If Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is able to play in Saturday’s game against Ohio State, the Buckeyes — along with fans and media — likely won’t know until game time. The Big Ten clash will feature the No. 3 and No. 4 teams in the AP Top 25.
Allar suffered a knee injury on the Nittany Lions’ final possession of the first half during Week 9’s 28–13 win over Wisconsin, apparently getting hurt when he was sacked by the Badgers’ Jake Chaney. The junior QB warmed up with a brace on his left knee after halftime, but decided he couldn’t play and backup Beau Pribula replaced him.
Coach James Franklin updated reporters on Allar’s status at his Monday news conference and said Allar and Pribula will share photos from practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. He will meet the media again after Wednesday’s session. But the timeline for a decision will apparently extend all the way to Saturday’s noon ET kickoff in State College.
Before leaving the Wisconsin game, Allar threw for 148 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-18 passing. Pribula completed 11 of 13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, leading two scoring drives in the fourth quarter to help Penn State rally from a 10-7 halftime deficit.
Coming out of high school, Pribula was a three-star recruit in the class of 2022. He was ranked by Rivals as the No. 15 player in Pennsylvania and the No. 6 quarterback nationally.
Allar’s performance has improved significantly under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Through seven games this season, Allar has thrown for 1,640 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 71.3% of his passes.
Penn State (7-0) has lost its last seven games against Ohio State (6-1) and 11 of the past 12 meetings. Kickoff is at 12:00 PM ET.
