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Jake Trotter
Drew Allar‘s college career is likely over. And Penn State‘s once promising season has turned into a nightmare.
The Nittany Lions lost their third straight game Saturday — a 22-21 loss at home to Northwestern.
They also lost their three-year starter at quarterback.
Allar tried to scramble for a first down late in the fourth quarter. But after being sandwiched by two tacklers, he couldn’t get up and grabbed his left leg. He had to be helped off the field and was carted to the locker room. Northwestern stopped Penn State on the ensuing fourth-down play and then ran out the clock.
Nittany Lions coach James Franklin confirmed afterward that Allar will miss the rest of the season. Because he has played more than four games in each of the past four years, Allar has no more eligibility. The only way Allar’s career could be extended is if there’s an NCAA eligibility change.
Allar considered leaving early for the NFL after guiding Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinals, but he came back to compete for a national championship and improve his draft stock.
Allar began this season with the fifth-shortest odds to win the Heisman Trophy, according to ESPN BET, and the Nittany Lions began ranked No. 2 in the polls.
Instead, this season has spiraled into a disaster.
The Nittany Lions became the first FBS team since 1978 to lose back-to-back games as 20-point favorites, according to ESPN Research. Then-winless UCLA stunned Penn State last weekend 42-37, as the Nittany Lions fell out of the polls.
“It’s 100 percent on me,” Franklin said after Saturday’s loss. “And we got to get it fixed. And I will get it fixed.”
On Sept. 27, Franklin fell to 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten opponents at Penn State, as Oregon hung on to defeat the Nittany Lions in double overtime.
The 0-3 start in Big Ten play figures to raise questions about Franklin’s job security. The Beaver Stadium crowd chanted “Fire Franklin” as Northwestern took a knee to end the game.
Penn State redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer is in line to take over for Allar. Grunkemeyer has 11 career passing attempts.
“It’s about the guys in the locker room, and they’re hurting,” Franklin said. “I’d do anything I could to take that hurt away from them. But like I told them, ‘We’ve got to stick together.'”
The Nittany Lions travel to Iowa next Saturday.
ESPN Senior College Sports Insider Pete Thamel contributed to this report.
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