Penn State Starting Quarterback Drew Allar Expected To Play Against Ohio State
Penn State starting quarterback Drew Allar is expected to play Saturday against No. 4 Ohio State after missing the second half of last weekend’s Wisconsin game with a left leg injury, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.
Allar, a junior from Medina, Ohio, practiced throughout the week while wearing a brace around his left leg. He split reps with redshirt sophomore backup quarterback Beau Pribula, who filled in well for Allar in relief against the Badgers, completing 11 of his 13 passes for 98 yards and a score.
Although it is unclear if Allar — who was seen running and jogging in practice by Penn State beat reporters — will be fully healthy for the top-four matchup against the Buckeyes, his presence in the huddle will be a welcome sight for a Nittany Lions offense who has made significant improvements this season under the direction of Allar and new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
Through seven games this season with Allar at quarterback, Penn State ranks 30th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in scoring offense at 33.3 points per game, as well as 29th and seventh in passing offense at 266.6 yards per game. Allar’s passing numbers are far better than the marks he set last year, when he averaged just over 200 passing yards per game, helping the Nittany Lions rank 77th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten in passing offense.
Allar has thrown for an impressive 4,165 passing yards and 41 touchdowns to just six interceptions over the past two seasons as Penn State’s starter, but against Ohio State last season he had one of the worst outings of his career. He completed just 18 of his 42 attempts for 191 yards and a score against his hometown Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium last October, a stat line that led to the Nittany Lions going just 1 for 16 on third down en route to their 20-12 loss.
While likely hobbled, Allar will need to put together a much better outing against Ohio State this time around at Beaver Stadium if the third-ranked Nittany Lions are to come away with their first victory over the Buckeyes since 2016 and put themselves in sound position for a trip to the Big Ten Championship, likely against No. 1 Oregon.