James Franklin protects his starters and his quarterback in blowout of Purdue

No. 4 Penn State was a heavy favorite coming into Week 12 at Purdue, and there’s a reason that those sportsbooks make so much money. The odds were right and Penn State easily jumped out to a 35-3 lead early in the third quarter, which was enough of a cushion for head coach James Franklin to pull the plug. 

With nearly half of the third quarter remaining, Franklin, who likely needs his team to go 11-1 to make the College Football Playoff for the first time in his 11-year tenure at Penn State, pulled his starters, including his starting quarterback Drew Allar. Backup Beau Pribula took over with much of the second-team offense and led a touchdown drive that he capped off himself with a 49-yard score on a zone-read run. 

Franklin gave his backups, especially Pribula who could succeed Allar if his classmate leaves for the NFL after this season, a chance for additional experience in Big Ten play, but he also gave Allar a chance to rest a potential injury. After Pribula replaced Allar, CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell reported that Allar had been limping between plays after it appeared that his foot was stepped on by a Purdue defender. Dell speculated that Allar may have been pulled out of precaution for his injury and not just because of the score, though color commentator Gary Danielson disagreed. 

Regardless of the reason, Allar’s day was done in the third quarter after going 17/19 for 247 yards and three touchdowns against the Boilermakers. If Allar was injured, it’s unlikely that it would linger through the week and into Penn State’s Week 13 matchup on the road at Minnesota.