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Drew Allar addresses slow start, praises PSU defense as ‘unbelievable’
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Drew Allar and Penn State improved to 5-0 on Saturday, though the final outcome against Northwestern overshadowed some concerns about that performance.
By the time the final whistle came around, the Nittany Lions had pulled away for the 41-13 win. That score was particularly noteworthy after a 10-point showing in the first half for Penn State.
“We talked about it as an offense, certainly did not have the start we wanted. Down early, but we talked about it throughout the game,” said Allar about the slow start. “Just gotta bounce back, keep choppin’ at the wood. The final score turned out the way it did, but it didn’t start like that at the beginning of the game.”
Allar finished the day with a mostly quiet outing after going 18-for-33 passing with 189 yards and a touchdown. The QB admitted his confidence remains high but noted he did not play clean enough.
“My confidence was very high even though me personally, I am disappointed in how I played. I didn’t feel like I played clean enough at all,” All explained. “I’m just glad we came out with the win, that’s a talented Northwestern group. They’re very physical, very disciplined… to get a win like this is huge for us.”
Once again, the star for Penn State was the defense a week removed from shutting out Iowa at home. Allar admitted that group is “unbelievable,” and facing that defense has helped the offense throughout the undefeated start.
“They’re unbelievable, we went against it all camp and I think that’s what has helped us the most. We went against those guys every day. They definitely helped us a ton,” said Allar. “I think we helped them a ton too, but that defense is something else. You’ve got studs at every level of that defense… They can get after the QB.”
Now, Penn State can return home for a bye week before gearing up to face UMass in the final nonconference game of the season. That matchup is set for Oct. 14 with a 3:30 pm ET kickoff.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.