Penn State’s Beau Pribula said he received a clear message from Drew Allar before stepping in for the injured quarterback in the second half on Saturday night.
“Hold it down,” Pribula remembered hearing. That’s exactly what he did.
Pribula led touchdown drives on consecutive series, and Jaylen Reed put No. 3 Penn State ahead for good with a 19-yard interception return as the Nittany Lions overcame Allar’s injury to win against Wisconsin 28-13.
This comeback in the second half ensured that Penn State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) would keep its unbeaten record heading into next weekend’s home game against No. 4 Ohio State.
Allar went into the locker room before the end of the first half after landing awkwardly while being sacked on Penn State’s last play of the second quarter. He returned to the field for the second half with a brace on his left knee but stayed on the sidelines for the rest of the game.
Penn State coach James Franklin did not provide any immediate updates on Allar’s condition after the game. Pribula acknowledged Allar for his support during the team’s strong second half.
“He was great all game supporting me and giving me tips if he sees certain stuff on the field,” Pribula said.
At the time of Allar’s exit, the Nittany Lions were trailing 10-7. Penn State also lost defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh to injuries.
Reed and Pribula made sure the Nittany Lions stayed unbeaten regardless.
“Just a gutsy win,” Franklin said. “You lose your starting quarterback. You lose your starting d-end. You lose your starting offensive tackle. Next man up. No excuses. I thought it was just a gutsy culture win from my perspective.”
Pribula completed 11 of 13 passes for 98 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown to Khalil Dinkins. He also ran for 28 yards on six carries as Penn State outscored Wisconsin 21-3 in the second half, ending the Badgers’ (5-3, 3-2) three-game winning streak.
“I’ve prepared super well all week, every week for occasions like this, just in case,” Pribula said. “I had confidence in myself. I just needed everybody to know that nothing was going to change. We were going to be just fine.”
However, Reed made the biggest play of the night.
While throwing from his own end zone on third-and-14 from the 8, Wisconsin’s Braedyn Locke threw a pass across the middle that went straight to Reed. The Penn State safety then sprinted into the right corner of the end zone, putting the Nittany Lions ahead 14-10 with 6:29 left in the third quarter.
“(I was) pretty surprised,” Reed said. “I thought he would have seen me, but I guess he didn’t. I appreciate it.” Locke did not make excuses after the game.
“I’ve got to make a better decision and not throw it to the other team,” said Locke, who went 22 of 42 for 217 yards.
Locke responded on Wisconsin’s next drive by throwing a 33-yard pass to CJ Williams, which set up a Nathanial Vakos 32-yard field goal, cutting Penn State’s lead to 14-13. Pribula then led Penn State into the end zone on their next two possessions.
“He made some plays in the second half that were really, really big,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said.
Pribula completed a 13-play, 81-yard drive by finding a wide-open Dinkins in the back of the end zone with 10:01 left in the game. After Wisconsin went three-and-out on their next drive, Penn State scored again with Kaytron Allen’s 24-yard run with 3:10 remaining.
Before leaving the game, Allar went 14 of 18 for 148 yards in the first half, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to Nick Singleton, who made a one-handed catch. Allar also fumbled a fourth-and-inches snap on the Wisconsin 28, stopping a scoring chance on Penn State’s first drive.
Wisconsin led 10-7 at halftime thanks to a Vakos 50-yard field goal on the first drive of the game and a 1-yard touchdown run by Tawee Walker with 1:23 left in the second quarter. Vakos’ field goal came after a 15-yard run by punter Atticus Bertrams on a fake punt.
