The final drive was the hardest to watch.
You could argue that any of the previous six second-half possessions by what passed for Penn State’s offense Saturday, which added up to — trigger warning — 36 yards in 25 plays, would have been the toughest to watch, as they collectively built on a string of ineptitude previously not seen from the 2023 team, and, really, not even any offense in the James Franklin Era, with the possible exception of the time Christian Hackenberg was sacked approximately 316 times in the loss at Temple in 2015.
But the final, pre-onside kick drive, when Drew Allar actually connected with a few receivers for decent gains, including the dart to Kaden Saunders on a broken play for the Lions’ only touchdown of the day, was more painful still, because it reminded you that Penn State wasn’t completely bereft of talent, as all of its other offensive possessions that day had so strongly suggested. It reminded you that Allar had, in fact, completed passes before and is likely to do so again, that his linemen provided him with some time to do so and his receivers were physically capable of hauling those passes in.
