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Drew Allen struggled in his debut, completing less than 50 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions.
(Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com)
East Rutherford, N.J. — Beneath the shrouds of coach speak and closed practices were two teams searching for a starting quarterback. For weeks they lamented, both publicly and privately, as coaches assessed and reassessed a decision that would set the tone for their new season.
But when the cloaks were lifted, and each team trotted out a starter on an overcast and muggy day at MetLife Stadium, the end result was paradox. Syracuse, the team that brought in a fifth-year senior from Oklahoma whose experience and wisdom were supposed to be blessings, received an uneven performance from Drew Allen. While Penn State (1-0), which entrusted true freshman Christian Hackenberg with the reins, saw a player with a promising future begin to blossom.
Hackenberg threw for more than 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the second half, forging a strong connection with star wide receiver Allen Robinson to preserve a 23-17 victory in front of a very pro-Penn State crowd of 61,202. Allen, his counterpart and elder by five years, was pedestrian in his Syracuse (0-1) debut. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes and tossed two crippling interceptions, though his poise and leadership still gave the Orange an opportunity to formulate a last-second drive that could have won the game.
"We had a kid start at quarterback that hadn't played since high school really, other than getting in for mop-up duty at Oklahoma," Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer said. "I thought the kid did a good job. I was pleased with Drew for the most part."
The secrecy ceased roughly 10 minutes before kickoff when the school announced that Allen had won the starting job. He looked the part during pregame warmups, embracing his teammates and quarterbacks coach Tim Lester before taking the field, feigning basketball crossover dribbles on the sideline that reflected his cool demeanor, bobbing his head to the music.
His inherent self-belief — the one that comes with being a star quarterback in Texas, arguably the most talent-rich state for high school football players — transferred onto the field in the early moments. Allen completed seven of his first nine passes, moving the ball on offense even though it resulted in no points on the board.
"To be honest I had no jitters, no nervousness at all," Allen said. "I was calm, and to be honest I had a lot of fun." Yet as the game wore on, and Penn State ultimately surged in front early in the third quarter, Allen's completion percentage plummeted, and with it the production of the offense. His 55-yard completion to Jeremiah Kobena on Syracuse's second possession of the second half — he hit him in stride — was an aberration on an afternoon where yards were difficult to come by.
Though Allen commanded the offense with ease, his eyes lingered as he stood tall in the pocket. He forced a ball to wide receiver Adrian Flemming late in the third quarter, his gaze never leaving the jersey of SU's No. 22, and it led to an easy interception by Stephen Obeng-Agyapong that ultimately produced a Penn State field goal.
Later, with Syracuse facing a 23-10 deficit, Allen was unaware of Obeng-Agyapong racing toward him on a blitz. He was leveled on a crucial third down, and Syracuse punted the ball away.
"There were times when we showed a lot of great things on offense, and then there were times that it wasn't so great," Allen said. "And I felt like in those times it wasn't so great, our communication kind of broke apart."
Across the way, Hackenberg looked less the part of an 18-year-old prized recruit and more like a polished veteran. He completed 22 of his 31 pass attempts, including two touchdowns, and bounced back nicely from a pair of interceptions.
When Allen Robinson, his star wide receiver, came onto the field in the second half, Hackenberg was smart enough and talented enough to find ways to put the ball in his hands. He connected with Robinson on back-to-back plays on Penn State's first drive of the third quarter, covering 76 yards in the blink of an eye to reach the end zone and give the Nittany Lions a double-digit lead.
The touchdown came on a beautiful pump-and-go route in which Hackenberg's fake froze Ri'Shard Anderson and left Robinson alone down the sideline. He showed off his deep-ball prowess again in the fourth quarter by connecting with Eugene Lewis on a 54-yard bomb with perfect trajectory.
"Hackenberg, we recruited him a little bit at the University of Miami when I was there, and I knew he was going to be a great player coming out of high school," Syracuse offensive coordinator George McDonald said. "I'm not very surprised about what he did. That's what I expected him to do."
Still, Allen was given a golden chance to win the game in the waning moments when Syracuse took over at its own 44-yard line with 2:08 remaining. But a dropped pass by Prince-Tyson Gulley was followed up by two desperation heaves down the right sideline, the second of which was picked off by Trevor Williams to seal the win.
The groans of Syracuse fans were overpowered by the booming cheers of Penn State's faithful, and Allen walked sullenly toward the sideline.
He looked at the ground as he undid his chin straps one at time, the weight of the loss sinking in. Then he looked up at Lester, who was waiting for him on the sideline. Then he began explaining.
Follow Michael Cohen on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.
