Analyzing Post-Notre Dame Reactions For Penn State Football

That’s all she wrote, folks.
The Nittany Lions’ season came to an end on Thursday with a 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. While the game came down to the wire, Drew Allar threw a costly interception that led to a Notre Dame game-winning field goal with just seven seconds left in the game.
As always, and especially after a loss, hot takes were flying around social media for our beat writers to break down.
James Franklin Can’t Win The Big Game…Again
CJ Doebler: No singular person should shoulder the blame for Thursday’s defeat, and I actually thought coaching wasn’t a problem. Situations weren’t overthought, and Andy Kotelnicki wasn’t afraid to run his offense. The Nick Singleton drop looms large as a play that should’ve been converted, but it wasn’t the downright odd calls we’ve become used to seeing in the biggest moments.
Mitch Corcoran: I don’t think this game should be indicative of Franklin’s woes against top-ranked opponents. There weren’t questionable coaching decisions, he was aggressive, and there wasn’t a noticeable lack of preparation.
This game came down to poor execution and mistakes by some of the players. The receivers were clamped, Allar was inaccurate, and Cam Miller slipped and fell, resulting in a 54-yard touchdown for Notre Dame. This was not on Franklin, and I actually think he did just about everything he could to put his team in the best position to win.
Nolan Wick: Franklin and the coaching staff are not to blame. They coached a good game and no singular person or moment is to blame for the loss. Penn State had four quarters to win a football game and, again, came agonizingly short. The way it unfolded this time almost feels like a divine intervention.
Drew Allar Isn’t NFL Talent
CJ: Even with all the rumors spreading around social media, I never thought Allar was going to go back on his decision to return to Penn State. After Thursday’s performance, there is no chance that he will declare.
However, Allar’s jump from year one to year two was significant, and the numbers only tell part of the story. Allar was fiery, Allar was demonstrative, and Allar was a leader. He’s only going up from here.
Mitch: One play and one game does not define a player. Now read that again. Allar is an NFL talent, just not at the moment.
Allar will be drafted in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, barring any injuries or any other extreme scenarios. He has shown to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country when it comes to arm strength, decision-making, and accuracy. Although he didn’t display any of that in the Orange Bowl, doesn’t mean the talent doesn’t exist.
He will have an entire offseason to work with Kotelnicki and hopefully some new and better wide receivers. Allar has the tools to be an elite quarterback and has improved significantly from a year ago. Give him one more year and he will be a top quarterback in the country.
Nolan: I never thought he’d bolt for the NFL after this season. Although his progress was significant, he could get even better on and off the field, skill-wise, and as a leader with another offseason under his belt. Heading into the Orange Bowl, the only two college quarterbacks with more than 20 touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions since 2022 were Allar and Jayden Daniels. This makes his late interception all the more difficult for Penn State to process. The guy had a rough game, but he’s still a talented quarterback who should be among the first off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Marques Hagans Needs To Go
CJ: Yes. There’s not much else to say. Zero catches for zero yards in a national semifinal is inexcusable. Allar could’ve been more accurate, but receivers could’ve gotten open more often, too.
Mitch: Marques Hagans has not worked out at Penn State. Since becoming the receivers coach in 2023, he has produced two of the worst receiver groups, statistically, since 2004. This year’s room had 1,640 receiving yards and last year’s room was worse with 1,515 receiving yards.
One stat I find amusing is that the receiving core in 2020 had 1,647 receiving yards while playing a restricted nine-game schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic and they still put up seven more yards than this year’s group that played a school-record 16 games.
I say all of this without mentioning the zero-catch game from the wideouts in this century’s biggest game for the program.
Nolan: I hate to advocate for someone to lose their job, but Hagans hasn’t yielded anything close to what Penn State needs over the last two seasons. It’s not just that his wide receivers didn’t have a single catch in the biggest game of the season. The group has been inconsistent all year, as some went weeks without registering a stat and plenty of dropped passes. If you’re a highly-touted receiver prospect, it’s hard to look at Penn State’s program and view it as the best place to develop given the room’s current state.
Tom Allen Also Needs To Go
CJ: No. We’ve reiterated all season long that the transition from Manny Diaz to Tom Allen was never going to be perfect. All things considered, it was better than expected. There were always going to be bumps in the road, and they definitely showed themselves at different points this season. For every opening-drive score, though, there were even more turnovers, sacks, and general lockdown defense.
It’s hard to criticize one of the best rushing defenses in the league, especially when they were such a large part of a historic season.
Mitch: Allen has started to grow on me throughout the season. I was very critical throughout this season and said things like “that wouldn’t happen with Manny Diaz” plenty of times. But Allen’s defense has been solid during this playoff run and I think he has to stay.
The defense held SMU’s explosive offense to just 10 points, held the Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty to a season-low 103 rushing yards, and, if Miller doesn’t slip and fall, Notre Dame was looking at scoring only 17 points in the Orange Bowl.
I think people are too critical of him and I have been quite impressed with how well the secondary played, despite starting two transfer corners and losing K.J. Winston for the season. Allen deserves more credit and I think Penn State will have another top defense in 2025.
Nolan: We’ve reiterated all season that, despite a few blemishes, Allen has been a great hire for Penn State. Franklin said before the Orange Bowl that in some cases, former head coaches do great as assistants or coordinators because of their prior experience. Allen not only had Penn State finish with one of the best rushing defenses in the league, but his calm demeanor in the locker room has been helpful for the team. Losing Winston and playing two new cornerbacks always meant there were going to be tough moments with the passing defense, but, there’s every reason to believe it’ll be much better next season.
2024 Was A Success
CJ: Ahead of this season, I predicted Penn State would finish the regular season at 10-2 with losses to Ohio State and either Wisconsin or Minnesota. I also predicted the Nittany Lions to go on the road and suffer a first-round College Football Playoff exit. I did not expect to be a few mistakes away from the national championship. Thirteen wins, a trip to the Big Ten Championship, and a run to the playoff semifinals is absolutely a success for the blue and white.
Only one team can win the championship, while the other 11 in the playoff field end their season in disappointment. I don’t think the Nittany Lions have too much to be ashamed of. Was Thursday night ugly at points? Yes, but they’ll turn the page quickly. I had no expectations for the team after last year’s graduates left, and look what happened.
Penn State will be back.
Mitch: If you look at it from the preseason’s perspective, then yes. However, goals and expectations are fluid and change as the season progresses.
Penn State was favored to win the Orange Bowl right before kickoff and held a seven-point lead with 7:55 left. Losing the game made it feel like a disappointing season because the expectation at that time was to beat Notre Dame and play for the national championship.
But if I told you in August that Penn State would play in the playoff semifinal, I think most people would call that a successful season.
Nolan: Who would’ve thought Penn State would play in the Big Ten Championship, barely fall short, and come within a hair of making the national championship?
I also had Penn State finishing 10-2 and narrowly missing the playoffs. Although that almost happened, resilience was one of the team’s defining traits. Performances at USC and Minnesota, and even Wisconsin to a certain extent, highlighted that. If a couple of mistakes aren’t made in the Orange Bowl, the Nittany Lions play in Atlanta next week.
The bigger picture looks good, and a breakthrough seems inevitable one of these years. This team has come too close too many times for it not to be, and the door will open if you knock on it enough times. 2024 was a success, and I’m excited to see what Penn State does in the future.
Your ad blocker is on.
Please choose an option below.
Purchase a Subscription!