UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (NITTANY NATION) - Drew Allar has faced three top 10 passing defenses this season and will see another tough one when traveling to Minnesota on Saturday. The Golden Gophers defense ranks first in the Big 10 with 16 interceptions and allows just 160 passing yards at home.
“(Minnesota has) some ballhawks in their secondary, but they make plays when the plays come to them," Allar said. "It's not like I can't have any unforced errors. I can't just give them opportunities because they capitalize on it.”
In Allar's first three matchups against top 10 passing defenses, which was against Ohio State, Wisconsin and Washington, he averaged just 170 passing yards per game.
With a matchup set against a team that has a plus 12 turnover margin, Penn State and Allar are focused on taking care of the football.
"That's going to be a major factor of the game," Penn State head coach James Franklin said. "We've done a good job of protecting the football and we're going to have to continue to do that."
Thus far, Allar has protected the football as his five interceptions rank near the bottom of the Big 10. The junior quarterback has even compared Minnesota to Penn State with their philosophy and aggressive playing style on defense.
“They're similar to us in the in the fact that they want to control the ball, and they want to force turnovers," Allar said. "We're just going to have to be discipline and stick to our game plan not have any unforced errors that will put us in a bad situation on offense.”
Penn State and Allar have a 2-1 record against top 20 passing defenses this season. Will they make it 3-1 on Saturday?