As the clock ticked down in the CFP semifinal, Drew Allar’s frustration was palpable. Placing his hands on his head, he made his way to the Penn State bench after throwing an uncharacteristic interception. The pass, aimed at receiver Omari Evans, was off-target and gave Notre Dame a chance to seal the game with a field goal. Allar, who had started the season with an impressive 24 TD passes and just seven interceptions, had only been picked off twice all year. But now, with less than a minute remaining, his mistake allowed Notre Dame to claim the win.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, Penn State’s head coach, James Franklin, wasn’t angry. Instead, he took a reflective approach to the defeat. While his QB Drew Allar and the entire Penn State squad showed their disappointment in the post-game press conference, Franklin was quick to offer words of encouragement. “There’s a thousand different emotions I’m working through,” he said. “But the sun will come up tomorrow, and the one thing I want to make sure is that all those guys walk out of that locker room with their heads high and their chest out, because they have a ton to be proud of.”

Franklin’s words made it clear: he wasn’t blaming anyone for the loss, especially not Allar. The coach’s message was all about taking pride in the journey and the progress made throughout the season. Despite the tough end to the Orange Bowl, Franklin emphasized that his team had accomplished a lot, and there was no reason for them to hang their heads. On the other hand, Drew Allar clearly felt the weight of his mistake.

Drew Allar made an interception in PSU territory with just over 33 seconds remaining, which led to the Irish’s game-winning FG a few plays later. When Allar gave reporters an explanation of the play after the game, he said that his first two routes were covered and that he “should have just thrown it away.” Also, according to Allar, he attempted to pass the football at Omari Evans’ feet, but it was caught by Christian Gray of Irish instead. And both teams tied at 24 all because of his interception.

Following this blunder, during the post-game conference, Allar made the honest confession, stating, “I should have just thrown it away when I felt the first two progressions not open just because of the situation we were in.” Moreover, he stated, “Didn’t execute what I was trying to do. … I’ll do everything in my power to grow from it.” It only means the quarterback will get better in the future to gain more authority. Even though Drew Allar accepted full responsibility for the error, another person stood up for Allar apart from James Franklin.

Who else stood up for Drew Allar?

While the loss wasn’t entirely on Allar, it’s tough to avoid personal responsibility when a game is so tight. Allar had a rough outing, completing just 12 of 23 passes for 135 yards and throwing one interception. His usual accuracy, which had been stellar at 71.6% during the regular season, dropped significantly to just 51.3% in the postseason. Still, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki made it clear that the loss wasn’t Allar’s fault.

“He’s [Drew’s] going to put that on himself, but he shouldn’t have to,” Kotelnicki said. “I got to be better for him and our offense to make sure that whatever we’re doing, whatever play we’re calling that our people have their chance to separate and put him in a position where he can feel more comfortable. I simply say to him, it ain’t you. It’s not on you. You don’t need to take that on your shoulders and feel the blame for that. You will win and you will lose as a group, as a football team.” 

The message from Kotelnicki and Franklin was simple: while Allar’s interception may have been a turning point, it wasn’t the only factor in the loss. Penn State’s struggles were team-wide, and the quarterback wasn’t solely responsible for the outcome.

As for Allar’s future, he’s faced with a big decision. If he returns for his senior year, he’ll have the chance to learn from this experience and hopefully exact some revenge for Thursday’s defeat. But in the meantime, it’s clear that the Penn State locker room stands firmly behind him. This loss won’t define his career, and it certainly won’t be the last time we see him take the field for the Nittany Lions.