What Drew Allar's Comments Really Say About Oregon Ducks Defense

During the same postgame press conference, Allar took responsibility for the Nittany Lions not sticking through their second half comeback for the win.

"I mean, what went wrong is we didn't win the game," Allar said. "What went right? We made a comeback, but obviously we just gotta, we just gotta take care of the ball at the end of the game."

"Yeah, I mean I don't prepare all week to come out and lose the game," Allar continued. "So, obviously it hurts. We had our opportunities. I think that's kind of the, unfortunately, the bright side of it, is we had opportunities obviously at the end to come back and win the game if we go down and score and make the two point conversion. But I mean that's the way it shakes out."

Allar & Lions Drew Up a Comeback

Allar is right, Penn State drew up several opportunities that helped crack a tired Oregon defense, especially in the fourth quarter.

Though Allar continued his struggles with accuracy, ending the first half with three of four drives resulting in punts and 12 total passes at 50 percent accuracy for 45 yards, the Nittany Lions' rally in the second half led by an improvement in Allar's execution is something the Ducks can take notes from for future ranked games like their matchup against No. 8 Indiana after the bye week.

Allar's first pass of the second half started with his only deep ball completion for 16 yards up the middle to tight end Kahlil Dinkins for a first down, Allar's third passing first down thus far in the game.

The X's and O's of Making it to Double OT

After that pass, Allar found success in passing short in the middle and right targets peppered in with much more of the Penn State starter using his legs for quarterback scrambles and keepers. Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen also saw a majority of ground game opportunities outside of Allar. In fact, Allar put in 42 yards off nine opportunities during the game, most of which came from the third and mostly fourth quarters.

Allar consistently targeting the right side of the field is also not coincidental as both freshmen defensive backs Ify Obidegwu and Kingston Lopa often sat in the backfield on the right. 12 of Allar's 25 total game passes found a home on the right side of the field.

Mix all that with Allar's chemistry with wide receiver Devonte Ross in the red zone spells Penn State's comeback leading into overtime with two fourth quarter touchdowns.

Thieneman's Catch Was a Smart Design

Reviewing the film of Thieneman's catch, fans can see Oregon's defense was doubled up in preparation for the pass with a 4-2-5 defense. Thieneman, who was mirroring wide receiver Trebor Pena on the lineup, acted as a secondary check for linebacker Jerry Mixon. Mixon was set in the middle (potentially playing contain) in case the Penn State play went past the line of scrimmage.

When Thieneman and Mixon read the pass to the right from Allar (what he had been hitting all night), both Ducks put themselves between the hashmarks to grab the pass to tight end Luke Reynolds, who was also matched up with an eager defensive back Aaron Flowers that had Reynolds covered.

Though Mixon had his back to Allar as the pass arc fell into Thieneman's gloves, both Ducks were there in theory to make sure at least one Duck came up with that ball.

In the end, Oregon read Allar's strengths in his favoritism to the right, and matched the Lions with a counter to Allar's flaw this season: his inaccuracy with pressure in the pocket and double coverage downfield for off kilter passes.

Mendoza Also Results to the Run In a Hoozier Hiccup

When looking at Oregon's future opponents, Allar's comeback in the second half could spell similar for another ranked quarterback. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza also seems to favor keeping the ball in his hands when the passing game subsides.

Looking at when Mendoza's accuracy in the passing game is at it's lowest percentage, which is against Old Dominion (58.1 percent completion rate, 6 carries for 33 yards), Kennesaw State (72 percent completion rating, 3 carries for 20 yards), and Iowa (56.5 percent completion rating, 8 carries for 26 yards) the quarterback results to keeping the ball.

Penn State's comeback in the second half, and the Ducks figuring out how to counter Allar, is a great primer to show Oregon's defense what they can do against a more skilled offense for future games.