Could Penn State Install a Drew Allar-Beau Pribula Package?
Beau Pribula, the quarterback for Penn State, should be used in more than just fourth-quarter scenarios, according to statements made by head coach James Franklin on multiple occasions both before and during the season. Franklin went so far as to claim that Penn State was preparing a Pribula package for the Ohio State match. With Drew Allar and Pribula on the field at the same time, is it possible for the Nittany Lions to play an offensive series? Before Penn State’s Saturday matchup with Indiana at Beaver Stadium, Franklin made a suggestion about the possibilities.
“I think obviously there’s some plans for us each week to try to get Beau and Drew on the field at the same time, which I think can cause some conflicts and cause some challenges,” Franklin said Thursday on the Penn State Coaches Show. “If you just put Beau on the field by himself, people defend you differently. So with those two guys on the field at the same time, I think that can cause some issues.” That certainly would be new, since Penn State has not come close to playing Allar and Pribula together this season. Pribula played in the season’s first six games but did not see action in the Lions’ 20-12 loss at Ohio State. Franklin said that the offense “had some plans to use Beau last week as well,” which did not happen. Following the game, Franklin said that he didn’t want to make the change in a one-possession game
“So to make that type of change, I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do for our locker room and I don’t know if that’s necessarily fair to Drew,” Franklin said in Columbus. Though the two-quarterback offense is new, Franklin has pitched the idea before of deploying Pribula as a change-up. He also has given Pribula significant reps for a backup quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, Pribula averaged 13.2 snaps through the first six games, playing a season-high 28 against Delaware. But Franklin had not publicly suggested playing both quarterbacks together until Thursday.
Franklin stated on the Coaches Show, “We’ve been very pleased with Beau. Beau has done a nice job, and we had some plans to use Beau last week as well.” “I believe he has been able to enter the game, play incredibly effectively, and lead the offense thus far this season. We’re simply sort of highlighting things that make sense for him and his approach; we’re not really altering the plan.”