It’s too cold in Happy Valley for shirtless walks around the practice field, but Beau Pribula and Andy Kotelnicki continue to build their bond as those walks come to an end.
In his first year as Penn State’s offensive coordinator, Kotelnicki has had to adjust the game plan each week with two main questions to consider: How much should they use Pribula, and how can they best use the versatile, dual-threat quarterback in an offense led by strong-armed starter Drew Allar?
“You have to evaluate how sustainable things are through the course of a game, for the course of the season,” Kotelnicki said. “Evaluate if you’re putting your players in a good position to do things that you know they can execute well.
So I think that we have been accurate in answering those two questions on a weekly basis.”
The Nittany Lions will keep making adjustments as they push toward a potential College Football Playoff spot, with a game against Purdue (1-8, 0-6) on Saturday.
Given Purdue’s struggles on defense, Pribula may get more chances to improve his modest stats. Seven backup quarterbacks have already played against the Boilermakers, who rank 122nd in defense this season.
What’s helpful for Penn State is that Pribula has shown he can do more than just add a running element to the offense.
“He’s obviously shown it in games that he’s extremely athletic,” wide receiver Liam Clifford said. “He can make plays with his feet and then he can also obviously throw the rock pretty well, and I know he showed that in the Wisconsin game.”
Pribula’s strong performance two weeks ago, when the Nittany Lions needed him most, has left teammates and coaches confident in the team’s quarterback depth.
In that game, Allar, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound starter, suffered a possible left knee injury just before halftime. After a big hug from Allar, Pribula, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 205 pounds, took over with Penn State trailing 10-7. He completed 11 out of 13 passes — some of them perfect throws while moving and others from the pocket — for 98 yards and a touchdown.
“The thing that everybody talks about is his ability to make plays with his legs,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “I don’t think there’s anybody within our program that also doesn’t believe that he can do it with his arm too.”
Pribula also rushed for 28 yards on six carries in that game, helping Penn State pull away with a 28-13 win over Wisconsin.
“Especially in a hostile environment like that on the road, any experience on the field helps a lot and that was definitely big for my confidence,” Pribula said.
But his confidence had been building for some time.
Used to taking his shirt off after practice, Pribula encouraged Kotelnicki to join him before the trip to Wisconsin. The two walked the perimeter of the practice field together in what Pribula called a “bro walk.”
Pribula shared that he had always prepared as though he might start one day, but didn’t really know what it would feel like. When Allar went down against Wisconsin, he got his answer.
Kotelnicki had also planned a special play for Pribula — an 8-yard touchdown run off a direct snap — in the game against Washington a week earlier.
“It feels good because you prepared for that moment,” Pribula said. “To take practice to the game feels good because you know that when you’re practicing that week, everything matters.”
