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Did Penn State consider going to backup quarterback Beau Pribula in loss at Ohio State?

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel10/21/23GregPickel
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Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula warms up during pregame ahead of the Ohio State game. (Credit: Ryan Snyder | Blue White Illustrated)

Columbus, Ohio — Penn State quarterback Drew Allar had one of the worst games of his football career on Saturday against Ohio State. The first-year starter and sophomore completed just 18 of 42 passes (43 percent) for 191 yards and a garbage time touchdown. He was also sacked twice. Allar, who was emotional after the game, said the feeling after this setback reminded him of the one that ended his high school career. His play reminded no one of those days, though. It’s undoubtedly why Lions head coach James Franklin was asked after the game if the Lions ever considered going to backup quarterback and sophomore Beau Pribula.

So, did it?

“Yeah, I think again, at this stage, it was a one possession game, we felt like we were in it,” Franklin said. “So, to make that type of change, I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do for our locker room. I don’t know if that’s necessarily fair to Drew.”

The short answer is no, Penn State did not. And, considering how Allar has guided the Lions before Saturday, it’s hard to argue with the logic. Some will disagree with that. Especially since there has been talk this year about finding ways to use Pribula, who is a major threat with his legs. But, that idea never seems to be one that was considered in the 20-12 setback.

What else did James Franklin say after Penn State lost to Ohio State?

Here is what the Penn State coach said to start his news conference:

“Give Ohio State ton of credit. I’m not sure. We’ll watch the tape. I’m not sure if we didn’t just watch two of the best teams in college football, obviously, specifically, on the defensive side of the ball. But you got to give credit. We went into this knowing that we needed to have an awareness of the effect and limit the impact that [Marvin Harrison Jr.,] in the game. We had a hard time doing that. Guy’s a heck of a player. Got to give a lot of credit. To me, really the story, the game came down to third down. We weren’t able to stay on the field on third down on offense, which which was the biggest difference in the game, in my opinion. So give Ohio State a ton of credit.”

On why Penn State struggled on third down:

“Obviously, on third down, we’ve got to be better. And we’ve done a pretty good job of that all year long. We did not do a good job of that today. They played some zero hold [coverage] on us. And we got to be willing to throw it over their heads in those situations and take some shots and be aggressive. But you gotta give them credit too.”

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