Penn State vs. Ohio State comes down to Drew Allar

It’s been six years since Penn State knocked off Ohio State, and over a decade since the Nittany Lions defeated the Buckeyes in Columbus. This Saturday might represent their best chance to knock them off in a long time. With skill position and trench talent almost identical to the Buckeyes, the one thing that’s set them apart will make the difference once again on Saturday: quarterback play.

This year, Penn State might have the advantage at the most important position on the field, according to most pundits. QB Drew Allar is the signal caller for the Nittany Lions, and is capable of many eye popping moments with his arm downfield:

However, Allar has merely been fine for the Nittany Lions this season. His 1,254 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and no interceptions looks great, and his total EPA through the first half of the season puts him 19th in the country. However, he hasn’t truly had a breakout game yet.

Since a 3250yard performance against West Virginia in the season opener, Allar hasn’t thrown for over 250 yards. This could also be a function of the offense as well. With a run game like Penn State’s headed by star backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, plus a defense that can singlehandedly win them games makes Allar more of a passenger than the one driving the car. Which is fine against teams like UMass and Northwestern, but when it comes time to eventually face the top two teams in the conference who have just as good of athletes as you, the passenger might have to grab the wheel a bit.

Which brings us to Oct. 21. For the Nittany Lions to win this game, it’ll have to be the best version of Allar we’ve ever seen. Ohio State’s defense is just as stout, and has already passed one of their major physicality tests already, a 17-14 victory over Notre Dame. The Buckeye defense is strong up front, and will more than likely cause problems for the Penn State run game. Which means that it’ll be on Allar’s arm to make some big time plays in Columbus, something he hasn’t really had to do at all this season. Allar has got it in him; he’s a former five-star recruit who was getting comparisons to Bills QB Josh Allen from the moment he stepped onto a high school football field. Now is the time to put it to the test though, against an Ohio State secondary who can be beaten over the top.

With all of the NFL talent on the field on Saturday, it’ll have to be Allar who steals the show for Penn State. Against an Ohio State team that can put up points on anyone, Allar has to be able to go blow for blow with the Buckeyes, in case the defense can’t win. For Penn State, this is the reason that Allar was brought in, to be able to beat these teams in these moments.

If Allar is anything like the QB who we believe he is, then Penn State has a really good chance of beating Ohio State in Columbus for the first time since 2011.