Penn State’s Drew Allar Out for the Season After Injury in Loss to Northwestern

Penn State’s tough season took another major hit on Saturday, as head coach James Franklin confirmed that starting quarterback Drew Allar will miss the remainder of the year following a leg injury sustained late in the 22–21 loss to Northwestern.

The senior quarterback went down on the Nittany Lions’ second-to-last offensive play, attempting to convert a 3rd-and-3in the fourth quarter. Allar was immediately in visible pain on the Beaver Stadium turf before being helped off the field, unable to put much weight on his left leg.

Franklin kept his comments brief after the game but delivered the grim update:

“Drew will be done for the year,” Franklin said.

With Allar sidelined, freshman backup Ethan Grunkemeyer entered the game and was quickly met with pressure. On 4th-and-3, he was hit hard and stopped short of the first down marker, resulting in a turnover on downs. Northwestern capitalized by running out the clock to complete a stunning upset as 21-point underdogs.

Before exiting, Allar completed 13 of 20 passes for 137 yards, though he also threw a costly red-zone interception in the first half. Once again, Penn State’s offense struggled to find rhythm or consistency, continuing a troubling trend for the Lions this season.

The loss drops Penn State to 3–3 on the year, marking its second straight defeat. Next week, the Nittany Lions will travel to Iowa City to face Northwestern in a primetime matchup. Grunkemeyer is expected to make his first collegiate start in the game, which will kick off at 7 p.m. ET and stream exclusively on Peacock from Kinnick Stadium.