Tag: Beau Pribula

Penn State QB Drew Allar’s availability for the Ohio State game up in the air

Penn State’s star QB’s status up in the air as Ohio State prep begins

Penn State starting quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]’s status for Saturday’s matchup against No. 4 Ohio State remains uncertain.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] met with the media Monday morning at his weekly press conference. He suggested his star quarterback, who did not play the second half in Penn State’s win against Wisconsin due to a knee injury, will be a game-time decision.

“(Allar’s) played enough football for us that the timeline will go up to the game,” Franklin said. “No matter where we’re at on Tuesday, get both of those guys (Allar and backup [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag]) reps Tuesday and Wednesday.”

Allar tried to play the second half, warming up before the third quarter with a knee brace, but Franklin said after the game that the coaching staff did not feel Allar was mobile enough to run the offense.

Pribula filled in admirably in the second half, completing 11 of his 13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. He also used his legs to gain 28 yards on the ground.

An experienced backup is a huge advantage for Penn State this week, especially with Allar’s injury not considered serious. Franklin and the coaching staff can play the gamesmanship card and say they will prepare both quarterbacks to start and keep Ohio State guessing. Even if Allar is healthy enough to start post-practice on Wednesday, Franklin will likely wait until the latest possible moment to announce who starts Saturday’s game.

We will monitor this week’s practices to see if Drew Allar is on the practice field ahead of a massive meeting with the Buckeyes this weekend.

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Photo gallery from Wisconsin’s loss to No. 3 Penn State

Photo gallery from Wisconsin’s loss to No. 3 Penn State

Wisconsin fell to No. 3 Penn State 28-13 on Saturday.

The loss halts the Badgers’ momentum after it entered the contest riding a three-game winning streak. The Nittany Lions were favored in the game and picked by many to win, but the loss still delivers a deflating blow to the Badgers’ rest-of-season outlook.

Related: Biggest takeaways from Wisconsin’s tough loss to Penn State

A big part of that deflating impact was the context surrounding the loss. Wisconsin led 10-7 at halftime before the scales tipped in the opposite direction. Saturday will feel like a significant missed opportunity for a Wisconsin program badly in need of a signature win to kickstart the Luke Fickell era.

The Badgers are now 0-5 against ranked opponents since Fickell took over in 2023. That mark tells the story.

Before the team changes attention to its Week 10 trip to rival Iowa, here is a look at some of the best photos from the tough primetime loss:

Former Badger quarterback plays big role in Penn State 28-13 win over Wisconsin

Former Badger QB plays big role in Penn State 28-13 win over Wisconsin

A former Badger was at the center of Penn State’s 28-13 win over Wisconsin on Saturday night.

It was not necessarily Penn State OT Nolan Rucci, who transferred over from Wisconsin after the 2023 season. He saw limited action at right tackle in the Nittany Lions win and was far from the game’s deciding force.

The big reason that Penn State improved to 7-0 with the win over Wisconsin: Nittany Lions quarterbacks coach and former Badgers quarterback Danny O’Brien.

Related: Badgers fans dejected after hard-fought loss to No. 3 Penn State

O’Brien captains the Penn State quarterback room, which was arguably the biggest contributing factor to Saturday’s result.

Penn State star QB Drew Allar and backup Beau Pribula, each who played exactly one half, combined to go 25 of 31 passing (80% completion) for 246 yards,  two touchdowns and zero interceptions. The two also added 36 rushing yards on 10 total carries.

Allar’s injury in the closing moments before halftime appeared to tip the matchup further toward the Badgers’ sideline. Instead, Pribula was terrific in relief. He led the Nittany Lions on two critical late-game scoring drives to seal the victory.

O’Brien’s work with the room deserves credit. Not many top programs don’t miss a beat, let alone improve, when their starter goes down with an injury.

The rising coach played for the Badgers back in 2012. He transferred in after two years at Maryland, and actually entered that season as Wisconsin’s starter. Former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema wound moving to Joel Stave early in the season after O’Brien struggled with turnovers. Stave later suffered an injury, though O’Brien remained on the sideline to backup to Curt Phillips.

O’Brien played only seven total games for Wisconsin in 2012, completing 52 of 86 passes for 523 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

He recently entered the coaching ranks following an abbreviated professional career, mostly in the CFL (2014-19).

The former Badger signal-caller joined the Penn State staff as an offensive analyst in 2021. He was recently elevated to the program’s quarterbacks coach entering the 2024 season after the team hired new OC Andy Kotelnicki.

His work with Allar and Pribula cannot be overlooked as Penn State inches closer to a possible trip to the Big Ten title game, and the expanded College Football Playoff.

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Backup QB Beau Pribula saves the day as Penn State remains undefeated

Despite losing key players to injuries, Penn State came away with a big win to remain undefeated.

For the second game in a row, Penn State was in a situation where it needed to claw together a way back for a victory. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, this time they didn’t have to overcome a double-digit deficit as they did two weeks ago against USC, but this come-from-behind victory at Wisconsin took a few more bumps and bruises to get there. [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] filled in for an injured Drew Allar in the second half to help guide Penn State to a 28-13 victory in Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night. With the win, Penn State remains undefeated going into November and a massive game next week against Ohio State in Beaver Stadium.

Allar left the game at the end of the first half after suffering an apparent knee injury. Allar warmed up before the start of the second half but did not play, giving way to Pribula to run the offense and forcing offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to adjust his playcalling a bit. Pribula played well by completing 11-of-13 pass attempts for 98 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 28 yards.

Penn State trailed at halftime, 10-7, after a strong defensive showing by both teams in the first 30 minutes. It was the Penn State defense that gave the Nittany Lions the lead for good when safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] picked off a pass from Wisconsin’s Braedyn Locke in the third quarter and returned it 19 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, which put Penn State up 14-10 at the time. Penn State went on to build a 28-13 lead with two more touchdowns by the offense in the fourth quarter. Pribule completed a touchdown pass to a wide-open [autotag]Khalil Dinkins[/autotag], who was running uncontested across the back of the Wisconsin end zone. [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] padded the lead on the next offensive series with a 24-yard touchdown run to put the game on ice.

The status of Allar will be key in the coming week as Penn State prepares for Ohio State. But Penn State has another key injury to watch as well. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton also left the game in the first half and did not return after a brief series to start the second half of the game. Dennis-Sutton had a groin injury late in the first half.

Penn State will be home next week for the biggest game of the season. Penn State hosts Ohio State next Saturday for a noon kickoff on Fox. The game will be a top-five showdown after the Buckeyes escaped an upset bid at home earlier in the day against Nebraska. It will be just the second top-five matchup between the two schools in series history.

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Penn State takes lead over Wisconsin with clutch defensive touchdown

Jaylen Reed’s pick-six could not have come at a better time for Penn State.

Penn State was reeling heading into halftime of its game against Wisconsin, dealing with injuries to defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and star quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]. Those injuries combined with a 10-7 deficit heading into the locker room created an uneasy feeling for Penn State fans across the country.

The offense was not going anywhere to start the second half with backup QB [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] in for the injured Allar, but the defense was holding strong. After another failed drive, the defense was asked to stop Wisconsin once again and give the ball back to the offense.

Instead, they did them one better. Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke dropped back near his endzone and fired a pass over the middle right into the waiting arms of safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag]. Reed returned the interception all the way back for a go-ahead touchdown.

Penn State’s defense has been up and down in this game, but Reed stepped up when the team needed it most and made the huge play. They allowed a few big plays on the following drive that led to a Wisconsin field goal, but overall they have kept Penn State in the game despite the offense failing to get going so far.

Beau Pribula and the offense will have to find a way to get more points on the board if they want to win this game, but the defense has allowed them to play with a lead. With the ground game being Pribula’s strong suit, that could be the difference between winning and losing this game.

Not even Mother Nature can slow down No. 9 Penn State in 34-12 win over West Virginia

Penn State starts off the 2024 season with a win with help from the entire roster.

Open on the road? No problem. Overcome a two-hour weather delay? No sweat.

Not even Mother Nature could slow down the momentum Penn State established in a season-opening road win at West Virginia on Saturday. No. 9 Penn State (no. 8 in AP top 25) turned in a dominant performance to leave Morgantown, West Virginia with a 34-12 victory over the Mountaineers and it included contributions from all around the roster.

After a scoreless first quarter, Penn State took command in the second quarter with a 20-point burst before halftime. [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] connected for three touchdown passes, including a pair to [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag]; [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] scored the other in the second quarter. The first half was highlighted by the Penn State defense seemingly getting the wrong end of a botched instant replay after an apparent fourth-down stop, but holding West Virginia to a field goal in the final minute of the half to cut Penn State’s lead to 13-6.

But the offense turned it around with a big pass from Allar to Omari Evans and the second of Wallace’s touchdown catches seconds later to take a commanding 20-6 lead into halftime. [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] found an opening and exp[osed it with a 40-yard run for a touchdown to open the third quarter to give Penn State a 27-6 lead.

It was not until early in the fourth quarter when West Virginia scored a touchdown. Of course, this may have been another example of poor officiating and questionable replay procedures as the Fox cameras seemingly showed that West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson appeared to be short of the end zone before getting the ball across the line. The play stood with no challenge and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] met in the backfield to disrupt a two-point conversion attempt by West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene.

And then the waiting game began. Severe thunderstorms rolled through the area during halftime and delayed the start of the second half by a little more than two hours. Once play eventually resumed, Penn State’s offense picked up right where it left off with a touchdown on the opening drive of the half. Penn State would respond later in the fourth quarter with a final knockout blow when [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] connected with tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] for a score minutes later.

Allar passed for 216 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 44 yards on six carries, a number of them picking up first downs along the way. Wallace III led the receivers with 117 yards and two touchdowns. Warren ended the day with three catches for 30 yards and a score, catching all three of the passes targeted for him in the game.

After having just one 100-yard game a season ago, and having to wait until the final game of the regular season, [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] started the year on the right foot with 114 rushing yards. Singleton had a pair of 40-yard runs in the game.

Carter’s defensive stats won’t impress anyone checking just the box score, but he drew some double-team coverage on multiple occasions, usually allowing someone else on the defensive line to make a big play. Rojas ended the game with 1.5 sacks and [autotag]Kevin Winston[/autotag] led the Nittany Lions with 12 total tackles. [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] broke up two passes and forced a fumble.

Penn State completed the two-game home-and-home series with West Virginia, continuing its winning tradition against their former longtime regional rival. Penn State is now 50-9-2 all-time against West Virginia. Unfortunately, there are no additional future games on the books between these two schools at this time.

Next up for Penn State is the home opener next Saturday. Penn State will host Bowling Green from the MAC for another noon kickoff in Week 2. Bowling Green is coming off a 41-17 victory over Fordham to open its season. Next week’s game will air on Big Ten Network.

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5 offensive keys for Penn State against West Virginia

Five offensive keys for Penn State as they head to Morgantown for a week one rematch against the Mountaineers.

When Penn State faced off against West Virginia last season, the Nittany Lion offense had one of their best days of the season.

Drew Allar threw for 325 yards while completing 21 of his 29 pass attempts and three touchdowns. Harrison Wallace III caught a team high seven passes for 72 yards. On the ground, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen both rushed for over 50 yards. It was a great all around offensive performance that led to a 38-15 victory.

The Mountaineers made improvements on the defensive side of the ball, but it is still a weaker unit that can be exploited by a strong offensive gameplan. The weakest position group on West Virginia’s defense is at cornerback where Penn state should try to exploit and give a much needed jolt to a receiving group that underwhelmed in 2023.

Related: 5 defensive keys for Penn State against West Virginia

Running the ball is always a staple of a PSU offense and with two elite running backs that shouldn’t change this Saturday despite the Mountaineers’ having a top-50 ranked run defense a season ago. Big plays on the ground could go a long way in changing the outlook of the game.

Expect a balanced Penn State offensive attack with Allar being given every opportunity to throw against a weaker West Virginia secondary. Here are five keys for Penn State’s offense heading into their week one matchup against the Mountaineers:

West Virginia is coming off a 9-4 season and has a dynamic offense, but even with upgrades to the secondary this offseason it looks like the Mountaineers’ weakest group.

The Penn State wide receiver room left a lot to be desired last year. However, with the addition of Julian Fleming and the expected growth from Harrison Wallace III and Kaden Saunders the Nittany Lions seem set up for a bounce-back year. A first game against West Virginia seems like an ideal time to let that talent loose. Kotelnicki was brought in to get skill players open and that should be an emphasis on Saturday.

The weather forecast for Morgantown on Saturday at noon looks to be very interesting. Rain and thunderstorms seem likely around kickoff making an early season road test even trickier.

Throwing the football in wet weather is always challenging, but Allar and the quarterbacks are prepared after playing with wet footballs during Wednesday’s practice. Even more important for the offense is for them to play to their strengths when the weather hits. With two talented running backs and an elite running quarterback, the Nittany Lions have the pieces to play through a wet field and that run the ball. As long as Penn State doesn’t get ahead of themselves, the weather shouldn’t limit the Nittany Lions chances at pulling off the victory.

Drew Allar shined in last year’s matchup against West Virginia while Beau Pribula did not see nearly as much of the field as many expected heading into week one.

This year should be different.

Pribula is just too good to be riding the pine for four quarters. A year after averaging 5.9 yards per carry and scoring six rushing touchdowns, Pribula is a dangerous weapon out of the quarterback position. With a hostile road environment expected his ability running the football can certainty play to Penn State’s advantage. It is exciting to think about what Andy Kotelnicki has in mind for Pribula this year and he seems like the perfect offensive coordinator to get the most out of his dual-threat QB2.

Tyler Warren had a huge game against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, but against the Mountaineers last year only caught one pass for nine yards. He is the Penn State receiving target with the most experience and should be an easy target for Drew Allar in week one.

Tight ends can open up the offense for everyone else so a big Tyler Warren game could mean great things for the rest of Penn State’s skill positions.

Easier said than done for sure, but it could be necessary in a wet weather road game against West Virginia. Last year the Mountaineers gave up 4.25 yards per rush and both Penn State running backs averaged over five yards per carry in last season’s matchup. The breakaway runs were missing for most of last year and having those explosive plays back this year would be a big game changer for the Nittany Lions, especially against West Virginia who lost its starting middle linebacker to the NFL.

247Sports ranks Beau Pribula among nation’s best backup QBs in 2024

If Penn State has to rely on a backup quarterback in 2024, 247Sports thinks Penn State should be in good hands.

It seems one of the most popular player on any football team can be the backup quarterback. When an offense is looking sluggish and in need of a bit of a jolt, the backup quarterback may have the best opportunity to connect much-needed life into any offense. Penn State fans are familiar with that concept over the years with Michael Robinson emerging from a backup role (along with a handful of position changes to get him on the field) and Trace McSorley’s first real chance to show what he can do backing up an injured Christian Hackenberg in the Gator Bowl against Georgia with a furious fourth-quarter rally (before ultimately falling a bit short).

Entering the 2024 season, Penn State looks to have one of the best backup options available with [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag], who will be the top backup to incumbent and projected starter [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]. What makes Pribula so valuable to the Penn State offense is his ability to do some things on the field Allar is not expected or capable of pulling off, like using his legs to generate some speed and mix things up on the ground. Even with a new offensive coordinator coming in with Andy Kotelnicki, fans should expect to see a decent amount of Pribula involved in the offense even with Allar taking the majority of the snaps at quarterback.

247Sports thinks highly of Pribula going into the new college football season. In a ranking of the top 10 backup quarterbacks in the country, 247Sports ranked Pribula at no. 6 on its list.

“The Nittany Lions are confident Pribula will be difference-maker this season as a run-threat after rushing for six touchdowns and 329 yards last fall,” 247Sports noted. “Pribula gives the Nittany Lions a wrinkle in short-yardage situations and can protect Allar when the tough yards are needed.”

Most fans would probably love to see the running game, fueled by Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, take care of the short-yardage situations with authority, but it should not be unexpected that Pribula will be used at times to keep the defense guessing.

The biggest question remains just how Kotelnicki will utilize Pribula, and if that will involve Allar coming off the field or keeping both on the field at the same time.

According to the 247Sports backup QB rankings, Pribula is the fourth-best backup option in the Big Ten. Oregon‘s Dante Moore is at the top of the Big Ten list as he backs up Dillon Gabriel in Oregon’s first season in the Big Ten. Ohio State‘s Julian Sayin, expected to back either Will Howard or Devin Brown, is the no. 3 backup QB on the list. USC‘s Jayden Maiva is next on the list at no. 4. Maiava is projected to be the top backup to Miller Moss as the Trojans enter the Big Ten.

You can view the full top 10 backup quarterbacks in 2024 according to 247Sports.

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Matt Zollers picks Missouri over Penn State

Penn State surprisingly missed out on the top in-state QB in the Class of 2025.

Arguably the most important commitment for the Penn State Nittany Lions in the class of 2025 was going to be announced on April 4 as they waited to hear where top in-state quarterback [autotag]Matt Zollers[/autotag] had decided to play his college football. With [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his offensive staff looking to bring in two quarterbacks during this cycle, they were hoping to land the rising four-star recruit who is ranked as one of the top players in Pennsylvania.

Unfortunately for Penn State, he committed to Missouri.

After looking like the leaders in the clubhouse for a long time during his process, Zollers’ recruitment took a national turn as the likes of Georgia, Missouri, and Alabama were part of his final five schools.

“My connections at Missouri were just greater than they were anywhere else. This was a really tough decision for me to make. I ultimately decided this morning,” the talented quarterback told Chad Simmons of On3.

That statement is an eye opener for people who have been following this recruitment process considering he had taken around eight visits to Happy Valley and roughly three to Missouri.

The Tigers really popped onto his radar and made a late push to land him as one of the headliners of their class.

Penn State’s bottleneck at the position could have had something to do with his decision as well.

Incumbent starter [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] could come back for another season after this year, [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] is still a factor alongside [autotag]Jaxon Smolik[/autotag], plus highly-rated [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag] from the 2024 class is entering his freshman season.

Still, this is a tough one to swallow for Penn State fans as they lose out on the top-rated recruit in the state of Pennsylvania and someone who was at the top of their board.

5 takeaways from Penn State’s brutal loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl

5 takeaways from Penn State’s brutal loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl

It was a day to forget for the Nittany Lions, who came to Atlanta looking for a statement win, but it turned into a statement 38-25 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels. It was a struggle in all phases for Penn State, who couldn’t stop the run, the pass, and even had a fourth-quarter field goal attempt blocked.

Despite starting the game with a positive field goal drive and a few good runs, the offense never got into a rhythm. [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] and the passing game struggled mightily, only hitting on a big play on a fluke-tipped pass to Tyler Warren for 75 yards, which ironically ended up being Penn State’s longest play of the season.

The defense, missing its top two corners and best edge defender, was no match for the up-tempo explosive offensive that is the Rebels. Ole Miss had its way running and throwing the football, dicing up the Penn State secondary every which way.

It will be interesting to see how the Nittany Lions rebound from a now 3 loss season. All three losses will have happened against top-11 opponents where the Penn State offense looked absolutely anemic. No matter the fallout, Drew Allar and new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] will have an enormous amount of pressure on themselves to improve the offense going into next year.

After an all-around pathetic performance, here are five takeaways from Penn State’s Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss.