James Franklin addresses Drew Allar injury following Penn State football win at Wisconsin

Penn State football escaped Madison with its perfect record intact, but James Franklin and the Nittany Lions aren’t walking away completely unscathed. The Blue and White suffered injuries to standout players on both sides of the line of scrimmage Saturday night in a 28-13 win over Wisconsin. However, none could impact the program’s title hopes more than the loss of star quarterback Drew Allar.

Allar had one of his most efficient first halves of the season, starting the game 14-16 before he appeared to come down awkwardly on a Jake Chaney sack with under 90 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The junior signal caller would gingerly head to the locker following the series.

After attempting to warm up out of the halftime break, the decision was made for Allar not to play in the second half. The Nittany Lions starter would finish the night 14-18 for 148 yards and one touchdown.

Penn State turned to backup Beau Pribula, himself an efficient 11-13 for 98 yards and a score, to help guide 21 second-half points and earn the win.

Franklin: Allar didn’t feel like he would be able to move well enough to run the Penn State offense

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

While he did not discuss the specific issue plaguing his starting quarterback, James Franklin did go over the decision-making process for holding Drew Allar out of the second half.

“As you know, I’m not going to get into a whole lot of medical stuff right now, especially when I don’t have a whole lot of information. But I wouldn’t necessarily describe it that way,” Franklin said when asked if Allar was held out for precautionary reasons. “It was, ‘Is he going to be mobile enough to give us a chance to run the offense the way we want to run the offense?’

“It really came down to Drew once he came out. I felt bad because I told the woman from TV that Drew was going and Dani [Dennis-Sutton] wasn’t. Then, after we got out there and they got loosened up, Drew told me he couldn’t go, and Dani [was] able to [try to go]. So, it actually turned out to be the opposite of what I told her.

“But I asked him to be very, very honest with me. And he just didn’t feel like he was going to be able to move well enough to go. And even like at the end of the half there you saw even throwing was challenging.”

In addition to Allar, Nittany Lions standout defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh both suffered injuries in the first half. Dennis-Sutton returned for the first defensive play of the third quarter before exiting permanently, while Donkoh did not return. Cornerback AJ Harris also appeared to be banged up later in Saturday night’s win.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, one of the fastest-growing outlets covering Penn State athletics. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned, community-operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on social media.