Penn State QB Beau Pribula steps in for injured Drew Allar vs. Rutgers: ‘I was ready’

STATE COLLEGE — Beau Pribula stood on the sidelines as Drew Allar’s day came to an unexpected end.

Pribula watched Allar get popped. He noticed Penn State’s starting quarterback was “dazed a little bit.” And he saw No. 15 signal to the coaching staff after the following play and jog off the field.

Pribula recalled that moment after Penn State’s 27-6 win over Rutgers: “I was ready.”

Saturday was a long-awaited opportunity for Pribula. He didn’t want to see Allar get hurt, of course. But this was his time to shine. And to his credit, Pribula took his opportunity and ran with it — literally.

Pribula’s legs solidified a win. It wasn’t necessarily pretty. But Penn State closed its 2023 home slate with a victory, moving to 9-2 on the season with a New Year’s Six bowl berth still in play. The Beaver Stadium faithful can thank the former Central York star.

Pribula took over early in the third quarter. Allar suffered a hard hit to his right shoulder area after a designed quarterback run on Penn State’s first possession of the second half. Allar stayed in for the next play, throwing it high and wide out of bounds, before tapping out.

Pribula rushed for 71 yards on eight carries, including a 39-yard dart on his first snap after Allar’s injury. He attempted one pass, a 9-yard completion. But the sophomore backup kept the chains moving and the clock churning and tacked on a late touchdown for good measure.

That’s all Pribula had to do against a Rutgers squad that offered very little offensively. Steady the ship, keep it moving and don’t turn the ball over. Pribula accomplished that. And his teammates had all the confidence in the world that he would do the job.

“When your quarterback goes out, there’s a moment of concern for Drew to make sure he’s all right,” offensive tackle Olu Fashanu said. “After that, it’s next guy up. Beau has always had that mentality. He earned all of our trust a long time ago. When Beau came in, nothing changed for us.”

Pribula said “nobody flinched in the huddle.” He could feel that his teammates had his back, which he appreciated. It allowed him to settle in and go to work.

Pribula’s experience this year helped. The 6-foot-2 speedster has served as Allar’s backup all season long, appearing in eight games in mop-up duty. Penn State fans have seen in flashes what Pribula can do. But these were his first high-leverage snaps, and he delivered.

Pribula, asked about his readiness filling in for Allar, pointed to the mentality and approach he has held since enrolling last January. Pribula maintains he has always prepared like Penn State’s No. 1 quarterback. He said it’s a difficult thing to do.

“But I always take pride in preparing as the starter,” Pribula said. “And when the time arises like it did today, I was prepared and ready to go.”

Will Pribula be ready to start if needed? That’s unclear with Penn State playing on a short week, traveling to Detroit for a Black Friday game against Michigan State. James Franklin said postgame, when asked about Allar’s status: “I don’t see this being significant. But we’ll see.”

If Allar’s injury is significant — or at least significant enough to keep him out of the regular-season finale at Ford Field — it will be Pribula’s time to shine yet again.

Pribula will have to throw the ball more than he did against Rutgers. He’ll have to keep his nerve as he did on Saturday. And he’ll have to do what he can to lead Penn State to another 10-win season.

Asked if he’s ready for an opportunity like that, Pribula smiled.

“I’m always going to prepare as if I’m the starter, no matter what the circumstances,” Pribula said. “I did it last year as the fourth-string, you know? I was ready to go all the time. So it’s the same entering this game.”