Penn State could have quarterback Drew Allar available when the No. 3 Nittany Lions host No. 4 Ohio State in a Big Ten showdown on Saturday afternoon in University Park, Pa.
Allar sustained a knee injury that kept him out the second half of a 28-13 win at Wisconsin last Saturday after going 14-for-18 for 148 yards and a touchdown.
In the previous game, a 33-30 overtime victory over Southern California, Allar threw for a career-high 391 yards and two TDs for the Nittany Lions (7-0, 4-0).
“It’s too early to tell at this point, but he’s played enough football that I think that decision will go all the way up to game time,” Penn State coach James Franklin said Monday.
If Allar isn’t healthy or is limited in what he can do, Franklin knows he has a capable replacement in Beau Pribula, who was 11 of 13 for 98 yards and a touchdown against Wisconsin. He also had 28 rushing yards on six carries.
Ohio State (6-1, 3-1) expects each quarterback to play.
“We’ll prepare for both guys being healthy and ready to go,” coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “They both bring different things to the table, but both are very effective in what they do. We’ll go based on what we’ve seen and what’s on the film.”
The Buckeyes also have injury concerns. Left tackle Josh Simmons, a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 32-31 loss to then-No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 12.
His replacement, Zen Michalski, struggled in a 21-17 win against Nebraska last Saturday before exiting late with a leg injury. The Buckeyes rushed for only 64 yards and went 1-for-10 on third downs. Michalski’s status for the Penn State game is unclear.
“When you’re not converting on third downs, it’s hard to get your rhythm going,” Day said. “The guys were a little bit frustrated on Saturday, so we’ve got to do a better job executing.”
Franklin and Day have reputations to repair.
The Buckeyes’ defeat to Oregon was another setback in a big game in the manner of the 2022 CFP semifinal loss to Georgia and last season’s defeat at Michigan in that the Buckeyes had the ball in the final minute with a chance to win but didn’t.
Day has a 2-7 record against top-10 opponents and has dropped three in a row to rival Michigan.
“Just like the Oregon game was, this game has been circled on our schedule. We know what’s at stake here,” Day said. “We’re going to go into that environment and finish the way we didn’t (finish) two weeks ago. We have another opportunity to go do that in this game.”
“We’ve got to go finish and win the game in the fourth quarter. We know it’s going to take four quarters in this game.”
Franklin owns a 1-9 record against Ohio State, with seven straight losses since his lone win in 2016.
“They’re a really good football team. They’re as talented of a roster as anybody in the country. They’re that way every single year. They are, as well, this year,” Franklin said. “We have to play really well. We have to play really clean. We’re going to need a great environment.
“It’s a challenge. I think our guys are ready for the challenge.”
–Field Level Media