3 & Out Rapid Reaction: Penn State football beats Rutgers but loses Drew Allar due to injury

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – A new chapter in the 2023 season was revealed today for the Penn State football team. The Nittany Lions took the field representing their senior class against Rutgers today. But they also took the field with new offensive minds at the helm. This was the first game without offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and it was a smooth operation. Credit goes to Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle as well as James Franklin for putting in plenty of hours this week to have the team ready to play, and once again the defense was phenomenal. But the team lost Drew Allar due to injury, now the question becomes how long will Allar be out?

Drew Allar leaves Rutgers game early with injury

Drew Allar has dealt with a lot of hype and hate in 2023. Before the season, everyone was convinced that Allar would be Penn State’s savior but the reality is he has been very inconsistent. That inconsistency was seen again today against Rutgers. In the first half, Allar only completed 6 passes for 79 yards. He added 20 rushing yards but we all expect more at this point.

But it was in the third quarter when Allar ran a quarterback draw and he didn’t look right getting up. He was blasted on that run play and followed that up by airmailing a screen pass. He then left the field where Beau Pribula entered the game in his place.

Allar headed into the medical tent and later returned to the sideline. The Fox Sports crew picked up a shot of Allar with tissue in his nose while he was working out his shoulder. He did not return to the game.

Stuck in neutral on offense

Obviously, the Penn State football offense wasn’t going to show something they haven’t already 11 weeks into the season. But, many Penn State fans were optimistic that without Mike Yurcich there would be more production. Give Rutgers credit, they’ve played great defense all season long, but it was more of the same for the Nittany Lions of offense today.

The offense only had 136 total yards of offense in the first half. Everything felt very difficult all day and even with the change in play caller, Penn State wasn’t able to create explosive plays. The Nittany Lions were led by Kaytron Allen on the ground with 69  rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. The Nittany Lions finished with 234 rushing yards on the day.

Beau Pribula fits Penn State’s offense

When Penn State lands five-star recruits it feels rare but it comes with high expectations. Unfortunately, so far in his career, Drew Allar has not lived up to the No. 1 QB in his recruiting class. But today, when Allar went down with injury Beau Pribula got his chance to run the offense. He certainly looked like a better fit for what the Nittany Lions are trying to do on offense.

Pribula entered the game in the third quarter and played the rest of the way. He ended the game rushing for 71 yards. It will be interesting to see how healthy Allar is going into the final game of the season. But it sure is nice seeing another QB wearing No. 9 and succeeding at Penn State.

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