Penn State QB Drew Allar's late interception helps seal Notre Dame's win in Orange Bowl

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Drew Allar walked to the Penn State sideline with his hands on the top of his head, seemingly aware of where the College Football Playoff semifinal was heading.

Allar had just thrown a rare interception, giving Notre Dame the ball with the Orange Bowl tied at 24 with 33 seconds remaining Thursday night.

Allar, who entered with 24 touchdown passes and just seven picks this season — and had only two interceptions in 2023 — threw an off-target pass over the middle toward Omari Evans. Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray ended up with it after making a diving catch.

The Irish took over at the Penn State 42 and didn't need many yards to get in kicker Mitch Jeter's range. They moved inside the 25, and Jeter's 41-yarder sealed a 27-24 win for Notre Dame that sent the Irish to the national title game.

''I was going through my progression, and honestly, I was trying to throw it at his feet,'' Allar said. ''I should have just thrown it away when I saw that the first two progressions were not open. I just didn't execute what I was trying to do.''

Allar's interception will be what most remember from the back-and-forth game. But even without the poor decision that sealed his team's fate, it wasn't a good performance for the junior — and not an ideal potential ending to his college career if he leaves for the NFL.

It took a while for Allar to settle into the matchup — he overthrew several receivers in the opening half, though Penn State's run game helped it take a 10-3 lead into the break.

Allar, a two-year starter for the Nittany Lions, ended up with 135 yards on 12-of-23 passing without a touchdown after throwing for 171 yards and three touchdowns in Penn State's quarterfinal win over Boise State last week.

He did enough to move the Nittany Lions into scoring position — running back Nicholas Singleton capped three drives with rushing scores, including a 7-yard rush that gave Penn State a 24-17 lead with under eight minutes left.

''We didn't win the game, so it wasn't good enough," Allar said. "Plain and simple. So I'll learn from it, do everything in my power to get better from it and just grow from it.''

One thing was clear: Allar's teammates were not placing this loss on his shoulders.

After the tears of disapointment had fallen, defensive tackle D'Von J-Thomas thanked his quarterback for getting the team this far.

''Listen, everybody wants to talk about Drew throwing that last-minute interception," he said, "but let's look at the season as a whole: Drew has made some incredible plays all season. He's the reason why we're here. We wouldn't be having this conversation now after the Orange Bowl if it wasn't for Drew Allar doing the things that he's done all season.

"He throws a pick, in a moment where of course anybody would be upset. That happens. It's football, you know? Not everything's going to be sunshine and rainbows. It happens. However it played out, I thank you Drew, and I appreciate you Drew for all that he's done and all that he will do for this program.''

Allar was considered by some to be a potential first-round draft pick if he goes to the NFL.

Allar hinted last month on social media that he could return to Penn State for his senior season, saying, ''I know there's still more work to do, which is why I look forward to making more memories with my teammates this year and beyond.''

Allar was solid this season for Penn State's run-first offense. He completed more than 68% of his passes for more than 3,300 yards and 24 touchdowns, while leading the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions to a 13-2 record entering Thursday's game.

''Everyone wants to look at a specific play,'' said Penn State coach James Franklin. ''But there's probably eight to 12 plays in that game that could have made a difference."

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