UNIVERSITY PARK– We won’t know much about the injury Penn State QB Drew Allar suffered against Rutgers for a bit.
Penn State coach James Franklin doesn’t go into detail about injuries.
He’s hardly alone in that regard, but it’s rare for Franklin to provide insight into a specific injury unless it’s season-ending.
But probably the biggest takeaway from Saturday’s 27-6 Senior Day win over Rutgers was an injury to QB Drew Allar.
Allar left the game in the third quarter and didn’t return. QB2 Beau Pribula took it from there. He only threw one pass (Pribula did run the ball eight times for 71 yards).
Predictably, Franklin was asked about Allar’s status after the game. Just as predictably, he didn’t expand much.
What he did say was that he didn’t feel the injury was that he didn’t “see this being significant, but we will see.”
“As you guys know, I’m not going to get into medical stuff,” Franklin said. “It would not be appropriate for Drew. For his family.”
If Allar can’t play in Saturday’s regular-season finale against Michigan State at Detroit’s Ford Field, Pribula, if healthy, will be the likely starter. Pribula’s appeared in nine of Penn State’s 11 games– as you might be able to guess, Ohio State and Michigan being the lone exceptions. He’s been used primarily as a runner, having run the ball 44 times for 240 yards and four touchdowns. By comparison, he’s thrown just 17 passes.
Penn State might not need Allar to beat Michigan State. Sparty is 4-7 and will miss out on a bowl game for the second straight season. But Allar’s long-term health is paramount to Penn State’s success for next season, which it will again enter with national title aspirations.
