"Refs let him off the hook": CFB analyst calls out alleged bias towards Penn State QB Drew Allar in Orange Bowl

The Orange Bowl has been one of the most competitive College Football Playoff games this season as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Penn State Nittany Lions played it close throughout the four quarters. In games like this, one mistake could be massive and Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was saved from having one of those.

With 8:42 remaining in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 17, Drew Allar attempted to throw a 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Warren. However, he was covered by multiple Fighting Irish defenders and was intercepted by Jack Kiser.

The turnover would not count, though, as the referees threw a penalty flag and called pass interference on Adon Shuler, negating the interception and giving Notre Dame the ball in the red zone.

Legendary sports talk broadcaster and owner of "The Volume," Colin Cowherd, posted on social media stating that Drew Allar benefited from some apparent bias on that play.

"Drew Allan (sic) threw into quadruple coverage. Never seen that. And the refs let him off the hook," Cowherd wrote.

While the decision by Drew Allar was certainly not the best decision, it was something that at the end of the day was the correct call by the officiating crew.

Penn State would get the ball back at the nine-yard line and punch in a touchdown to take the lead. However, it would not be enough as Notre Dame would win the game 27-24 and secure a spot in the national championship game.

Drew Allar may return in 2025 after subpar Orange Bowl

While Drew Allar announced before the College Football Playoff began that he would be returning to Penn State, NFL scouts were still hoping that maybe he would reconsider when seeing that the 2025 NFL quarterback draft class is not as strong as previously anticipated.

With Carson Beck entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, it appears that only Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders are locks for the first round of the draft and that may even be a stretch at this point.

Allar struggled in the Orange Bowl as he finished 12-of-23 for 135 yards with an interception, as well as the interception called back due to the penalty. This Orange Bowl performance did not put him in a great light so Allar could potentially return to college for one more season.