Penn State football icon calls Ohio State game a ‘blessing’ for Drew Allar

Penn State football is looking to rebound after suffering its first loss of the season last week against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions hope to get right against the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday. But many are still trying to figure out what went wrong in Columbus, especially for the offense and first-year starting QB Drew Allar. While the inept offensive production left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, one Penn State football icon wasn’t shy about voicing his opinion about Allar’s play. This week, LaVar Arrington told James Franklin directly that he thinks the Ohio State game will be a “blessing in disguise” for Allar.

Penn State offense looks lost against Ohio State

Not to reopen wounds that had just started to heal after Saturday, but the Nittany Lions offense looked putrid in the 20-12 loss to the Buckeyes.

You’ve all seen the stats by now. Penn State went 1-16 on third down on its way to totaling 240 yards on offense against Ohio State. Take out the final, essentially throw-away touchdown drive, and the numbers are even more reflective of the terrible outing — 167 total yards, no third down conversions, and six points on the day.

A game intended to be a triumphant homecoming for Ohio native Drew Allar was anything but. The sophomore QB finished the day 18-42 for 191 yards and a score, again with 73 yards and the lone touchdown coming on the final drive.

After the game, Allar showed emotions that we had yet to see from the 19-year-old, fighting back tears as he burdened the weight of the offense’s poor play.

LaVar Arrington calls poor performance a ‘blessing’ for Drew Allar

While plenty of discussion remains about what went wrong for the Nittany Lions last week, attention must also be paid to moving forward. Penn State football still has all its goals in play if it can recover down the season’s stretch run.

If the Nittany Lions offense can turn things around, it will likely be with Drew Allar leading the way. And Penn State football icon LaVar Arrington thinks the trial by fire in Columbus will be good for the new QB in the long run. On this week’s episode of the Quite Franklin podcast, Arrington told James Franklin directly that he thinks the Ohio State game was a blessing for the Penn State QB.

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“It was a blessing in disguise to me because it was the most needed test for the early maturation process of the franchise,” Arrington said. “Our franchise quarterback had a rough day, obviously. But my takeaway was if a true sophomore quarterback doesn’t get the opportunity to get that game experience under their belt and feel either the high of it or the low of it, it’s hard to grow up. It’s hard to get battle-tested.

“I love the way he handled it,” Arrington continued. “I love the way it upset him. I love the way he took responsibility for it…He seemed genuinely upset and felt like he let everyone down…You learn a lot about the character [of Allar]; it’s revealed in those moments.”

A special young man

James Franklin responded to Arrington’s comments by noting that Allar is a “special young man.” He explained how his wife played a critical role in helping the sophomore bounce back this week. “I think Monday morning, he [Allar] was at the house with my wife having pancakes and burnt bacon.”

Franklin also reiterated what has been a storyline all week. If the offense wants to take its play to the next level, it starts with an improvement on the outside.

“But I think offensively, for me, it came down, after watching the game in detail, to third down,” he continued. “We could not stay on the field on third down. And when that happens, it’s hard to get into a rhythm…Obviously, Drew is going to take a lot of that on his shoulders. But the reality is, we got to make plays for the guy as well.”

Penn State football will have a chance to get back in the win column on Saturday against Indiana. Kickoff is set for noon.

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