Penn State starting quarterback Drew Allar was an active participant at a practice viewing window opened to reporters on Wednesday. It’s a promising sign for Allar, who exited in the first half of a 28-13 win at Wisconsin this past weekend with an apparent knee injury and was ruled a game-time decision by James Franklin for Saturday’s matchup with No. 4 Ohio State.
“Beautiful ball!” Franklin yelled after Allar completed a perfectly-placed deep pass to wide receiver Harrison Wallace III. Allar participated in ball-security, hand-off and passing drills without any signs of trouble. It appeared business as usual for Allar, who has thrown for 1,640 yards and scored 15 total touchdowns over a strong 2024 season.
If Allar is unable to play against the Buckeyes, that would likely signal backup Beau Pribula’s first-career start. Pribula replaced Allar in the second half against the Badgers, and completed 11-of-13 pass attempts for 98 yards and a touchdown, helping erase a halftime deficit en route to victory.
“I think he’s played enough football for us that the timeline will go all the way up to the game,” Franklin said on Monday. “I do think, from a practice perspective, no matter where we’re at on Tuesday, we’re going to have to get both of those guys reps Tuesday and Wednesday. But it’s just too early to tell at this point.”
Other injury notes
Allar was one of three starters who exited with injuries at Wisconsin.
Penn State starting defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was absent after sustaining an apparent groin injury against the Badgers. Dennis-Sutton’s injury also came in the first half, but he reappeared for one uncomfortable snap in the third quarter, before sticking to the sideline for the remainder of the game.
“Dani will have the ability to play this game,” Franklin said. “He’s played a ton of football. He’s super mature, very intelligent, he’s thoughtful, he’s hard working. He’s been in the training room the last two days, every time I’ve gone down there. So, same thing. We’ll go right up to the game time to see where we’re at with things. If he’s able to go, he’ll go. But if not, we have a ton of confidence in those other guys, as well.”
Anthony Donkoh, a first-year starter at right tackle, was present for Wednesday’s practice viewing session, but appeared to be limited. After taking one rep in a blocking drill, Donkoh trailed behind the rest of the offensive line with a pretty clear limp as the group moved across the practice field.
