Your Penn State football quarterback Friday? Drew Allar should be ready to go
Injured Penn State football quarterback Drew Allar is expected to be ready to start Black Friday's game vs. Michigan State.
Head coach James Franklin said, that though it's early in the practice week, Allar should be able to play on Detroit's Ford Field despite suffering an upper-body injury in the victory over Rutgers.
"All indications, I would think we’ll be back to normal,” Franklin said.
The PSU grades: Why QB Beau Pribula and his 'super powers' are best for Penn State football now | Bodani
Drew Allar abruptly left another defensive domination of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Beaver Stadium early in the third quarter in the middle of an offensive series.
Allar jogged to the sideline, in visible pain, almost immediately after picking up 8 yards and a first down on the Nittany Lions' initial drive of the second half. He took the following snap and threw it awkwardly out of bounds and incomplete.
It appeared that he may have injured his arm or shoulder on the running play — Franklin has still not provided specifics. It was Allar's third planned run of the afternoon and he picked up good chunks of yards on each.
But Allar is prized for his throwing potential, not his running.
Redshirt freshman Beau Pribula came in and quickly provided a jolt with a 39-yard run into the red zone. He finished the game in fine fashion, running seven more times for 71 yards and a touchdown. He completed his only pass for 9 yards to tight end Tyler Waren.
PSU QB debate: Why QB Beau Pribula and his 'super powers' are best for Penn State football now | Bodani
Allar, meanwhile, was just 6-of-13 passing for 79 yards before leaving.
Franklin noted that even if Allar is ready to start and proceed as normal Friday evening, that Pribula would remain a part of the game plan.
Penn State football: Will Beau Pribula pass the ball, too?
Pribula has almost exclusively been a runner during his redshirt freshman season, whether at the end of blowout victories or for much of the second half against Rutgers.
He's run 52 times for 311 yards for an impressive 6-per-carry average. He's scored five times.
But he's only attempted 18 passes, completing 8.
Franklin attempted to explain the discrepancy on Monday:
"We've had passes in for him every week, but then you also get into a situation where the majority of his reps have come in four-minute football where you're trying to run the ball as much as you possibly can. By running the quarterback you even the numbers out.
"It's funny, because I ran up to him on Saturday, and although there was a lot of time left in the game, we still wanted to milk the clock. ... I said something to Beau about it and Beau was like, 'Yeah, I'm used to this. I know how to operate. This is what I've been doing all year long.'
"But, again," Franklin said, "I think part of it is where you're at in the game and does the situation warrant that. As you can imagine, there has been more in his (play) package than what you've seen."
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Drew Allar to play for Penn State football vs. Michigan State
