At the core of James Franklin’s gameplans and, by extension, Penn State’s performances in the CFP so far has been simplicity. They’ve shown up in both rounds and got the job done. Sans much flash, averting undue risk. An allegory for a game-manager archetype of quarterback. Sticking to the Xs and Os and coloring inside the lines, so to speak. This is actually how their own QB, Drew Allar, has largely played, too. However, those familiar with his arm and overall skillset know he’s capable of letting it rip. A couple of CFB analysts seem to think Franklin needs to tap into that in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame.

Matchups of large magnitude often ironically condense down to the minute details. Both Penn State and Notre Dame have rosters brimming with talent. With the Nittany Lions’ best player, Abdul Carter, potentially sitting out, there is a little discrepancy in the caliber of the personnel. Not in the most important position, though. Not at quarterback. That’s according to On3’s J.D PicKell and Kaiden Smith. They think Drew Allar holds an edge over Riley Leonard. Largely due to his ceiling, more so than his floor. Allar can lean on his prowess through the air more than Leonard, whose best attribute is perhaps his ability to rush for timely first downs. Smith thinks this puts Allar under more duress to shoulder a bigger burden for his team to succeed.

Dissecting the quarterback matchup over the On3 YouTube channel, Smith stated, “I think a lot of what we’ll see in this game will, breaking news, be predicated by the quarterbacks.” Neither James Franklin nor Marcus Freeman have depended on their QBs to reach this juncture. The teams are more a sum of their collective rather than leaning on one individual, which was conversely the case for someone like Cam Ward at Miami. “Both these quarterbacks are being asked such different things. You have Drew Allar, who’s going to need help from his pass catchers a lot more, and have more, I think, pressure compared to Riley Leonard. Who is going to probably do more with his legs,” proceeded Kaiden Smith. The reason why Drew Allar is under more “pressure” is multi-faceted.

For starters, Abdul Carter’s status is up in the air. This naturally puts more onus on the offense. Allar has shown he can get into an offensive shootout and hold his own against Oregon in the B1G Championship. Riley Leonard’s partner in the backfield, star RB Jeremiyah Love, is also hurt. This gives Leonard more levy. Allar will potentially have a better run game complimenting him, so he has no excuses. One factor that adds pressure is perhaps even more superficial. It’s James Franklin, or more particularly, his infamous big-game record. However, Allar may not necessarily be able to alleviate this pressure.

Notre Dame deploy a mean secondary. Very few, if any, QBs have been able to light them up this season. Add to that, his weapons at wide receiver aren’t the most potent. Apart from, of course, TE Tyler Warren. As Kaiden Smith hinted at the pass-catching being a problem, J.D. PicKell shared his sentiments. “I don’t really have that much of a reservation around Drew Allar. More so, [it’s about] ‘Hey, can anybody outside of Tyler Warren get open and cash the football for my guy?’” he said. So if the passing game is neutralised, how else can Allar contribute in this massive spot?

Drew Allar may ironically need to channel his inner Riley Leonard

As aforementioned, Drew Allar has a plethora of tools in his arsenal. Riley Leonard is unequivocally a better running QB than him. But Allar has shown he can make timely forays towards and into the line to gain. “I think in this matchup, Drew Allar’s legs have kind of become under-talked about. Kind of put under the rug,” noted Smith. His comrade brought up a key reason why that side of Allar is requisite for Penn State’s hopes for a win.

PicKell said, “Quite frankly, in this game with how often Notre Dame brings pressure- 45% of the time, the most in America- I think you might need some of [Allar’s rushing]” He exploded for a 22-yard rush against Oregon, as well as 19-yarder against USC in the rivalry game. Allar has displayed a tendency to pull something out of the proverbial hat in the big games.

With Notre Dame missing Riley Mills through injury, their pass rush may be rendered a little more ineffective. Mills leads the Fighting Irish in sacks. It’s up to OC Andy Kotelnicki and Drew Allar to conjure the best method for victory. With a Natty berth on the line, everybody involved needs to bring their best to the forefront. Penn State are currently a slight underdogs. But if the version of Allar, who put 37 over Oregon in Indy, shows up, it could be plenty to tip the balances.