Drew Allar injury adds insult to Penn State’s third straight loss, this time to Northwestern

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Restless boos turned to deafening “Fire Franklin” chants at Beaver Stadium on Saturday as Penn State dropped its third straight game, this time a 22-21 loss to Northwestern (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten).

What had been considered a bounce-back game for the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3) ended with quarterback Drew Allar on a cart, stunned coach James Franklin standing motionless during the football program’s postgame anthem, and a 3-3 team desperately searching for answers.

Allar will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a leg injury in Saturday’s loss, Franklin announced. The senior quarterback’s Penn State career is over.

This marks the program’s first three-game losing streak since October 2021, the same year it last lost consecutive home games. Penn State, ranked No. 2 in preseason polls, is 0-3 in Big Ten play for just the second time in Franklin’s 12-year tenure in Happy Valley.

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“[The players] are hurting right now. The fans are frustrated. And I get it,” Franklin said. “We’ve got to stick together, we’ve got to tune out all the noise and we’ve got to get to work.”

Caleb Komolafe’s 9-yard touchdown pulled the Wildcats ahead with 4 minutes and 51 seconds remaining. And after Drew Allar exited with a leg injury, Northwestern stuffed Penn State’s fourth-down attempt before running out the clock, much to the dismay of the home crowd.

Franklin maintained his commitment to his team and his players. He vowed to solve the issues and said his team will “get it right.”

“I take full responsibility for all of it. I hired all the staff. I recruited all the players. I believe in all them,” Franklin said. “But at the end of the day, we’re not getting it done right now.”

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Two weeks ago, the Nittany Lions were a fourth-down stop away from knocking off Oregon to complete a thrilling comeback. Now on the wrong side of a shocking upset, the walls are seemingly closing in on a team once destined for a deep run in the College Football Playoff.

Franklin admitted it has been difficult to keep outside voices from breaching the locker room.

“We have worked really hard to keep the building positive. But for me to say that [outside noise] doesn’t impact [the players] would not be honest,” Franklin said.

At 3-3 through six games, Penn State is all but eliminated from College Football Playoff contention, as no team with three losses has made it in the CFP’s 10-year history.

So, for a team that entered the season with national title expectations, what is left to play for?

“It’s pride at this point,” defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton said. “You’ve got to go out there every week with something to prove for the team, but for yourself, mostly.”

Durant cited the dedicated fan base as a reason to finish the campaign strong.

The Nittany Lions have six games remaining, two of which are against Associated Press Top 10 opponents in No. 1 Ohio State and No. 7 Indiana. While the team’s playoff hopes have diminished to near zero, its players remain hopeful they can turn this season around.

“Winning out, running the table is all we can do,” guard TJ Shanahan said. “There’s nothing we can do about the past, so just focus on going 1-0 each week.”

Penn State hits the road for a prime-time matchup with Iowa (4-2, 2-1) next Saturday (7 p.m., Peacock).

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