Penn State 'Still Confident' Drew Allar Will Be Ready for Michigan State
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar remains on course to play Friday night against Michigan State, though head coach James Franklin isn't tipping his hand as to who will start.
Allar, injured last Saturday against Rutgers, practiced Tuesday but did not throw during the media viewing window. Franklin joked that Allar didn't throw so reporters could "blow up Twitter and Instagram."
"We did that just to mess with you," Franklin told reporters after practice in State College. "We're still confident that he'll be ready to go [Friday]."
Allar has started Penn State's 11 games this season, completing 61 percent of his passes with 21 touchdowns and just one interception. After sustaining an undisclosed upper-body injury against Rutgers, Allar ceded to backup quarterback Beau Pribula, who ultimately led the team in rushing with 71 yards. Franklin said Monday that he expects both quarterbacks to play against the Spartans at Ford Field.
Franklin didn't adjust those expectations Tuesday but also did not name a starter. The coach said that the short week won't necessarily impact the decision.
"If we were game-planning for Drew to be the primary quarterback, it would be a little different for Beau to be the primary quarterback," Franklin said. "We would emphasize different things. That's why it's good, when you guys asked me before, I said our model and plan doesn't need to change based on the information we have right now."
Penn State (9-2) will play its first game at Ford Field in Detroit. Earlier this year, the Big Ten shifted Michigan State's home finale from Saturday to a Friday neutral-site game. Franklin explained that the site switch was part of the decision.
"The conference is obviously trying to create different days for games to get more coverage for our conference, so they approached us about playing Friday night," Franklin said. "But there's a rule in the conference that you don't have to play night games unless everybody agrees to it, so this was part of the conditions in playing it."
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