ALTOONA, Pa. -- Drew Allar was on the field for about 4 minutes in his debut, and in that time, some Penn State fans seemed to become convinced that he already should be playing a lot more, instead of the guy who has been the starting quarterback now for four seasons, Sean Clifford.
It doesn't seem to matter that Penn State actually won the game, 35-31, and is 1-0. Or that Clifford was a big reason the Nittany Lions won the game, leading an 80-yard TD drive in the final 2 minutes. Or that Clifford threw four TDs and ran for one to earn Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Clifford also threw a horrific pick-six that put the game in doubt in the first place. That, on top of his inconsistent play the past two seasons, has led some fans to start calling for Allar to get meaningful reps going forward.
The comments are everywhere, including this one posted by DKPS reader RickB:
Ease Allar in but by the 4th or 5th game he should be starting. Similar to what Dabo did with Lawrence, HCJF needs to elevate Allar based on superior talent. Plus he needs to keep Veilleux engaged or he’s gone. As you’ve projected, PSU is probably a 7-5 or 8-4 team. Go 7-5 with Allar/Veilleux & build for this season & especially next. HCJF had a major screw up allowing Clifford to come back unless it’s to mentor Allar into the starting role, preferably this year.
Without question, the quarterback situation is going to be closely watched all season, because Allar came in as the No. 1 QB recruit in the country, while Clifford has been largely mediocre during his career.
The only reason Allar played at all Saturday at Purdue was because Clifford had "cramps" -- or whatever else it was -- at the start of the second half, forcing him to go back into the locker room for a few minutes.
Allar completed 2-of-4 passes for 26 yards. More importantly, the coaches showed trust to let him run the full offense, rather than dumbing down the play calls, and Allar handled it all with great poise.
James Franklin was asked Tuesday how he might handle the QB situation and if Allar could get some meaningful game reps, as opposed to just mop-up duty.
Franklin gave a pretty insightful answer, one that seemed to hint that it could be a possibility Allar might get a series here and there with the games on the line.
"We've had discussions about that," Franklin said. "Obviously, we want to make sure that we have depth throughout our entire program, at every position. Obviously, I think the last two years, that had a major factor in how our seasons went. So, being very strategic and working hard to find ways to get guys on the field and gain that experience, not only in practice and our developmental scrimmages ... but also out there in Beaver Stadium.
"I think in theory, what we've tried to do is is hopefully play in a way in some games that allows you to get guys on the field. But it always doesn't play out that way. So being strategic, the best we can, to put all of our players at every position in position to gain that valuable game experience. So, it's something we're looking at. We'll see how it plays out."
Now, to be clear, Franklin did mention he was talking about depth at every position. But he was asked specifically about quarterback, so we also probably have to take it at face value that the coaches have had discussions about Allar's usage, as well, during the meaningful parts of games.
We are, it should be noted, talking about two different things here, though.
One is the possibility of getting Allar an occasional series, which is what Franklin was asked about.
The other is the notion of Allar becoming the starter at some point, supplanting Clifford.
This is a good time to remind everyone again that Penn State won the game at Purdue. And as long as the Lions keep winning, there would seem to be ZERO chance that a quarterback switch will be made.
Yes, Clifford can be frustrating, and yes, that pick-six he threw was a sign that he's still the same inconsistent quarterback.
But what people also need to consider is this: What are the odds that Allar, a true freshman playing on the road, could have led that winning touchdown drive in the final minutes?
Highly unlikely.
There's no doubt the young man has good skills. We saw those on display in his brief appearance. But Clifford brings six years of experience to the table, he's seen it all, and he is never fazed by anything.
So, despite the bad pick-six, Clifford was able to put that behind him and still lead the team to victory in a tough spot.
If Penn State starts losing, there is every reason to think that Franklin should make a QB change and start planning for the future.
But until the losing starts, any calls for Allar to take over for Clifford are just downright silly.
The Lions might lose at Auburn in two weeks, then they will be favored to win their next two games against Central Michigan and Northwestern. If Penn State is sitting there at 5-1, there will not be a quarterback change.
Now, if Clifford struggles and the Lions do still end up 3-3 after the Michigan game, then, absolutely, we have to revisit this entire situation.
No matter how much fans want to see Allar play, it's just not going to happen unless Clifford gets injured or the team starts losing. Because as we saw at Purdue, even if he's having an uneven game, Clifford also is still capable of putting that behind him and bouncing back with some good play.
