out on the field that I would love to have back. … Our receivers made plays when I gave them chances. Now, it’s just about me going out there and playing better. The first half, I felt, was really on me for killing our momentum a couple of times. But I’ll fix that. I’m not worried about that. It’s just more frustrating. For me, it’s just about making the easy things easy,” declared Drew Allar after the game.

The 2025 season would truly be a Hail Mary attempt for James Franklin to win the Natty, ever since he arrived at Penn State in 2014. For one, the team has everything in place, from two of the best running backs in Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton to elite receivers like Trebor Pena and Devonte Ross. Add that to a secondary that returns top players like Zakee Wheatley and a dominant D-line. Opportunities with this level of talent may be hard to come by again once the season concludes!!