What Penn State's Drew Allar Said About Oregon Ahead of Saturday's White Out

The Nittany Lions host the Ducks in a top-10 matchup at Beaver Stadium. Penn State's quarterback previewed the game.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) gestures at the line of scrimmage against the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar expects a "heavyweight fight" when the Nittany Lions host Oregon on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium. The teams staged Round 1 in Indianapolis last year, when Allar's aggressive comeback attempt fell short in a 45-37 loss to the Ducks in the Big Ten Championship Game.

The Nittany Lions host Oregon for Round 2 at Beaver Stadium in a prime-time White Out matchup between top-10 teams.

"It's going to be a heavyweight fight between two really talented teams with really great coaching staffs on both sides of the ball," Allar said. "So it's going to be a fun matchup from that standpoint. And it's a heavyweight fight at the end of the day. They're going to land shots, we're going to land shots. It's just about how you're able to respond to those things and really bounce back."

During a conference call Wednesday, three days before the game, Allar discussed a variety of topics, including his development this season, building chemistry with his wide receivers and the Ducks' defense. Here are the highlights from the interview session.

RELATED: Will Penn State's defense be ready in time for Oregon?

On Penn State's offense through three games

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) looks to throw a pass during the third quarter against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

I think it's always an ongoing process throughout the year no matter what. I don't think you ever find yourself at the spot you want to be really throughout the whole year. I think we're always going to be that constantly evolving offense and playing to our strengths and weaknesses depending on the team we're going against and the things you want to take advantage of.

But I'm really happy. I think we've had, really the last three weeks of practice and through the bye week, really good practices as an offense, and now it's just about going out there today and having another really good practice and executing on third down today.

On what he learned from re-watching the Big Ten Championship Game

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin watches quarterback Drew Allar (15) throw against the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

I think you're able to watch it a little bit just because it's the same staff, so there are similarities. But it's not the exact same. Obviously [the Ducks] have a lot of new personnel between guys that they either brought in through the portal or just guys that maybe didn't start last year that are starting this year.

Overall, they're a really good defense, obviously. I think you can just see that by looking at the stats. Their secondary is really good. They're going to challenge every throw in the pass game, and they're very physical and disruptive, so it'll be a good challenge for us. And I think the guys in their box, between their linebackers and and D-line, are really good too, so it's going to be a fun challenge.

On whether he thinks about what's riding on this game

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar stands on the field prior to the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

I mean, not really. I think it's about going 1-0 every week, never looking into the future, never looking into the past, just staying in the present. I'm here on a Wednesday. I'm not in Saturday [mode] yet. So I'm just going through our gameplan, studying it, getting everything down, the checks and everything like that, and really just mastering everything I can master right now. So then when it does come to Saturday, I'm able to just go out there and play football.

RELATED: Penn State has a chance to "change that narrative" this season.

On what he learned from the defense's scout of his offense during the bye week

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar throws a pass during the second quarter against the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

I'm not really going to share what was said, but it was a lot of good information. Obviously, we have a really good defensive staff, and I'm always learning from them no matter what, whether it's a bye week or we're going against an opponent. I'm always learning from them and those guys on the other side of the ball, because I'm always trying to get better in my process and pick up anything that I can to put myself in a good position. But yeah, I did learn a lot.

On developing chemistry with his new receivers

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receivers Kyron Hudson (1) and Trebor Peña (8) celebrate a touchdown against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

I think there's always room to grow, no matter if they're new to the program or they've been in the program for a while. I think that's always an ongoing thing, and you're always building chemistry throughout the week. I think we've done a really good job with those three guys [Kyron Hudson, Trebor Pena and Devonte Ross] specifically. I think they've all shown flashes through the first three games, and I'm really excited to go out there and play another game with those guys. They're all about football. That whole room in general. We have a lot of young guys in that room that are really taking the next step in their progression as well.

On playing in big games

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar goes to embrace head coach James Franklin after defeating the USC Trojans in overtime. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

I think it just comes through experience in general. I think I've been in a lot of different situations in my time here, especially being the starting quarterback. And I think I just kind of know what it feels like throughout the game, when it feels good, when things aren't going right, what's the right response, what's the wrong response, and just really how to handle everything.

Because coming into this game, it's going to be a heavyweight fight between two really talented teams with really great coaching staffs on both sides of the ball. So it's going to be a fun matchup from that standpoint. And it's a heavyweight fight at the end of the day. They're going to land shots, we're going to land shots. It's just about how you able to respond to those things and really bounce back.