Drew Allar interception: QB's last-minute turnover costs Penn State in Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame

While Penn State QB Drew Allar told James Franklin he planned to forgo the NFL Draft return to school in 2025, back-to-back strong performances in the College Football Playoff sparked speculation he could change his mind and turn pro.

It's safe to say returning to school might be in Allar's best interests.

The junior threw away Penn State's chance to win the Orange Bowl and reach the national championship game on Thursday night, tossing a devastating interception to Christian Gray with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Notre Dame would win 27-24, advancing to the title game.

Allar entered the night with only nine interceptions in two seasons as a starter, but his 10th was one he will have a tough time forgetting.

Here's the video of Allar's interception and a look at what led to his costly decision.

SN's PLAYOFF HQ: Live CFP scores | Updated CFP bracket | Full CFP schedule

Drew Allar interception vs. Notre Dame

When Penn State's defense dialed up the pressure on Notre Dame and prevented the Fighting Irish from attempting a game-winning field goal, it looked like the worst-case scenario for James Franklin's team would be overtime. 

Penn State's offense had 49 seconds to work with, needing considerable yardage against a tough defense to get into field goal range but starting the drive strong with a 13-yard run from Nicholas Singleton.

While no one could fault the Nittany Lions for being somewhat aggressive, knowing they still had plenty of ground to make up to get in position for a field goal, Allar's decision was ultimately shortsighted. He looked to his left before for a couple of seconds before turning back to his right, seeing a defender in his face, and tossing a pass up the middle right to Gray.

All Omari Evans could do at that point was turn into a defender and try to break up the pass, but Gray got his hands on it and held on as he went to the ground.

Notre Dame picks off Drew Allar late in the fourth 😳 pic.twitter.com/F0SZvM5fFa

The interception put Notre Dame just a few yards from field goal range, and the Irish picked up 17 more yards to make it a manageable attempt from Mitch Jeter, who would nail the kick from 41 yards out.

Allar told reporters after the game that he was trying to throw the ball at Evans' feet after seeing no one was open, but he put too much on the ball. “We didn’t win the game so it wasn’t good enough," Allar said of his performance.

It was only Allar's 10th career interception, though he saw an interception negated by a pass interference penalty earlier in the night. The performance was likely enough to solidify his decision to return to school for another season, if there was any doubt.

MORE: Drew Allar's NFL Draft outlook

No one is looking forward to next season more than Allar, who will have to spend the offseason trying to move past the decision that cost Penn State a chance to go to the national championship.