Penn State Nittany Lions most to blame for heartbreaking CFP loss to Notre Dame
There are some familiar faces that are at fault in Penn State’s loss to Notre Dame
Penn State football played in a historic game against No. 5 Notre Dame that lived up to the hype. The instant classic was between two decorated programs that have been criticized for being unable to win the big one for decades. The Fighting Irish’s last national championship came in 1988, while the Nittany Lions have not hoisted college football’s biggest prize since their 1986 undefeated campaign.
Both teams looked very formidable leading up to this College Football Playoff semifinal, with head coach James Franklin’s team coming off two impressive victories against SMU and Boise State. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions will have to watch the National Championship game from home as Marcus Freeman’s team closed this game for the ages with a 41-yard game-winning field goal from placekicker Micah Jeter.
The tough loss for James Franklin and company does not take away from an overall stellar season for the program. However, this loss does feel like a missed opportunity for a program looking to take that good-to-great jump. And much of the blame game will go to some familiar culprits who will head into 2025 with something to prove.
Drew Allar did not follow up on his performance against Boise State
Drew Allar was heading into Miami after an encouraging showing against No. 9 Boise State. At the 2024 Fiesta Bowl, the junior completed 13 out of 25 passes for 171 and three touchdowns. While the accuracy was uneven, Allar stepped up when his team needed him most after Boise State cut the game to 17-14 in the third quarter. The Medina, Ohio native led an impressive eleven-play, 75-yard drive to help pull the Nittany Lions away in this quarterfinal.
However, against a much better Notre Dame secondary, Allar did not live up to the moment. Despite having a stellar run game throughout much of the game, Penn State’s leader under center completed twelve of 23 passes for 135 yards and an interception. And Allar’s one pick was brutal, as it came in Nittany Lion territory in the last minute. The costly play eventually led to the game-sealing field goal for the Fighting Irish.
Allar is set to return in 2025 after this bitter end to his best season in Happy Valley. It goes without saying that the 20-year-old is an excellent talent at the quarterback position. Allar is receiving first-round hype from Mel Kiper for this year’s NFL and could go No. 1 overall in 2026. However, the soon-to-be senior has to improve his accuracy. This weakness has shown particularly in these big games where there’s equal talent on both sides of the field. There’s still another level Drew can hit with Penn State football, and that level can elevate this entire program to new heights.
Penn State football’s most significant weakness at WR emerged against Notre Dame
The biggest weakness for the Nittany Lions throughout the season has been at wide receiver. While James Franklin’s team has the best tight end in the country in Tyler Warren, the wideout core lacked a dynamic playmaker throughout this campaign. It did look like, at certain points, that junior Harrison Wallace III would grab the mantle of being a legit WR1. And that still definitely could be the case heading into 2025.
Unfortunately, this unit posted a very ugly metric against Notre Dame on Thursday night. Penn State football’s wide receiving core combined for negative three yards in the Orange Bowl, and that one stat came on a lateral at the end of the game. So technically, this unit did not have a single reception against the Fighting Irish.
The lack of a true game-breaker on the outside is ultimately one of the main reasons this offense felt limited in the passing attack. That’s a shame because Penn State’s running game was elite this season, especially as the year went on. The ground game and play-action passing attack had the potential to be the most deadly offensive combo in the College Football Playoff. But it was not meant to be, and this team’s season ended in Miami with this weakness emerging in the worst way.
The narrative around James Franklin still has traction
The narrative around James Franklin’s inability to beat the truly exceptional teams of the college football world is still alive after the Orange Bowl loss. To be fair to Penn State’s head coach, his program looked elite against SMU and Boise State. While much of Twitter may not respect these two teams, they were both legitimately ranked in the top ten. Still, the loss against the Fighting Irish puts James Franklin at 4-20 overall against top-ten opponents and 1-15 against the top five during his stint in Happy Valley.
Some Penn State football fans are calling for their head coach’s dismissal after this crushing loss. If that were to happen, Franklin would be hired by an elite program the next day. And overall, the Langhorne, Pennsylvania native has done a great job with the program, elevating it back to the national stage. With Franklin at the helm, the Nittany Lions will annually be favored to claim a spot in the twelve-team College Football Playoff. However, the question of whether Penn State football’s head coach can lead this program to its third national title is still legitimate.
