Tag: Beau Pribula

Peach Bowl dud ends Penn State’s season with 38-25 loss to Ole Miss

Penn State’s frustrating season ended with a blowout loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

A year after celebrating a bowl victory in a shower of rose petals, Penn State’s end to the 2023 season was anything but peachy. Penn State was dominated by Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl and ended the year with a stinker in a 38-25 loss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions defense was shredded by Ole Miss, which took advantage of favorable matchups in the passing game all afternoon in Atlanta.

Penn State struck first with a field goal by [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] from 26 yards on their first offensive series of the game. That came after the defense forced a quick three-and-out against the Ole Miss defense to start the game, which led to Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart heading to the medical tent at the end of the brief possession.

Penn State may have caught some breaks on the ensuing Ole Miss possession. After the Rebels entered the red zone, officials blew dead what could have been a live ball for an Ole Miss touchdown due to a whistle for an offside penalty on Penn State. The Rebels had to settle for a field goal after officials missed another potential penalty on Penn State on the following snap.

Both teams scored twice in the second quarter with Penn State scoring a pair of touchdowns with a touchdown pass from [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] to [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and a [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] pass to [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag]. But the half ended with Penn State trailing by a score of 20-17 after giving up 340 yards of offense to the Rebels. And of the 115 passing yards Allar had at the half, 75 of them came on one play at the end of the first quarter when [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] caught a pass and ran for a big gain.

Dart had gotten in a rhythm with his passing and gashed a Penn State defense playing without its top two defensive backs and top defensive end, and a defense that took some injuries at linebacker in the first half to [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag]. Dart connected six times in the first half with tight end Caden Prieskorn, twice for a touchdown and three times for a first down, and five times with star wide receiver Tre Harris, each time for a first down.

The third quarter was a disaster for Penn State. The offense went three-and-out on all three third-quarter possessions. Meanwhile, the Rebels just continued to take advantage of its tempo to leave the Penn State defense scrambling and unable to catch up. Ole Miss added 10 points to its halftime lead and took a 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter. At that point, the game was all but decided as Penn State’s threat of a comeback was thwarted with a blocked field goal that led to an Ole Miss touchdown run by Dart to put the game well out of reach at 38-17. A late touchdown pass from Allar to [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag] cut into the Ole Miss lead, but was too little, too late.

Penn State played the Peach Bowl without some key players who opted out of the game with an eye toward their NFL futures. Penn State was without offensive lineman [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag], and cornerback [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag]. All three could be potential first-round draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft. Penn State was also without [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag], who left his position as defensive coordinator to become the head coach at Duke. The defense looked disorganized, which should have been expected given the absences from what was rated one of the top defensive units of the season. But the offensive struggles were nothing new for the roster, and there was no evidence of finding ways to change things up in the bowl game.

Penn State will now look forward to the 2024 college football season, which will be quite an interesting year for the Big Ten and the entire college football landscape. Penn State will open the 2024 season on the road at West Virginia on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. The Big Ten will also welcome four new members in Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, and Penn State will face each of them except for Oregon. The College Football Playoff will also expand to 12 teams next season, making it easier than ever for the Nittany Lions to get into the playoff mix in the playoff era. Well, if they can patch up the offense at all between now and next fall.

Penn State’s spring game, the Blue-White Game, is scheduled for Saturday, April 13, 2024.

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5 reasons Penn State will beat Michigan State in Detroit

With a Black Friday showdown against Michigan State, we break down five reasons Penn State finishes the regular season with a victory.

This Friday, the Land Grant Trophy is on the line when Penn State (9-2) kicks off against Michigan State (4-7) to close out the regular season. The Nittany Lions and Spartans will face off at Ford Field in Detroit. Despite the series being tied 18-18-1 all-time, Penn State is a comfortable 19.5-point favorite on FanDuel as of Monday morning.

Since the trophy was implemented in 1993, Penn State has won 17 of the 27 meetings against Michigan State. Friday’s matchup will mark the tenth consecutive meeting of the two schools, and with the Big Ten expanding next year, the next matchup won’t be until 2025.

The Nittany Lions and Spartans are both coming off wins. Penn State beat Rutgers 27-6, while the Spartans held off Indiana for a 24-21 victory. Several questions surround the Nittany Lions, specifically the injury status of [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] and whether [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] gets a shot against a below-average Spartan team. A win would put Penn State in a prime position to secure a New Year’s Six bowl.

Let’s take a look at five reasons Penn State takes home the Land Grant Trophy for back-to-back seasons.

Key stats from Penn State’s victory over Rutgers

Let’s take a look at some of the key numbers from the box score of Penn State’s win over Rutgers.

Penn State extended their dominant winning streak over Rutgers on Saturday, but it wasn’t easy or pretty.

The 27-6 victory had an injury to [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] that forced backup quarterback [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] into the most extended action of his career so far.

The running game carried the load down the stretch and the Nittany Lions were able to give their seniors one last win in front of a Beaver Stadium crowd.

There will be a lot of speculation about the quarterback situation starting with health and moving into offensive effectiveness as Penn State stares down the season finale and a bowl game.

But for now, the Nittany Lions can enjoy their 17th straight win over Rutgers.

Here are key stats from Saturday.

5 takeaways from Penn State’s victory over Rutgers

Here are five final thoughts on the direction of Penn State football after a win over Rutgers.

Penn State improved to 9-2 on Saturday afternoon after a 27-6 victory over Rutgers in Happy Valley. It wasn’t always pretty for the Nittany Lions, but they pulled out the win with their tough defense and gritty offensive performance. Penn State will end the regular season next week against Michigan State in Detroit on Friday evening.

No team could get the passing game going in the first half, and it seemed like every yard Penn State gained was hard-earned. Starting quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] left the game early while running and taking a brutal hit that left him on the turf for a minute. He appeared to injure his right shoulder area and did not return, and he airmailed a screen pass out of bounds on the next play. Redshirt freshman Beau Pribula came into the game and seemed to give the offense a jolt of energy with his ability to find the edge on several of his runs. Allar’s health will be a fascinating storyline to follow this week.

Rutgers was able to drive the ball down the field for a couple of drives with quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, giving Penn State’s defense fits with his legs. The defense forced the Scarlett Knights into three turnovers and pressured Wimsatt often.

Let us dive into a few takeaways from the Nittany Lions’ ninth win of the season.

Drew Allar injured in Penn State’s win vs. Rutgers

Penn State’s defense and running game helped take care of Rutgers in Week 12.

Penn State starting quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] Saturday’s game early in the third quarter with an apparent injury, leaving [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] to run the offense for the remainder of the game. After inheriting a 10-6 lead, Pribula helped guide the Nittany Lions to a 27-6 victory over Rutgers to improve to 9-2 on the season. The win helps keep Penn State in the mix for a New Years Six bowl game.

Allar took a rough, but clean, hit while running with the football on a run up the middle. He took contact as he was going down without clearly giving himself up, which would have drawn a penalty on the Scarlet Knights. Allar stayed in for one more play and was way off the mark on a pass to the right side of the field. He came out of the game immediately following the incompletion and did not return.

Penn State’s defense gave up some long drives to Rutgers on a couple of occasions, including the first offensive drive by the Rutgers offense in the first quarter that ended with a field goal. Rutgers drove down to the 1-yard line but had the ball pushed back due to a holding penalty.  Penn State trailed 3-0 at the end of the first quarter and was locked in a tight 10-6 battle at halftime after Rutgers kicked a field goal to close out the first half.

[autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] rushed for two touchdowns and 69 yards in the game. [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] added 61 yards on 11 rushing attempts as Penn State is still without a 100-yard game from either running back this season. Pribula ended the game leading the Nittany Lions in rushing with 71 yards. Penn State combined for 234 rushing yards and let the running game take care of business after halftime.

Penn State’s defense held Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai to just 39 rushing yards on 16 carries. Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt completed 10-of-16 passes for 130 yards but lost a fumble and was intercepted, which led to 10 points by Penn State. Penn State has not given up a touchdown to Rutgers in Happy Valley since 1994.

Penn State will close out the regular season next Friday, Nov. 24 with a Black Friday game against Michigan State. The game will be played in Detroit’s Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions and it will appear in primetime on NBC.

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Top 10 Big Ten rushing yardage leaders after Week 7

Penn State has two of the Big Ten’s top 10 leading rushers heading into the Ohio State game.

Penn State is home to the Big Ten’s top rushing offense this season. The Nittany Lions are leading the Big Ten with an average of 203.33 rushing yards per game, which puts Penn State on pace for its top rushing average since the 2018 season with Miles Sanders and quarterback Trace McSorley leading the way on the ground.

The combination of [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] gives Penn State two of the Big Ten’s top 10 rushing yardage leaders and their split roles have helped to keep both as fresh as possible. Backup quarterback [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] adding on 225 rushing yards is a nice little boost to the Penn State rushing production too. But Penn State’s dynamic rushing duo will face their stiffest test this weekend at Ohio State with the Buckeyes owning the Big Ten’s fourth-best rushing defense this season.

Penn State’s Big Ten-leading rushing defense will face some of the Big Ten’s top running backs in the second half of the season as well. Here is a look at the Big Ten’s top 10 rushing yardage leaders through Week 7. And here is a look at the Big Ten’s top 10 passing yardage leaders.

Drew Allar tosses 4 TDs as Penn State shuts out Iowa, 31-0

Penn State was in full control of Iowa in all areas in a 31-0 victory.

Rain and blustery winds could not dampen the mood for the second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history on Saturday night. Not when the defense was dominant in pitching a shutout and [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] passed for four touchdowns in a 31-0 victory over Iowa. Penn State’s dominant victory was a performance that put on display Penn State’s championship-caliber defense and a strong efficient and steady offensive performance against a program that typically plays some of the best defense in the Big Ten.

How good was the Penn State defense? The Nittany Lions not only didn’t allow Iowa to score, but the Hawkeyes were held to just 76 yards of total offense, including 20 rushing yards as a team.

Penn State’s offense got off to a bit of a slow start against a stingy Iowa defense, but the running game continued to chew up yardage on the Hawkeyes. [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] carried the football 21 times for 72 hard-earned yards and [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] rushed for 49 yards on 17 carries. The ground game was especially solid in the second half as Penn State continued to wear down the Iowa defenders.

Penn State may still be on the lookout for a second receiver to really step up into a reliable role, but Allar was in sync with his tight ends. Tyler Warren was on the receiving end of two of Allar’s four touchdown passes. [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Khalil Dinkins[/autotag] each added another. Lambert-Smith led the Nittany Lions with 8 receptions and 66 receiving yards.

Allar’s night came to an end in the fourth quarter with Penn State up 31-0. As he left the game, making way for [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] to get some time running the offense, Allar completed 25-of-37 passes for 166 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. He has still not thrown an interception in his young college football career. Allar also rushed for 22 yards on eight attempts.

Penn State’s defense was all over the Iowa offense, which was playing without three of its top players due to injury. Penn State’s defense only sacked Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara twice in the game, but they made for a long evening for the former Michigan passer (who won with Michigan in his last trip to Beaver Stadium in 2021). [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] was all over the action with 2 fumble recoveries and a tackle for loss in the game. [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] also landed on a loose football after [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] knocked the ball out of the hands of McNamara on a sack.

Penn State will continue Big Ten play next week with a road trip to Northwestern.

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No starting quarterback named ahead of West Virginia game

James Franklin still has not officially named Penn State’s starting quarterback for Week 1 vs. West Virginia even if we all know who it will end up being.

There are thoughts that the quarterback competition that [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] kept propping up throughout the offseason was just a formality. However, on Tuesday during his press conference ahead of the season opener against West Virginia, a starting quarterback still hasn’t been named at Penn State.

Fans have been clamoring for the program’s keys to be turned over to the former five-star quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], who got live game reps last season. Still, the head coach is not ready to publicly declare who will start the game on Saturday.

“I’m not making any announcements at this time,” Franklin said on Tuesday during his regularly scheduled press conference with reporters. “I do think it’s been good competition. Not only has [[autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag]] done some nice things, Beau brings an element that maybe Drew doesn’t have. Maybe even factoring those things in, I think sometimes as a running quarterback, those things are hard to evaluate in practice because you don’t really see them.

Franklin continued his thought son Pribula by comparing him to one of his first quarterbacks at Penn State, Trace McSorley.

“He’s not out there breaking tackles in practice, which is his style,” Franklin said about Pribula. “He reminds me of Trace [McSorley]. And [autotag]Jaxon Smolik[/autotag] has had a good camp too. We have three quarterbacks that have all shown signs that we can win with.”

That statement might leave fans wondering if Allar hasn’t performed well in the offseason to leave an opening for redshirt freshman Pribula to actually win the job.

According to the head coach, that has not been the case.

“Drew’s had a good camp, and a camp that has given himself and his teammates and coaches a bunch of confidence,” Franklin said.

Here’s what is probably going to happen. The coaching staff doesn’t want to announce who the starting quarterback will be because they want West Virginia to continue preparing for the different styles that Allar and Pribula bring to the game. Allar is going to start when the game starts, but there will be packages built into the offense for Pribula.

Both quarterbacks will make appearances in this game and it’s likely that the coaching staff will finally announce the starter for the season after they’re done playing West Virginia.

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2023 Penn State position previews: Quarterbacks

Penn State’s highly scrutinized quarterback position has a lot of pressure on it this season.

After multiple seasons with Sean Clifford leading the Penn State offense, the torch has officially been handed off to Penn State’s next quarterback. The quarterback conversation has been in the spotlight all offseason as head coach James Franklin has embraced the idea of a true quarterback competition for the starting job this season. But has it really been much of a question of which way the quarterback position will shake out in 2023? Not to many of you reading, perhaps.

Drew Allar has long been perceived to be the successor to Clifford, even if Franklin has refrained from confirming that detail for the 2023 season as long as he possibly can. But Beau Pribula could be a contributor at the quarterback position this season as well. How will that look? That remains to be seen, although it has been a focus for offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich this offseason.

Here is a quick look at Penn State’s quarterback position for the upcoming 2023 college football season.

James Franklin seemingly makes a QB decision for 2023, but not the one you thought

James Franklin says which quarterback has been one of the biggest surprises in camp practices so far

Penn State head coach James Franklin is really trying to convince the masses the competition for the starting quarterback job is a wide-open race between Drew Allar and Beau Pribula. Even if that is true and not just coachspeak, Franklin has yet to name his Week 1 starter when Penn State opens the season at home against West Virginia. But he has settled on his team’s third quarterback for the upcoming season.

While addressing a question about the quarterback timetable at Penn State media day on Sunday afternoon, Franklin said there is no specific timetable for announcing who the starter will be. But it seems pretty clear who the third quarterback will be; Jaxon Smolik.

“I’d say [Jaxon] Smolik has been kind of the surprise at camp so far, specifically in the quarterback room,” Franklin said during a press conference with the media on Sunday. “He’s one of those guys that although he is still learning the nuances of the position and the nuances of the offense in terms of in the meeting, when asked questions, he’s not where Drew and Beau are in terms of being able to answer questions in a meeting, but he’s just got a natural feel for the position on the field.”

Smolik is a true freshman in Penn State’s Class of 2023. The Iowa native was a three-star recruit according to his 247Sports composite ranking and he was expected to be no higher than third on the depth chart this season behind Allar and Pribula, and likely in that order.

The addition of Smolik to the recruiting class was a much-needed one after Penn State saw Christian Veilleux transfer (to Pitt) and one other quarterback commitment flip his commitment to another school. Ironically, Penn State managed to flip Smolik’s commitment from Tulane to fill the spot in the recruiting class.

But as for the ongoing quarterback situation at the top of the depth chart? Franklin continues to suggest no decision has been made even though it would be a total shock if Allar is not the one leading the Penn State offense in a matter of weeks when the season opens.

“In terms of decisions, you know, we are not announcing or making any decisions at this point, really, at any position,” Franklin explained. “It’s a competition, and we want to create competition at every position as long as possible, and I think it brings the best out in everyone. As you guys know, that’s really kind of how we have operated here for 10 years.”

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