Penn State football 'recovers' with Beau Pribula, run game: The grades vs. Rutgers

STATE COLLEGE — This mysterious Penn State football offense, now working with interim coordinators, showed some positive baby-step improvements on Senior Day.

Drew Allar got those early with short, comfortable throws James Franklin had been talking about.

The tailbacks ran hard. Tight end Tyler Warren was open down the seam. Even missing-in-action wideout Omari Evans made a triumphant, remember-me catch.

But the mystery remained in the 27-6 victory against these Rutgers Scarlet Knights — at least until backup quarterback Beau Pribula entered the game as an emergency injury replacement.

There was another critical stalling drive early, another critical lost fumble and more dissaray with the receivers and in the pass game.

The third-quarter injury to Allar brought in the run-first Pribula and shifted the Lions' attack. Could that be a temporary momentum boost heading into the Black Friday match with Michigan State and a bowl?

Here are the grades after the Senior Day recovery:

Offense: B-

Settled for another chip-shot field goal early that could have changed the feel, complexion of the afternoon. Plus, how do you abandon your No. 1 receiver the way Lions have with KeAndre Lambert-Smith? Just one catch through six-straight quarters.

And yet Pribula and the run game hung tough and eventually gained traction like most believed it could. It piled up 234 yards with Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen and Pribula all surpassing 60 yards.

Defense: A-

Great job of patiently making Rutgers earn every bit of positivity they could muster. They know shaky QB Gavin Wimsatt was not going to repeatedly beat them and that star runner Kyle Monangai was operating on a bad ankle.

Safety KJ Winston and linebacker Kobe King turned in their best days of the season.

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Special teams: A

Punter Riley Thompson just keeps getting better, including a 56-yard bomb from his own end zone in the second quarter.

Alex Felkins may be even better. He's become money on field goals from about any range. His 48-yarder midway through the third quarter gave his team, and this defense, in particular, a huge cushion.

Coaching: B

The stellar defense made adjustments to Rutgers' well-planned but limited attack, as expected.

There just may be no saving this offense, to make it look the way so many expected at season's beginning. Losing Drew Allar early in the second half hurt but it goes much deeper than that.

Still, there's just no continuity between whoever is at quarterback and these receivers.

Overall: B

The Lions defense came to play, and energized as the afternoon progressed, which is really all this day absolutely needed.

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Pribula was well-equipped with confidence and running ability to wear down Rutgers in the second half. Kudos to the offense for continuing to pound the run game, knowing it would pay dividends if given the proper opportunities.

Where was this before?

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: Penn State football report card vs. Rutgers: Chop Robinson leads win