Penn State Quarterback Drew Allar Leaves Rutgers Game With Injury
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State coach James Franklin said he didn't believe quarterback Drew Allar's injury to be "significant" after the Nittany Lions' 27-6 win over Rutgers on Saturday. Allar left the game early in the third quarter after taking a hit to the upper body on a third-down carry. He emerged from the injury tent holding his right shoulder but stayed on the sideline for the remainder of the game.
Franklin did not discuss Allar's injury specifically after the game but did say, "I don't see this being significant, but we will see. It's very hard for me to answer that question, even if I wanted to, a couple hours after it happened."
This marked Allar's first game as starter that he didn't finish because of an injury. The quarterback completed 6 of 13 passes for 79 yards and rushed three times for 28 yards. He converted first downs on each carry.
"Obviously we never want to put our quarterbacks in a position where they're going to get an injury, bumps, bruises, whatever it may be," Franklin said after the game. "At that point he was leading us in average [yards per] rush."
On the play, Allar took a quarterback scramble up the middle, gained the first down and lowered his shoulder against Rutgers defensive back Flip Nixon. Allar immediately threw the first-down pass out of bounds and left the field. Beau Pribula entered the game on second down and finished the game.
"Really, what he had done the whole game, and what he had really done the whole season, is get as many yards as he can and and get down," Franklin said. "He’s done a really good job of managing that all season long. Right there in that situation, he was just about to get down, and somebody flashed from behind and got to him and hit him just right. But he was really good as the game went on. I thought his leadership was phenomenal on the sideline."
Penn State has a short week to prepare for its regular-season finale against Michigan State. The Lions play the Spartans on Friday night at Ford Field in Detroit.
More Penn State Football
Penn State 27, Rutgers 6: The breakdown from Beaver Stadium
How Penn State's offense will operate without Mike Yurcich
Drew Allar maintains a 'strong presence' through change
What we know about Penn State's offensive coordinator search
Potential candidates for Penn State's next offensive coordinator
James Franklin remains 'hopeful and excited' about Penn State's future
Ja'Juan Seider, Ty Howle take over as offensive coordinators for Penn State
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
