Road Struggles of Penn State Nittany Lions QB Drew Allar Could Be Ohio State Buckeyes Advantage
Sitting with three teams in the top seven and four teams in the top 25, the Big Ten certainly has an argument as the best conference in college football this season.
Or at least the most top-heavy.
Out of those teams in the top 10 - No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State - the Nittany Lions look like they could be the best of the bunch through the first half of the season.
Quarterback Drew Allar might be the reason behind that as well.
Yes, the Nittany Lions have a top-ranked defense. And yes, their running game ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten.
But it wasn't until Allar came into his own as the Penn State starter, that the team was really able to take off.
Allar is also an Ohio native, making it sting just a little bit more for Buckeyes fans to see him succeed at a Big Ten East rival.
"He's an Ohio kid who had a great career. We already had Quinn Ewers committed to us, and at that point," Ryan Day said Tuesday. "He's done a good job in his first year. He's had poised, he's a big, strong quarterback who leads the team well."
That said, if there is one area the Buckeyes might be able to take advantage of against Penn State, it could lie with Allar as well.
In four games at home in Happy Valley this season, Allar has been competing at a Heisman level, connecting on 73 percent of his passes for 857 yards and 11 touchdowns, with zero interceptions.
Allar has faced respectable competition in those games as well, including games against 5-1 West Virginia and a 31-0 shutout of now No. 24 Iowa. They also had two blowouts of Delaware and Massachusetts.
However, in two games on the road, Allar has been far from the same quarterback, completing just 51.5 percent of his passes for 397 yards and one touchdown against Illinois and Northwestern - two teams that are a combined 6-7 on the year and 2-5 in Big Ten play.
Yes, the Nittany Lions of course won both of those games by double digits, but Allar still struggled.
However, the stats are the stats, and the Nittany Lions have not faced a defense even close to the level of Ohio State's.
In fact, Northwestern ranks No. 56 in the country in total defense and No. 81 in scoring defense, while Illinois ranks even worse, coming in at No. 100 in total defense and No. 86 in scoring defense.
Illinois also ranks near the bottom of the nation in pass defense.
While Northwestern is actually a bit better in that area at No. 26 in the country, Ohio State's defense is another animal completely, ranking No. 4 in the country against the pass, No. 4 in total defense and No. 3 in scoring defense.
With all that said, Allar's talent is undeniable, and whether or not this trend continues in Columbus on Saturday remains to be seen.
Either way, Ohio State faces a major challenge at noon on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
