MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Penn State offense had 47 seconds to drive the ball from its own 15-yard line with the game tied 24-24. Quarterback Drew Allar was far from his best self in the Orange Bowl, but he had an opportunity to put the bad night behind him.

After running back Nick Singleton took a handoff for 13 yards down the left side, it was Allar who ultimately ended the season after a pass intended for wide receiver Omari Evans was intercepted by Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray.

“I was going through my progressions, got to the back side, and honestly I was just trying to dirt it at his feet,” Allar said. “But I should have thrown it away when I thought the first two progressions weren’t open. Just because of the situation we were in, I was just trying to dirt it at Omari’s feet, but didn’t execute what I was trying to do.”

While his throw was supposed to be in the dirt, it wasn’t that. While Gray had to make a diving grab to haul in the interception, he caught it firmly in his chest.

Allar said he would’ve thrown the ball away, but that wasn’t the only option he had. With the clock ticking toward the end of the fourth quarter, he could’ve also taken the sack and let the game go to overtime.

“We didn’t win the game so it wasn’t good enough,” Allar said when asked to assess his performance. “I mean, I think it’s plain and simple, so I’ll learn from it. Just do everything in my power to get better from it and grow from it.”

Allar sat on the turf of Hard Rock Stadium alone following the biggest mistake of his career. He slammed the ground with both of his hands in frustration. He whipped his helmet off of his head right after putting both his hands on it, realizing the severity of the turnover.

It’s not like he had much help on the play, as starting left guard Vega Ioane let his man beat him to crumple Allar in the pocket, Evans didn’t run the cleanest route and all other receiving options were blanketed.

“He’s going to put that on himself and he shouldn’t have to,” offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said. “I got to be better for him and our offense to make sure that whatever we’re doing, whatever play we’re calling, people need a better chance to separate and put him in a better position to succeed. I simply say to him ‘that’s not on you.’ You don’t need to take that on your shoulders.”

His teammates were quick to defend him and what he means to Penn State. Safety Kevin Winston Jr. rushed to console Allar when Notre Dame celebrated postgame. The teary-eyed Nittany Lions were quick to raise their disappointed voices in the locker room to support the junior and what he means to the program.