CFB world unhappy with Drew Allar despite Penn State winning dominantly vs SMU at halftime

College football fans were left unhappy with quarterback Drew Allar's performance in the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions' game against the No. 11 SMU Mustangs in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday.

Although Penn State led 28-0 at halftime, fans voiced their frustration with Allar contributions to the game.

By halftime, Allar completed 12 of 21 passes for 121 yards. He had no turnover but didn't do enough to impact the game in fans' eyes on social media.

The college football world commented on his performance in the first half and believes the team would be losing if SMU weren't playing badly as well.

"If SMU was playing at even a mediocre level right now(namely Jennings), they'd be in the game. Allar again not looking sharp.," a fan wrote.

"Well, Penn State should thank SMU for an early Christmas present. SMU has outplayed Penn State and has all but handed the game to them on a silver platter. Merry Christmas Penn State! You know have one more game left in your season. Then, you can get ready for the 2025 season.," another fan wrote.

"Halftime thoughts: 1. three Italian flags emoji 2. What is up with Allar? Completely off today 3. SMU scared to tackle. The cold is dominating them Don't let SMU back into the game. Close it out,"a third fan commented.

"Can someone teach Allar to throw throw the ball away., said a fan wrote criticizing Allar.

"James Franklin getting bailed out like usual. Any other team would be first round exit," a fan replied.

"James Franklin is trying to keep SMU in it. But this defense came to play!," another fan criticizing the Penn State coach.

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings' underperformance leading to Penn State's dominance

Both teams struggled on offense during the first half of the game. However, Penn State's (12-2, 8-1 Big 12) defense was crucial to the team's success.

SMU (11-3, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) quarterback Kevin Jennings performed worse than Allar. Jennings completed 11 of 23 passes for 100 yards and three interceptions by halftime.

One notable turnover occurred in the first quarter when he threw an interception to Nittany Lions linebacker Dominic DeLuca for a touchdown for Penn State. The turnovers and mistakes for Jennings continued as SMU couldn't deal with their opponents' defense.

Jennings scored a touchdown with a pass to wide receiver Roderick Daniels Jr. in the fourth quarter. That said, Penn State had a 38-10 lead that SMU could not overcome.

The Nittany Lions will face the No. 3 Boise State Broncos (12-1, 8-0 Mountain West Conference) in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 31.