Although I’m in general agreement with Neil Rudel’s report card after the Orange Bowl, I really feel for Drew Allar.

Yes he did not have a good game, but what effective QB has only a tight end and running backs he can count on, throw to?

Not many.

And how does it affect his confidence when two to three of his reads/transitions are flat out covered all night, and he has to force just about every pass into a small window?

I can only imagine how good he could be with Ohio State, Texas, Alabama receivers. Or our competition. Have you noticed how open their receivers get just about every week?

Penn State has got to get him help and do a better job overall recruiting. We need top-5 recruiting classes, not the 12-20 ones we have had over the past few years. The elite teams who perennially get (and buy) top-5 classes are generally strong across the board vs. PSU. No blatant weaknesses.

About James Franklin. I totally agree with Rudel’s comment that “only a fool would move on from him.”

I’m old enough to remember when Tom Osborne could not beat Oklahoma — starting 0-6, including a few blowout losses.

It took him 21 years before he won the first of his three national championships. I guess he was a half bad coach. It took Joe Paterno 17 years before he won his first natty.

Bear Bryant lost eight straight bowl games, and from 1968-70 was 20-13-1. Not very stellar, but I guess he was a pretty good coach. Notre Dame lost nine straight bowl games from 1994 to 2005 against strong competition. And Jim Harbaugh almost got fired at Michigan because he “couldn’t win the big games,” especially against Ohio State.

And when the critics say Franklin can’t beat Michigan, I remind them that before the three years of Michigan cheating, Franklin and PSU beat Michigan three out of four years (2017, 2019, 2020).

I went to each playoff game. I’m still very proud of our Nittany Lions — and as the old saying goes, “It’s more about the Jimmies and Joes than the Xs and Os.”

We just need more a few more J&Js, especially at wide receiver … and unfortunately, more NIL.

Tim Muri

Naperville, Ill.

Pinning Orange Bowl on Franklin

The Orange Bowl was a James Franklin loss.

You run the damn ball with little time left and your field position and knowing the game Allar has played.

Come on!

And then he hugged Allar?

It was the worst late-game call ever.

Throw a screen, run the ball and see what happens — then if you come up short, play for overtime.

The coach has to go.

I am tired of this.

His record is 4-20 vs. high-ranked teams.

What other statistics are needed?

Is the AD happy with this?

Al Schiavoni

Mohnton

Plenty of blame to go around

What else would you expect? This was Penn State playing in a big game.

Blame Drew Allar for another lackluster performance and also an ill-advised pass interception. Blame the defense for allowing 24 second-half points. You can blame whoever or whatever you choose but ultimately the blame rests on the program as a whole.

Who heads up the program? Of course, it’s “Big Game” James Franklin.

If I had any say in the situation, I would recommend Franklin as the first football commissioner. It seems that is what he has been campaigning for.

On to next year.

John Pifer

Middlebury Center

Allar’s decline is alarming

Notre Dame had a better team, coach, offensive line, receivers, defensive backs, special teams and especially quarterback.

PSU had an equal defensive line and possibly better linebackers if you count Carter as a LB.

The only place PSU was superior were tight end and running back.

Drew Allar has wasted his almost unlimited potential talent, and James Franklin will further the QB decline like he did with Christian Hackenberg or run him out of town like Will Levis or Beau Pribula.

How can in today’s game you not have one catch from a wide receiver? Beyond comprehension.

For Allar’s sake, please get in the transfer portal immediately. It’s not getting any better next year with pitiful wideouts and no Tyler Warren.

The decline in Allar’s game was evident in forced passes — interceptions and the missed 10-15 yard flip to Singleton for potential first TD. Penn State might as well play with three tight ends.

Franklin will never win a big game or beat Ohio State ever. Little Game James.

Coaches are measured by clutch decisions in close contests in the fourth quarter — not how close we lost the game to the Ducks, Bucks or Irish. Throwing late across middle is like a cross-court pass in basketball — an ill-advised pass late across the middle. It reminded me of witnessing Trace McSorley’s ill-advised bomb vs. USC at Pasadena.

Those who don’t learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them. But let’s look at the bright side: James Franklin helped us from the humiliation of another loss to Ohio State.

Ed Hill

Altoona

Receivers at root of PSU troubles

I attended the Orange Bowl game and had a very fun time, save for the final outcome.

I thought for the most part that the players and coaches had a good game. Kudos for over 200 rushing yards against a stout Irish defense.

No one can question how poor and ill-timed Drew Allar’s last pass was, but I must put most of the blame (and for previous losses to OSU and Michigan) on our wide receivers, or lack thereof.

No completions to them at all last night, not one, and that hasn’t happened in 20 years. They continually do not get separation so Allar either has to hold the ball or force it into coverage.

I don’t believe Omari Evans was even the slightest bit open on the interception.

You cannot have such a blatant weakness on a team that is trying to win against a really good opponent in the playoffs.

Steve Rifkin

Parkland, Florida

Third-down struggles doomed Lions

Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Another failure in the clutch.

I can’t blame James Franklin for a defender falling down. I can’t blame Franklin for Drew Allar’s pretty typical interception in the last minute.

And he missed at least six open receivers.

Allar doesn’t come through in the clutch in big games.

The bottom line is the team failed. It’s a game to win or lose. Another loss to a team they could have beaten, but, again, didn’t.

I think mostly it was a game of third downs. We were 3/11 (yes we were 2/2 on 4th down), but Notre Dame was 11-of-17.

I’ll be following wrestling now.

Lu Dorfman

Houston

Lack of discipline made difference

It’s great that the Nits made it to the semifinals. They should be very proud of their season.

James Franklin still has not learned one of Joe Paterno’s cardinal rules: “Don’t do things to lose the game.”

The lack of discipline has been an issue, including the coaching all season.

Notre Dame blitzed all night and PSU only threw one screen. The coaching once again went away from the run after blowing ND off the line of scrimmage in the first quarter.

In the fourth quarter, a hands-to-the-face penalty wiped out Carter’s sack and Singleton’s procedure started the last drive first-and-15.

Like Paterno said — “little things.”

Andy Goldberg

Greensburg

Lions need a better punter

So much to unpack regarding the Orange Bowl loss and the overall season.

Why doesn’t Penn State have an A-punter? In a game like that, we really could have used a 60-plus yard punt once in a while. Every Riley Thompson punt seems to go 40 yards with no air time. And he never places the ball inside the 10-yard line.

It seemed like ND started every possession on its 35-yard line.

Wasn’t John Bruno a key factor in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl? Penn State absolutely needs to upgrade its punting next year.

Mark Patla

Trappe