Drew Allar delivers on extraordinary expectations in season-opening win over West Virginia
Just under a year ago, Drew Allar walked off the Beaver Stadium field with his helmet on and nary an emotion on his face. He had just put on a show against Ohio, but was still the backup quarterback at the end of the day.
Saturday night he made that same stroll after Penn State beat West Virginia 38-15 — through the middle of the field, heading toward the student section to sing the alma mater with his teammates. But there would be no hiding emotions. No chinstrap over a smile. Allar made no effort to conceal what he was feeling as he joked with teammates. His smile stretched across his face as he reveled in what happened over the last four hours on the field.
Allar showed he’s a star Saturday night — and set the stage for what could be a season for the ages for Penn State.
The sophomore always had the upside to be an elite player. He has a rocket arm, the ability to make seemingly impossible passes while doing it all with the poise and confidence of a veteran.
He put that all together for nearly a full game against the Mountaineers, only coming out when it was well in hand to make way for his backup Beau Pribula. Allar finished with 325 passing yards and three passing touchdowns on 21 of 29 passing in his first career start.
And while some may be surprised by how well he played, you can’t count his teammates among them.
“It’s literally no different,” Harrison Wallace III said with a smile. “He treats everything like a pro, like it’s a game. I feel like to him, it’s kind of like muscle memory. The same Drew that y’all saw out there is the same Drew that we see in practice every day.”
It’s easy to say he’s consistent, but nothing Allar did on the field would dissuade anyone from believing it. Time after time occasions popped up for him to make a mistake.
Pressure from the defense, a West Virginia offense that kept the score close early, added rushers to make sure that pressure turned into sacks, even a pass that could have easily been intercepted. Those all gave the sophomore a chance to panic — an opportunity to show that he’s still just 19 years old.
But each one was gone as quickly as it came, with Allar responding by playing at a high level nearly every time something went wrong.
There was nothing for him to fret about, despite the opportunities for chaos.
“I didn’t have any nerves,” Allar said. “I don’t really get nervous to play games, I get more anxious. It’s a credit to the coaching staff, really, and the whole team. We really prepare with everything we have. We don’t leave any stone unturned. That just leads to confidence for the whole team.”
That became abundantly clear early on in the game for Allar.
Three plays into Penn State’s offensive drive he attempted and completed his first pass of the game. One play later the Nittany Lions had six points on the board.
Allar deftly navigated the pocket on the latter play — much like he did all night after that — and was prepared to take off and run, but he kept his eyes up just in case. It was then that he spotted KeAndre Lambert-Smith in front of a defender. Allar squared himself to his target while on the move and uncorked a pass with the flick of his wrist. The ball traveled 40 yards in the blink of an eye, hitting Lambert-Smith who traversed the remaining 32 yards with nobody in front of him to score.
And for all of the excitement of what unfolded, Allar was more relieved than anything.
“I was more relieved that we scored a touchdown on our first drive,” he said. “It didn’t really matter if it was a pass or a rushing touchdown. We always talk about starting fast as an offense because you’ve gotta get points up on the board early. You don’t want to have slow starts as an offense and be behind the sticks.”
Allar’s moment of relief was received much differently by the fans in the stadium surrounding him. A roar erupted before Lambert-Smith even got into the end zone as they screamed in jubilation.
Ever since he committed in March 2021, and eventually enrolled in January 2022, the hype around Allar has only gained steam. Last year there were people advocating for him starting over four-year starter Sean Clifford. And as soon as that season came to an end, the discourse around Penn State became a Drew Allar discourse.
It was all building to a moment. It was impossible for him to meet the expectations being set.
Talk of the Nittany Lions making the College Football Playoff. Whispers about only having him for two years because he would surely enter the 2025 NFL Draft when he becomes eligible. Look at the arm talent. Look at the five-star rating as a recruit.
And naturally, just as you would expect, he did not meet the expectations of being a good quarterback right out of the gate despite never starting a college football game, let alone one in front of a crowd of over 110,000 people.
Somehow he exceeded them.
This story was originally published September 3, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
