Joel Klatt considers if Beau Pribula is a better option for Penn State than Drew Allar

It seemed like matters were getting worse for Penn State when starting quarterback Drew Allar left Saturday’s game against Wisconsin with a knee injury. Down 10-7 at halftime to the unranked Badgers with backup Beau Pribula now running the offense.

Instead Pribula gave the Nittany Lions a spark, winning the game 28-13 behind their dual-threat backup quarterback. Which led to college football analyst Joel Klatt receiving several text messages on Saturday asking if the Penn State offense is potentially better with Pribula and if he should be the guy under center moving forward.

“I can’t argue with that take because of what I saw in the second half. Pribula definitely gave that team a spark, he definitely helped that run game, and it’s a run game that doesn’t actually need a ton of help,” Klatt said. “This is a really good run game with (Kaytron) Allen and (Nick) Singleton in the backfield, but now when you put him in the backfield, it kind of takes it to another level.”

“So then the question becomes can he throw it down the field?” Klatt asked. “The answer to that is maybe, it’s not a resounding yes. And the reason it’s not a resounding yes is because if it was a resounding yes, he would already be the starting quarterback. Because he gives you the element of the run help with his athleticism.”

Pribula has been involved with Penn State’s offense primarily as a running threat all season long. Rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown and throwing for 102 yards and two touchdowns prior to Saturday’s game. Generating 126 yards of total offense with one touchdown against Wisconsin.

Klatt explained that despite Pribula clearly being a better runner of the football than Allar, Allar’s passing ability helps out the Penn State rushing attack more with his throwing the ball downfield and opening things up offensively. But for the team’s biggest game of the season this week against Ohio State, Klatt actually prefers Pribula schematically.

“I personally believe that Pribula is more of a threat against Ohio State than Allar, and the reason is because of the style of defense that now Ohio State has clearly leaned into. Which is an aggressive man oriented defense,” Klatt explained. “When you play man defense, one of the riskiest things that can happen is the quarterback takes off.”

Allar’s injury status is still unclear early in the week for Saturday’s game. But it sounds like Penn State has a potentially dangerous weapon to unleash against the Buckeyes regardless following their narrow victory over Nebraska this past weekend.

“When you play man in the secondary, you can lose the quarterback. All of a sudden, a zone gets flooded out and the routes leave that area. So, to me, I understand you would love to get Drew Allar back. But even with Pribula, that might even be a better matchup for Penn State for this Ohio State team,” Klatt concluded.

No. 3 Penn State hosts No. 4 Ohio State this Saturday at noon ET, and it will be interesting to see what the quarterback position looks like for the Nittany Lions following the events from this past weekend.