There are a few small details to consider as the Nittany Lions close out the regular season tonight.
• Even if Drew Allard recovers enough to play in the game against Michigan State (7:30, NBC), Beau Pribula came off the bench last week against Rutgers and rushed for 71 yards on eight carries. I look forward to his continued success. In fact, Pribula’s presence sparked the run game for the Lions as a whole and Nick Singleton in particular after Aller was injured in the second half.
• Pribula gained 311 yards on the ground this season, averaging 6.0 yards on 52 carries, including five touchdowns. He only attempted 18 of his passes, and he completed eight for 90 yards.
• When this game was announced on a rare Friday night over the summer, optimism was high that Penn State could contend for the Big Ten title at 11-1. With the Lions going 9-2, with blowout losses to Ohio State and Michigan, and the early-season firing of Mel Tucker and Sparty’s demise, Ford Field had fewer fans for both teams. As a result, they should be less likely to participate in league games. trip.
• It’s strange that James Franklin doesn’t want to reveal which of his two interim co-offensive coordinators, Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle, is driving the play calls. Or maybe it’s not as strange that he doesn’t choose one of them.
• The next few weeks will tell a lot about the Lions’ roster heading into the bowl game. Last year’s team had great leadership (Sean Clifford, P.J. Mustipher, Zi’air Brown, Brenton Strange, Juice Scruggs), and all of the Nitz’s seniors except Joey Porter Jr. played in the Rose Bowl. . We’ll see if that happens this year with potential draft picks like Olu Fashanu, Chop Robinson, and Karen King. This is one prediction, especially if the Lions tie Tulane in the Peach Bowl.
• Lead receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who has caught two passes in the past two games, didn’t catch a pass last week as he wasn’t targeted at all. Keep an eye on him tonight to see if that was an anomaly, or (possibly) Mike Yurcich’s offense gave KLS more chances than Franklin would have liked.
• Penn State is ranked No. 11 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, which go into effect next year. If the first four teams receive byes, the 11th seed will move to the No. 6 seed (Oregon State this year).
• Other than Penn State and Ohio State, the best teams in the Big Ten in 2024 are Michigan (JJ McCarthy), Washington State (Michael Penix), Oregon State (Bo Nix) and Southern California (Caleb Williams). The starting quarterback will be replaced.
• Brent Pry, who has roots in Altoona, is 5-6 after a 1-3 start in his first year as head coach at Virginia Tech. A win against Virginia on Saturday would be a good ending.
• They’ll be playing Michigan instead of the Buckeyes in this year’s Big Ten game on Saturday. Based on what’s happened to him at UM over the past few weeks, the Buckeyes seem mostly likable.
Neil Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.