Penn State loses QB Drew Allar, beats Wisconsin

Penn State essentially saw Wisconsin down 10 points in the first half, trailed again at halftime, lost its starting quarterback to an apparent knee injury and watched two more starters leave the game with injuries, but still didn’t falter. And now the limping but still undefeated Nittany Lions will face Ohio State with a perfect 7-0 record.

Safety Jaylen Reed returned an interception in the third quarter for a touchdown, quarterback Beau Pribula ran a critical touchdown that consumed more than seven minutes, and the Nittany Lions beat Wisconsin 28-13 on Saturday night at a sold-out Camp Randall Stadium. The game proved to be another stress test for third-ranked Penn State, which faced more obstacles than it had all season. But the Nittany Lions found a way. Pribula and the defense were the difference.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar leaves the game

Allar had a big day (14 of 18, 148 yards) and led a touchdown drive before Wisconsin turned up the pressure. He looked increasingly frustrated as the second quarter progressed, leading to a critical moment late in the second quarter. After the first bag, Allar stood up with a slight limp and after two more failures, he walked away carefully. Allar started the third quarter on the field with a knee brace, and Beau Pribula took over as quarterback.

It wouldn’t be a repeat of the 2021 Penn State-Iowa game when Sean Clifford gave up the ball to Ta’Quan Roberson. Pribula was ready.

Beau Pribula takes over the attack

Pribula had a few troubling moments early in the game, including a missed snap and a delay of game penalty. But then the real-time quarterback gave up the title of “switch quarterback.” At one point, he completed 10 passes in a row, five on first downs and a nifty second-down touchdown pass to Khalil Dinkins. Moreover, Pribula rushed for key first-down conversions that helped open up the rest of Penn State’s offense.

Pribula scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and made real connections with Liam Clifford. The receiver caught three critical passes for 40 yards, including one for 23 yards on Penn State’s final drive. Once again, Tyler Warren was Penn State’s leading receiver, catching seven passes for 46 yards. He also took two snaps on the Wildcat to set up a pass from Pribula to Dinkins.

Penn State’s running game is on the rise

The first half wasn’t pretty. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 38 yards in the first half, continuing the theme that started in the doubleheader against the California schools. Penn State averaged over 250 yards rushing in its first four games, but combined for just 203 yards against UCLA and USC.

But when Pribula added his dynamic feet to the running game, Singleton and Allen found more space. They rushed for 97 yards in the second half, with Allen scoring the game-winning touchdown on a special pass by offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

Pribula appeared to decide to play shotgun, but in fact he was standing behind left-back Vega Ioane. Allen stood behind center Nick Dawkins, who ran directly at Allen and then turned left in a running formation. With exceptional interior blocking, Allen caught the line for a 24-yard touchdown.

Penn State’s defense closes the third door again

Yes, Penn State’s defense was frustratingly porous in the first halves. Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke had a 10-play, 73-yard scoring drive to give the Badgers the lead at halftime in the series, which benefited from a defensive field goal on the Nittany Lions. But Penn State scored just three third-quarter points in its first six games and gave up just three more points to Wisconsin. More importantly, the Nittany Lions took the lead on a much-needed defensive play.

With Allar out of the game and the offensive momentum gone, Reed intercepted Locke and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown, giving Penn State a 14-10 lead. This play followed Wisconsin’s first drive of the quarter. The Badgers allowed just 51 yards in the first half, none on the ground.

Penn State ate up the Wisconsin game, allowing just 10 rushing yards in the second half. Defensive play by Alonzo Ford. he generated two tackles for loss in the same series, Zane Durant was a threat under center, and Zakee Wheatley had 10 tackles, including a fourth down late.

Penn State’s key injuries

The Nittany Lions left the game with multiple injuries. Allar’s knee will be a significant problem this week. However, Penn State also lost defensive tackle Dani Dennis-Sutton, who played one snap in the second half, and right tackle Anthony Donkoh in the first half. Nolan Rucci, who transferred from Wisconsin to Penn State, took over for Donkoh.

Nicholas Singleton’s acrobatic touchdown catch

Nicholas Singleton didn’t look the most explosive against Wisconsin. He also wasn’t the best receiver in his backfield last year. It was Allen. However, Singleton spent the offseason improving this part of his game with excellent results.

Singleton spectacularly caught a one-handed touchdown and completed a pass in the second quarter. Allar found himself in a tight spot. The catch was his second of the half; Singleton ended the first quarter with a 27-yard field goal by Allar into the red zone. However, the touchdown catch was an elite receiving play.

Penn State helps Wisconsin score 10 points

Locke went 2-of-7 in Wisconsin’s first series, but strong shooting on 3rd and 15 kept that streak alive. Then came one of the smartest moves you’ll see from a player. Penn State’s Jalen Kimber made a free run to block, but Wisconsin’s Atticus Bertrans calmly tucked the ball away, moved back to attack and saw the field open. He ran 15 yards on 4th and 9 on an improbable conversion. This resulted in kicker Nathanial Vakos making a 50-yard field goal to give the Badgers a 3-0 lead.

Locke tightened up his shooting in the second quarter. He led the way for 10 plays and a 73-yard touchdown, completing three consecutive passes, including a pair to Will Pauling, before Tawee Walker scored on a 1-yard run 1:23 before halftime. The streak was fueled by a critical Penn State error: the Nittany Lions had 12 defenders on the field on third down before Walker’s touchdown.

Next

Penn State will host Ohio State, possibly with current former president Donald TrumpNov. 2 at Beaver Stadium.

More Penn State football

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is “pumped” for the Penn State game

A big Gatorade commercial starring Nicholas Singleton debuted in State College this week. Columnist Ben Jones on what that means

James Franklin offers insight into his Trainers Poll voting process

Why Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson spoke with the Nittany Lions in the farewell week