Penn State's Drew Allar Will Be Game-Time Decision for Ohio State Game Amid Injury

Penn State head coach James Franklin believes quarterback Drew Allar could be a game-time decision for Saturday's contest with Ohio State.

Franklin told reporters Monday he believes Allar, who's dealing with a left knee injury, is experienced enough to where he doesn't need to be rushed into practice in order to get on-field reps. He can rest up and still be ready for Saturday if necessary.

Allar headed for the locker room in the second quarter shortly before halftime. While he tried warming up before the third quarter, he was unable to return against Wisconsin.

"It was, is he going to be mobile enough to give us a chance to run the offense the way we need to run the offense? And it really came down to Drew," Franklin said after the game. "I asked him to be very, very honest with me. And we just didn't feel like he was going to move well enough to go. And even throwing it at the end of the half was challenging."

Allar has thrived under first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. His 234.3 passing yards per game, 174.6 quarterback rating and 71.3 percent completion rate are all up noticeably compared to 2023.

This is what Nittany Lions fans were expecting of a player who was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school.

Missing Allar would be a potentially massive blow for the Penn State offense.

Backup quarterback Beau Pribula performed well in relief against Wisconsin. He finished 11-of-13 for 98 yards and a touchdown.

But it largely goes without saying that Ohio State figures to pose a stiffer test to a player, for as much as he has seen the field as a sophomore, with 44 career passing attempts.

Because the mobile Pribula is a different style QB compared to Allar, Franklin could use this situation to his advantage. The Buckeyes coaching staff will have to make some modifications to its defensive game plan to account for the running threat Pribula would pose in a high-usage role.