Penn State, Led by Beau Pribula, Expands Its Running Game
PA State College | Recently, Rutgers has struggled to score points against the backup quarterbacks for Penn State. On Saturday, Beau Pribula took over for the injured Drew Allar, and the Nittany Lions won 27-6 on Senior Day thanks to a one-dimensional offensive attack. Pribula came after Christian Veilleux, the quarterback for Pitt currently in the lineup, who started in place of an injured Sean Clifford in a 2021 Penn State victory that ended in a 28-0 victory. Will Levis also started in that same game in 2019 and led the team to victory.
Early in the third quarter, Allar was hurt during a quarterback draw, and he did not finish the game. Pribula entered the game mid-drive without much opportunity to confer with coaches or form a huddle because Allar continued to play for one more snap. Nevertheless, he took the shotgun’s opening snap, tucked the ball, and darted in the direction of the sideline for a dramatic 39-yard gain.
“I believe it was crucial to have a powerful play like that, as the first play was in, simply to establish the mood,” Pribula stated. “I also had the choice to throw. I saw a crease and just kind of [ran up the] right sideline, trying to get as much as I could when I decided to run the ball.
Pribula ran for a team-high 71 yards and a touchdown on eight tries, while completing his lone pass for 9 yards. Pribula’s running ability provided “diversity” to Penn State’s rushing attack on Saturday, according to Penn State coach James Franklin. After Pribula entered the game, the Lions ran 17 straight plays, and in the second half, Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton both had runs of 20 yards or more. Penn State ran for 234 yards overall on 6 yards per carry, a season high in Big Ten play. “Different punches that you can throw out,” Franklin described Pribula’s additions to the running game.
“They have to respect the zone read when Beau enters the game. It modifies your defensive call of the game. That much is certain, the head coach continued. It seems to be the most important factor. We thought we had a pretty good plan, and our backs ran very hard, but they also had to call the game differently because we were able to include Beau in it as well.
Before Allar’s injury, Penn State’s offensive performance was being scrutinized due to the offensive coordinator switch this week. For co-coordinators Ty Howle and Juan Seider, Saturday was their first showcase. They did not necessarily pass with flying colors, but they did
They may not have won handily, but they performed well enough in a challenging circumstance to defeat Penn State 9-2.
I felt incredibly proud of the guys for truly supporting me. In the huddle, nobody flinched, which made my job much easier, according to Pribula. “My job was made easier because the offensive line performed really well as well. as well as the defense. And I’m thrilled that in their final game at Beaver Stadium, we were able to give these seniors a victory to remember.
We simply stated, ‘We’ve got your back.'” Regarding the offensive lineman’s message during the change, left tackle Olu Fashanu stated, “Beau’s earned our trust from the moment he stepped into this team, just by the way he works.”
Olu Fashanu, a left tackle, expressed the offensive line’s message during the change. Finally, we simply told him, ‘Listen, Drew’s out, you’re in, and we got your back.'” We will exert every effort on your behalf.
Even prior to the injury, Franklin stated that he planned to play both Pribula and Allar. In the first half, the Lions did use both quarterbacks for a single play. Pribula had participated in nine games before Saturday, nearly all of them as a runner. Franklin stated that he didn’t think Allar’s injury was “significant,” but Pribula learned a lot playing against Rutgers, and if he ends up leading the team against Michigan State in the regular-season finale, that experience will be helpful.
Regarding the primary form of defense that Pribula perceives, that
That boy, huh, he has feet. Dvon Ellies, a defensive tackle, stated, “He can run the ball.” “In actuality, we are aware of his run-pass threat. It’s extremely difficult to stop both ends of that, particularly when you’re attempting to set it up as a defense. It is very challenging to worry about an extra runner. That is undoubtedly one of his superpowers, which you may have witnessed today.
