UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -Five minutes remained in a three-point game on third-and-eight pinned inside the 15-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Drew Allar dropped back with pressure bearing down on him and floated a pass over the middle of the field. The throw became the first interception of his collegiate career and came in a crucial moment.
Allar through his first 18 games set the FBS record for most passing attempts to start a career without an interception with 311 attempts. The end of the stretch also marked the time Indiana responded with less than three minutes left to knot the score at 24-24.
Allar confidently strode back to the huddle and looked at his 10 other teammates with one message, "the time is now." He stayed true to his mentality by flushing the turnover and dialed up a game-winning deep shot to junior wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith who tiptoed the sideline for a 57-yard touchdown. The score sent Beaver Stadium into a frenzy.
"Whether it's teammates or coaches, I couldn't ask for a better group of people to be around as a support system," Allar said. "At the end of the day, stuff happens. You have to flush it; you can't dwell on the past…We had another opportunity to go out there and win the game and we did just that. That's why we play football, to have opportunities like that, to go down and win the game."
Part of that support system is junior tight end and captain Theo Johnson who instilled more confidence in the rosy-cheeked quarterback after the turnover. "I told him you're the best in the country and don't forget it," Johnson said.
Johnson has been a consistent target for Allar in the red zone with his 6-foot-6 frame. Their connection was on full display again with a 16-yard pitch-and-catch touchdown to Johnson running the seam route down the middle. Johnson was impressed with the maturity Allar showed in the late-game drive and learned how adversity doesn't faze the young signal caller.
"I learned that he's resilient," Johnson said. "And obviously when you're the quarterback, it's really great when things are going good and when things don't go good, you receive a lot of backlash and stuff. He didn't let that affect him. He came this week and put his best foot forward, so I've got a tremendous, tremendous respect for him."
Lambert-Smith has lived up to his "big play Dre" nickname with a highlight reel full of big plays in a Penn State uniform. The Norfolk, Virginia, product lined up in man coverage with no safety over the top. It was a matchup he favors and one he knew he could dominate. "I was ready to cook," Lambert-Smith said.
It was a play practiced time-and-time again with wide receivers coach Marques Hagans acting as the defender. "Coach Hagans gave me a good analogy and I'll never forget it," Lambert-Smith said. "He said, 'when you get in a car, you don't think about crashing.' So, like when you're a receiver, you don't think about dropping the ball."
Lambert-Smith's confidence in significant moments allows Allar to be confident in his ability to throw the ball down the field and lead game-defining drives like the one displayed Saturday night. Lambert-Smith praised Allar for taking "accountability" following the turnover but maintained an unwavering trust in his quarterback.
"I feel like [the last drive] is a testament to who he is," Lambert-Smith said. "He's always pretty much the same guy, real steady guy, so after the pick, a lot of guys just leaned into him, you're not the only one out there, we all got your back. We got 100% belief in you and he was able to come out there the next drive and deliver a dime."
Sophomore running back Nick Singleton is another dynamic and dependable playmaker for Allar at his disposal. Singleton totaled a team-high 131 all-purpose yards and found the end zone on a T-formation play minutes before halftime.
Singleton shared how two-minute-drills are a steady focus in practice in order to prepare for impactful moments. The standout speedster also discussed how vital it is to play with a "six second mentality" and to not worry about the previous plays. Allar thrives in these concepts and portrayed his ability to lead as a potent passer when it mattered.
"Just his work ethic," Singleton said. "He works every time, especially in the facility. He's the first person there and the last person at the facility…When he speaks up, everybody listens to him because you know how good of a player he is."
