Penn State lost more than its second straight stunner on Saturday, it lost starting quarterback Drew Allar to injury.

“Drew will be done for the year,” coach James Franklin said after a 22-21 defeat to Northwestern on Saturday.

Under Franklin, Penn State became known nationally as the blue-blood program that couldn’t win the big game. In 2025, the Nittany Lions find themselves mired in a funk that’s only getting worse.

A week after being stunned at the Rose Bowl by previously-winless UCLA, Penn State lost to visiting Northwestern inside Beaver Stadium. It was Northwestern’s first win over Penn State since 2015. It was also the third straight loss for Penn State and the program’s first three-game losing streak since 2021, shortly before Franklin agreed to a 10-year contract.

The Nittany Lions entered 2025 as a trendy pick to contend not only for another College Football Playoff appearance but also with Ohio State for the Big Ten conference title. In a matter of three weeks, all that swirling preseason hype has morphed into swirling uncertainty around Franklin.

The head coach at Penn State since 2014, Franklin has struggled against top-flight opponents, going 4-21 against top 10-ranked opponents, including a pitiful 1-18 against top 10-ranked conference opponents. The Nittany Lions have typically taken care of business against the lesser teams they’ve faced, but in the last two weeks, they’ve fallen flat. A double-overtime home loss to Oregon on Sept. 27 preceded back-to-back weeks in which the Penn State defense couldn’t slow down UCLA or Northwestern when it mattered.

On Northwestern’s last two drives, it was able to run the ball at will, including the eventual game-winning 9-yard touchdown run by running back Caleb Komolafe with 4:51 left in the fourth quarter.

To make an already precarious position more compromised, Allar was injured on the ensuing drive on a third-down scramble attempt to pick up the first down. Allar, who returned to State College in 2025 after being draft-eligible at the conclusion of last season, immediately grabbed at his lower left leg. He limped off and was last seen on the broadcast in a golf cart headed to the locker room with his shoe off his left foot.

Allar was not able to return. On Penn State’s last offensive play, backup Ethan Grunkemeyer entered for the injured Allar. On a fourth-and-3 with three minutes remaining, the second-string quarterback also took off running but barely made it back to the line of scrimmage. Grunkemeyer was hit so hard, his helmet almost dislodged. On the broadcast, he immediately looked up to see how close he was to the first-down marker. He was still 3 yards behind the sticks.

Northwestern salted the game away with 22 yards on the ground on the next eight plays. Boos cascaded down throughout Beaver Stadium as Franklin walked to midfield to congratulate Northwestern coach David Braun.

Things go from bad to worse for Allar

Allar entered his senior season as a projected Day 2 draft pick with a chance to rise into the first-round with a strong 2025. But his first five games were marred with inconsistent play and things went from bad to worse with his season-ending injury against Northwestern.

With a strong second half, including an upcoming road test versus Ohio State, Allar had a chance to get his draft stock back on track and change the narrative in the eyes of NFL scouts. But with his season now over, he won’t have that opportunity, which puts his draft projection in limbo and makes his pre-draft process even more important.

With his first-round dreams dashed, Allar will rely on his interviews and potential pro day (if healthy) in the spring to convince teams his potential is still worth drafting at some point in the top-100 picks. — Dane Brugler, NFL Draft analyst