Drew Allar ready to overcome Big Ten hurdles in 2025
"We definitely need to get over that hump," Allar said on Wednesday at Big Ten Media Day. Blunt and straight to the point. While the Nittany Lions have had quite the prolific period under James Franklin, they have only won four games in his tenure against teams ranked in the AP Top 10. Allar knows what's at stake. It's how he will play in those kinds of games that will separate him from true Penn State legends or those who were so close to the mountaintop, yet seemingly so far from reaching it.
It was Allar's crucial interception against Notre Dame in the CFP semifinal that effectively cost Penn State its shot at a national title. Allar seemed to be saying the right things when it came down to those close situations late in games.
"We definitely need to find different ways to come out with different results in those games," Allar said. "We haven't really been blown out of the water by any team. ... It's just about execution ... finding those areas to make one or two more plays throughout those games. ... That's going to be our focus."
While Allar certainly has the expertise to execute his goals, it's Penn State's critics that he has to prove wrong.
While Penn State has certainly had its support in certain media circles due to its preseason poll rankings, there are still detractors who think Penn State will be the same old, same old squad. The team that perennially never wins the big games. The team that always shoots itself in the foot. However, Allar is a year older with vital CFP experience under his belt, something that not a lot of new Big Ten QBs have the benefit of. Thus, Allar feels more confident than ever that Penn State can get over that proverbial "hump."
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