STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — It’s too chilly in Happy Valley for shirtless strolls around the practice field, but Beau Pribula and Andy Kotelnicki continue to bond even as those walks come to an end.
In his first year as Penn State’s offensive coordinator, Kotelnicki has had to adjust No. 4 Penn State’s game plan each week with two lingering questions.
How much Pribula is the right amount and how should Penn State (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten, No. 6 CFP) deploy the shifty dual-threat quarterback in an offense that’s fueled primarily by rocket-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 that 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 tinkering as they begin their final push toward a possible College Football Playoff berth with a trip to Purdue (1-8, 0-6) on Saturday.
Considering the Boilermakers’ overall struggles on defense, Pribula could get more chances to boost his modest numbers. Seven reserve quarterbacks have played against the Boilermakers’ 122nd-ranked defense so far this season.
It helps that Pribula has proven he can do more than just add an element to the running game.
“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.”
The fact that Pribula’s arm came alive two weeks ago when the Nittany Lions needed him most has his teammates and coaches feeling confident that the team’s quarterback depth is in a good place.
Then, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Allar suffered an apparent left knee injury just before halftime. After a big hug from Allar, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Pribula took over with Penn State down 10-7. He completed 11 of 13 throws — a handful of them pinpoint strikes while on the run and from in 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.”
He added 28 rushing yards on six carries at Camp Randall Stadium and Penn State pulled away from the Badgers for a 28-13 win.
“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.
It had been growing, however.
Accustomed to shedding his shirt after practice, Pribula inspired Kotelnicki to do the same before the trip to Wisconsin. The two then walked the perimeter of the practice field in what Pribula dubbed a “bro walk.”
Pribula confided that he’d always prepared as if he’d start one day, but didn’t truly know what being a starter felt like. When Allar went down in Wisconsin, he finally got it.
Kotelnicki also scripted an early play for Pribula — an 8-yard direct-snap scamper for a touchdown — against Washington a week ago.
“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.”
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