MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — When James Franklin joined Penn State a decade ago, the excitement was palpable, largely because he had achieved success at Vanderbilt.

This led to soaring expectations for the Nittany Lions, with fans optimistic about future Big Ten and national championships. However, the team has only secured one conference title while the pursuit of a national championship remains unfulfilled.

Under Franklin’s leadership, missed chances and unfortunate outcomes in highly ranked games have become synonymous with the Penn State program. Their 27-24 defeat to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals felt all too familiar: close yet still falling short of breaking through their limitations.

“Everything we did together — all the victories, all the lessons from our defeats — it’s tough. It’s something our guys can carry into next year and use as motivation,” said junior linebacker Kobe King.

This defeat only reinforces the idea of the Nittany Lions being their own worst foes.

Penn State jumped to a 10-0 lead but failed to capitalize on a chance to stop Notre Dame from scoring when they didn’t recover a fumble, allowing the Irish to kick a field goal. The team that thrived in the first half struggled on the ground after halftime. Even when they held a 24-17 lead with under eight minutes remaining, a defensive lapse allowed Notre Dame to tie the game.

Yet, nothing highlighted the loss — and the season — more than an interception thrown by quarterback Drew Allar with just 33 seconds left.

“We fully support him,” said All-American tight end Tyler Warren. “He knows we have his back. That’s how we operate.”

There’s little room for debate about the decision to accelerate the pace in an attempt to win in regulation, especially considering that overtime has become a gamble with new rules regarding two-point conversions.

“We believe in playing to win,” remarked offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. “We started that drive with a solid run, pushed the tempo, and ended up turning the ball over, which was unfortunate. You’ve got to play with that mindset.”

Allar’s pivotal moment came after running back Nick Singleton’s 13-yard carry put them at the 28-yard line. Allar attempted to make a play by rolling left but ended up making a rookie mistake, throwing across his body to junior wide receiver Omari Evans. Notre Dame’s Christian Gray intercepted the pass.

Allar could have opted for a safer throw or thrown the ball out of bounds to avoid danger, which might have steadied momentum. Instead, his risky decision put Penn State in a position where they could have forced overtime.

“I went through my progressions,” Allar said. “When I reached the last option, I tried to place it at Omari’s feet. I should have just thrown it away after not finding anyone open earlier, considering the situation.”

Following the interception, Notre Dame reached the 25-yard line, where quarterback Riley Leonard set up kicker Mitch Jeter for a 41-yard field goal that sealed the game with only 10 seconds remaining.

“He’s feeling the weight of this loss, as are we all,” Franklin said regarding Allar. “It’s tough for him to talk after giving it his all on the field. It’ll hurt for a bit, but he’s resilient and will come back stronger.”

“He’ll be upset for tonight and tomorrow, but it will lessen with time. He’s dedicated and will learn from this experience, as will the rest of us,” added Franklin.

Offensive coordinator Kotelnicki stated, “It’s hard. He’s going to take this personally, but he shouldn’t. I tell him it’s not fair for one player to shoulder all the blame.”

“It’s a team effort. Sometimes it’s easy to point to that one moment, but I remind him how much we care about him,” he said.

After showing promise in the regular season as a second-year starter, Allar battled inconsistencies during the playoffs. He was overshadowed by the Nittany Lions’ run game against Indiana and Boise State, and again against the Irish.

His stats included 13 completions on 22 attempts for 127 yards against Indiana, matching his lowest season average of 5.8 yards per attempt, and 13 completions on 25 attempts for 171 yards along with three touchdowns against Boise State. Finally, he recorded 12 completions on 23 attempts for 135 yards against Notre Dame, showing minimal effectiveness in long passes with only six successful completions beyond five yards.

Overall, none of the Nittany Lions’ wide receivers caught a pass during the game.

“We tried making a few attempts early in the game but couldn’t convert,” Franklin commented. “Yes, That’s a key storyline in the game. Undoubtedly, that’s one of the main plots. We experienced some throws and faced challenging catches that we weren’t able to secure.”

The interception might overshadow Allar’s college career — it’s a moment that could be remembered negatively in program history, and its significance could grow painfully if the Irish triumph over Ohio State or Texas in the championship.

He has already announced plans to return in 2025, expressing in a social media update last month that he believes “there’s still more work to do, which is why I look forward to creating more memories with my teammates this year and in the future.”

To start, Allar must move past this incident. How effectively he does that, or if he can at all, will significantly influence whether Penn State is ready to make a breakthrough in 2025.

“Drew is a passionate individual,” Franklin remarked. “He dedicates tremendous effort to his growth, as well as to his teammates and Penn State. He’ll approach this like he does everything else, with a top-notch mindset and investment level that is among the best in the nation. His improvement from his first year as a starter to his second was remarkable. He has the potential to take another leap next year.”