Watch: Penn State QB Drew Allar recaps win over Indiana
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar set an NCAA record Saturday, completing the most passes without an interception to begin a college career. Unfortunately for Allar, that streak couldn’t have ended at a worse time.
With just 5:02 to play, the sophomore threw his first interception across the middle on 3rd and 8 deep in Penn State territory to put the Hoosiers in a perfect spot to potentially win the game, starting at the PSU 21-yard line and only down a field goal, 24-21.
“At the end of the day, in that situation, I can’t put the ball in jeopardy, being up three and kind of backed up in our own territory,” Allar said. “At the end of the day, I can’t do that. I should’ve probably just ate the sack and just gave the punt team a chance to flip the field. All credit goes to the defense on that. They came out, held them to a field goal and gave us a chance to go down and win the game on the next drive.”
Takeaways: Penn State loses a starter and overcomes a slow start for win
If Penn State fans were wondering how Allar might respond from such a big mistake, it didn’t take long for them to get an answer. With 2:56 left in the game and the Nittany Lions starting at their own 22-yard line, running back Kaytron Allen got two quick first downs, catching an 11-yard pass from Allar before a gain of 10 the following play.
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After that, offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich called a play that Allar said they tried earlier in the game. This time, however, Allar was able to complete a deep sideline pass to wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Not only did he come down with the catch, but Lambert-Smith broke defensive back Jordan Grier‘s tackle for a 57-yard touchdown pass to give the Nittany Lions a 31-24 lead.
“It just felt good overall just because we missed a couple of the deeper shots earlier in the game,” Allar said. “On most throws, my goal is to just allow the receiver to touch the ball. Allow him to come down with it, make a play after the catch or a pass interference on the defense so we can move the chains again. Luckily, Dre made a fantastic catch. It was pretty good coverage, honestly, but Dre made a really good catch and then was able to stay in bounds and take it the rest of the way.”
Allar finished the game completing 20 of 31 attempts for 210 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Earlier in the game, he found Khalil Dinkins for a 9-yard score in the first quarter, following by a 16-yard touchdown to Theo Johnson in the third quarter.
Penn State fans can watch Allar’s complete press conference above.
