Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) passes against Michigan during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov.11, 2023, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
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Following are the highlights of James Franklin’s Monday press conference:
Friday’s game: vs. Michigan State at Ford Field (7:30 p.m. NBC)
Records: Penn State is 9-2 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten following last week’s 27-6 win over Rutgers; Michigan State improved to 4-7 overall and 2-6 in the Big Ten after winning at Indiana 24-21 last week.
Odds: Penn State is a 20.5-point favorite.
Rankings: Penn State is ranked No. 11 by the Associated Press.
QB update
Drew Allar was knocked out of the Rutgers game in the third quarter with what appeared to be an injury to his right arm or shoulder. He did not return.
Though the regulars did not practice Sunday, Franklin said Monday he thinks Allar will be able to play against the Spartans.
“We expect Drew to go,” he said. “All indications, I would think we’ll be back to normal.”
He also said backup Beau Pribula, who ran for 71 yards on eight carries after Allar was hurt, including a 39-yard rush, would also play.
Pribula only attempted one pass, which he completed.
Most of his experience has come late in games with the Lions comfortably ahead.
“We’ve had passes in for him every week, but then you also get into a situation where the majority of his reps have come in four-minute football where you’re trying to run the ball as much as you possibly can,” Franklin said.
Praise for assistants
Franklin said the early returns on Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle running the offense as co-coordinators in place of OC Mike Yurcich, who was fired Nov. 12, have been positive.
It sounds as if communication is better.
“From the Lasch Building and in the office and how we game planned, how the scripts were done the night before, how the cards were done early for the scout team and we could look them over and work through in detail,” he said. “I thought the collaboration, the environment that was created that everybody spoke up and had opinions … was really good. I thought Ja’Juan and Ty were really good complementary pieces of each other.”
He felt the Lions made Rutgers “defend the whole field,” and by running 17 straight plays, the coaches kept returning to successful plays.
More than numbers
Tailback Nick Singleton averaged 6.8 yards per carry last year, and that’s down to 4.0 on basically the same number of attempts.
Franklin, though, said he thinks Singleton “has had a better” year when factoring in blocking and pass receiving.
Recruiting snag
Junior quarterback recruit Bekkem Kritza told The Athletic last week that Franklin informed him on the morning of the Michigan game that Yurcich would not be with the program going forward.
Yurcich was not present for the brief meeting with Franklin and other coaches, and Kritza found that curious.
Franklin was asked about it on Monday.
He said he tells all recruits that it’s important to commit to the school and the head coach because there are moving parts in college football.
Regarding Kritza’s comment, Franklin said, “That doesn’t make sense. I would never do that. But for a young kid, I could see how the timing of that, you would connect those dots, and they’re not really connected.”
Notable …
n Michigan State’s Harlon Barnett is serving as the Spartans’ interim coach since the early-season dismissal of Mel Tucker over inappropriate sexual allegations.
n Sparty has won two of the last three games, beating Indiana and Nebraska but is last in the Big Ten in scoring offense at 17.4 points per game.
n PSU has passed for less than 100 yards in its last two games, and last week its wide receivers caught just two passes. Franklin: “We obviously want to get those guys some more targets.”
n Friday marks the 38th meeting between the teams. The series stands at 18-18-1.
(Compiled by Neil Rudel of the Altoona Mirror. He can be reached at [email protected].)