MADISON, Wisc. — As Drew Allar worked with Penn State’s wide receivers throughout the summer, Beau Pribula made sure he was getting in as many reps with them as possible.
When Pribula wanted to get in extra work, or needed someone to catch while working through sessions with his private quarterback trainer, wide receiver Liam Clifford was often the one out there with him. There may not be anyone who knows Pribula better on this roster than Clifford. The two have lived together for the past three years, and when they eat dinner, they talk about a moment like the one Pribula delivered Saturday night as he masterfully led No. 3 Penn State to a 28-13 win at Wisconsin.
“We always talk about him having the opportunity to go out and get a win and being able to connect on different plays,” Clifford said.
Pribula played the entire second half in place of an injured Drew Allar, who remained on the sideline in pads after absorbing a sack late in the first half. Allar’s availability moving forward will have to be monitored this week as coach James Franklin didn’t have much of an update on him immediately following the game.
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Pribula, the backup quarterback who is known for his mobility, showcased a sharp arm too, completing 11-of-13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. Pribula added six rushes for 28 yards. It was the best and most complete Pribula has looked in his Penn State career. He wasn’t a run-first quarterback but rather a mobile passer who made the kinds of throws that showed he’s ready for this moment and moments in the months and year-plus to come if needed. This was Pribula’s moment, and he rose to meet it.
“The lights weren’t too bright because I’ve been in big-time games like that with the two quarterback stuff before,” Pribula said. “Whether it was the Peach Bowl or taking over at Rutgers last year, this not being my first time in a situation like that helped a lot.”
With Allar out of the game because he wasn’t mobile enough to run the offense, Franklin’s team was once again in a difficult position on the road. Trailing 10-7 at the half and having to turn to the backup quarterback certainly had to make Nittany Lions fans uneasy.
Previous really good Penn State teams have stumbled when faced with a similar situation. When Penn State reached No. 4 in the AP Poll in 2021, it lost to No. 3 Iowa in large part because the backup quarterback wasn’t ready for the moment. That memory had to resurface as the offense punted on back-to-back drives to open the second half.
Allar stood on the sideline watching, trying to give Pribula any tips he could. Andy Kotelnicki and the rest of the offensive staff continued to tweak the offense on the fly to make sure it was best suited for Pribula.
“You gotta be committed to call the game differently, and that’s easier said than done, right?” Franklin said. “I thought we did that.”
Before Pribula even led a scoring drive, he was given a cushion thanks to a pick six from safety Jaylen Reed. Reed’s score midway through the third quarter was a moment when everyone could exhale. The Penn State sideline suddenly looked looser as players greeted one another coming off the field. Allar briskly walked down to celebrate with the defense. All the tension of Pribula and this offense needing to figure itself out dissipated.
And as soon as it did, the Pribula teammates rave about behind the scenes showed up. Clifford shot his roommate a smile as they settled in. Penn State began the fourth quarter with a 14-13 lead when a pair of Pribula’s other close friends, tight end Tyler Warren and wide receiver Harrison Wallace III, helped orchestrate the touchdown drive that ended with the 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Khalil Dinkins. Pribula led another touchdown drive on the next possession. Clifford kept that drive rolling when Pribula found him on third-and-3 for a 5-yard gain. Pribula hit Clifford again, this time for 23 yards. Running back Kaytron Allen capped the drive and essentially iced the game with a 24-yard touchdown run.
Suddenly, that one-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter was a 15-point cushion with 3:10 left.
“I knew I was going to be fine,” Pribula said. “I knew if I just played like I do every week in practice, we’re gonna be good. I just needed everyone around me to know that. I think once we kind of got rolling, everyone was good, and we didn’t flinch.”
Pribula’s night, with passes zipped into tight windows and a confidence from coaches, teammates and himself that he was ready, helped exemplify just how gritty and special this roster is. If the dramatic, come-from-behind win at USC was the eye-opener that this year just might be different, this win, thanks in large part to Pribula, gives Penn State breathing room heading into its biggest game of the season.
Penn State hosts No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday, and for once during Franklin’s 11-season tenure, the pressure is on the shoulders of Ryan Day’s team. Because Penn State has an unblemished record heading into November, it has room for error in the College Football Playoff race. While it doesn’t want to have to find out exactly what that margin looks like, with Allar’s availability in question on Saturday at halftime, it felt like the stakes of Penn State-Ohio State might’ve been centered around Penn State coming off a loss and suddenly fighting for its Playoff life.
Instead, Penn State did what it has done all season and didn’t flinch. Thanks to a win with a backup quarterback, which came without starting defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and right tackle Anthony Donkoh, who both weren’t on the field in the second half, Penn State found a way to pull away and win comfortably.
“I just thought it was a gutsy, culture win,” Franklin said.
These are the moments that showcase the talent and depth of the roster. This, much like USC, is the kind of game that in previous years it would be a coin flip if Penn State could win. This year, those toss-ups haven’t been so up in the air anymore. That’s a sign of big-picture progress for a team that knows it’s OK to now start talking about the game everyone has been waiting for since the schedule was released.
“I’m very excited. I know everybody else is,” Reed said. “We’ve needed this big game, and we gotta prove to the world that we’re ready for it.”
(Top photo of Beau Pribula: John Fisher / Getty Images)
