The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Reviewing Penn State football’s 27-6 win over Rutgers
Drew Allar and Beau Pribula shared the field for a snap in the first quarter Saturday against Rutgers for only the second time all season, but later in the game, the latter replaced the former.
Allar took a hard hit from Rutgers defensive back Flip Dixon on a rushing attempt, and tried to stay in for a play. The sophomore took the next snap and seemed to realize something wasn’t right, misfiring his pass and jogging straight to the sideline. He did not return to the game after leaving with a 10-6 lead, with Pribula replacing him.
The redshirt freshman kept the train on the tracks the rest of the way, helping the offense score 17 more points on the way to a 27-6 win over the Scarlet Knights.
Pribula said after the game that he was ready to go when his number was called.
“I’m always ready to go in the game no matter what,” he said. “I saw it was kind of a rough hit, but he looked all right at first. Then I saw he was kind of dazed a little bit, or whatever, and then he kind of signaled to the sideline. I was ready immediately. I’m always trying to stay warmed up on the sideline, ready to go at all times.”
Pribula completed his only pass attempt for nine yards, but ran for 39 yards on his first snap after taking over for Allar. The redshirt freshman said that moment helped let everyone know that he could handle the situation.
“I think it was super important to have an explosive play like that first play being in just to set the tone,” Pribula said. “Just kind of set the IDs, made sure the running back knew who he had. I had the option to throw as well. I decided to run the ball and I saw a crease and just kind of went off the right side and tried to get as much as I could get.”
Good
Chop Robinson: The Nittany Lions have had an elite defense and that doesn’t happen without the elite pass rushing it has. That’s led by Chop Robinson, who has been prolific all season and should be a first round pick come April in the 2024 NFL Draft. He has as good of a first step as you’ll find in college football, beating opposing tackles before they can even react off the line of scrimmage. That happened time and time again Saturday against Rutgers, with the Scarlet Knight offensive tackles feeling his presence whenever he was in the game during a passing situation. Penn State fans should relish what he did Saturday because it’ll probably be the last time he plays in Beaver Stadium.
Beau Pribula: It’s not easy to come into a game as a quarterback when the starter goes out, but Beau Pribula did it at a high level. No, he was not making much of an impact through the air, but he still moved the offense down the field. Pribula running for 39 yards immediately after Allar’s injury showed what the offense was going to look like without the starter in the game. He opened up the running game thanks to his speed, forcing defenders to account for him in those situations and allowing the team’s running backs to have bigger holes to hit when they have the ball. Pribula ran a different version of the Penn State offense very well Saturday.
K.J. Winston: The next star of the Penn State defense has flown relatively under the radar this year, but had his first career interception Saturday afternoon. Safety K.J. Winston has been the best at his position on the team this season and earned that pick by jumping a route against the Scarlet Knights. He plays with elite-level instincts, finding the ball consistently, whether it’s in the running game or passing game. Winston is a heat-seeking missile who attacks downhill and tries to make plays. More often than not, he’s successful and has shown enough this season to project an even bigger jump next year when he should be one of the team’s best players.
Johnny Dixon: Penn State head coach James Franklin has brought up cornerback Johnny Dixon several times and for good reason. Dixon has four sacks and an interception this year and has been a key part in the Nittany Lions’ prowler package on defense. The package, which features five pass rushers and six defensive backs, has been a key part of the team’s third down success on defense in every game but the Michigan game. One of the reasons it works is because Dixon is one of the defensive backs and is excellent in coverage while also being able to bring pressure off the edge. He’s off to the NFL after this season and the season should not end without his contributions to an elite defense being acknowledged.
Bad
Passing game: The sample size is even smaller than usual because of Allar’s injury, but this passing game has nothing to it right now. Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren led the way with two receptions each, and Omari Evans and Liam Clifford were the only wide receivers to catch passes in the game for Penn State. Yes, that means Dante Cephas and KeAndre Lambert-Smith were held without a reception, giving the latter one reception for six yards over his last two games. The team’s receivers have struggled to get open all season and that didn’t change just because Mike Yurcich was no longer the offensive coordinator. This is clearly an issue that won’t be resolved until the offseason and until a new full-time offensive coordinator implements their scheme.
Ugly
Drew Allar’s injury: This does not mean the injury is severe or will keep Drew Allar out for an extended period. Let me say that again. I am not saying Allar will miss extended time. But no injury to your quarterback is ever a good thing, and the shot the sophomore took was a big one. He’s a tough kid, which is why he stayed in for a play, but it’s not a good sign when your passer can’t really lift his arm up. It remains to be seen how long he will be out — Franklin said it was too early for such determinations but he didn’t think it was a significant injury — but the Nittany Lions are running out of time to get him on track. If there is no risk of further injury or a setback, Allar could play and potentially right the ship and get things rolling heading into the offseason. But if there is, then he should be shelved until there isn’t, no questions asked.
