Let's find out what Pribula can do

DETROIT -- Does Beau know ... how to throw?

James Franklin has said a couple of times this week that Drew Allar is expected to play tonight against Michigan State at Ford Field. So, if the starting QB truly is healthy and ready to go after last week's shoulder injury, then it will be business as usual for the Penn State offense this evening.

But despite what Franklin has said publicly, there's a chance the coach is merely using some gamesmanship about his quarterback situation. Allar took a good shot to his right shoulder last week against Rutgers and could barely lift his arm on the sideline without wincing.

Allar did practice Tuesday and was seen by the media on hand running but not throwing.

“We didn’t throw him today while you guys were out there, just so you guys could blow up Twitter and Instagram,” Franklin said. “But yeah, we just did that just to mess with you guys. No, that’s not the case. But no, we’re still confident that he’ll be ready to go (tonight).”

OK then.

We'll see.

At the very least, given the opponent this evening isn't any good at all and is merely playing out the string, you still can't help but wonder if Beau Pribula will get his first college start.

It would, in fact, be very interesting to see what Pribula could do over the course of an entire game.

It also would be good to see for next year if Penn State really does have a backup quarterback, or merely a running back who takes snaps, which is all Pribula has shown when he's gotten a chance to play.

"Yeah, I have," Pribula said last week when I asked if he's developed as a passer. "Physically, it is what it is, I feel really good. And then mentally I feel like I've improved a lot this season, just going through progressions and learning how to read defenses."

Pribula has played a lot this year in mopup duty but has attempted just 18 passes, completing eight for 90 yards and two TDs.

Remember how nobody knew what Will Levis could do when he was at Penn State because he only ran the ball? Then, when he went to Kentucky, he became a standout prospect who eventually was drafted in the second round and is now starting for the Tennessee Titans.

Now, this is not to say that Pribula is another Levis. He's not. Levis has a cannon arm, while Pribula has shown nothing of the sort.

Regardless, we've been down this path before not too long ago with the backup QB not getting to throw much at Penn State, and it seemed pretty clear that the coaches had no idea what they truly had with Levis.

Do they know what they've got with Beau?

Sure, they see him in practice every day. But honestly, how could they truly have a good feel for him as a passer when the reality is he's never thrown a meaningful pass for the Lions while the game was still in doubt?

"We've had passes in for him every week," Franklin said Monday, "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. By running the quarterback you even the numbers out."

Pribula can definitely run the ball. He's carried 52 times for 311 yards -- averaging 6.0 per attempt -- and has scored five touchdowns this season.

The interesting thing about tonight's game is that Penn State could beat Michigan State any number of ways. The Lions are favored by three touchdowns, and you gotta figure the Spartans (4-7) are ready to get this tumultuous season over with after all they've been through with the Mel Tucker situation.

If Pribula does play and runs the ball 25 times without throwing much, the Lions probably can win easily. Franklin and the coaches know that, and the offense could actually be more effective in some ways since Pribula is such a dangerous running threat.

But what would that prove? Would just having Pribula be another running back be doing any service to his development as a quarterback?

No.

Would Franklin care about that?

Again, no. Because he's always so laser focused on just winning the game at hand, and he knows he can beat the Spartans by running Pribula a ton.

Keep in mind, Mike Yurcich was fired, so Ja'Juan Seider and Ty Howle are running the offense. It's too late in the season to reinvent the wheel, and since Pribula doesn't have much experience, it would stand to reason that Seider and Howle might just keep everything simple for the backup QB.

But it would be so much more fun, of course, if we could actually see Beau throw -- a lot.

I went back and watched some of the Blue-White Game again this week, to see how Pribula did throwing in that setting. Ummm ... it wasn't good, for those who don't recall.

He completed just 7 of 22 passes for 56 yards for the White team (second string offense) but was better as he was 3 of 5 for 36 yards for the Blue. He was 10 of 27 for 92 yards on the day.

Numbers aside, Pribula's passes just weren't sharp. He doesn't put a lot on the ball. He was indecisive on a couple of throws, waiting a split second too long to get rid of the ball. Now, he was scrambling a good bit on a number of plays, so that made it difficult to gauge him as a passer.

When I asked him in the spring how much better he had gotten as an overall quarterback, here's what he had to say.

"Being in this program for a full year now, you can't be at a program like Penn State and just not get better in every aspect," Pribula said. "Whether that's in the film room or physically, strength in the weight room, or just being a quarterback in general, it's really helped. And being under Sean (Clifford), a veteran, and a coach like Coach Yurcich, I feel like I've gotten a lot better in the past year."

Maybe all of this will be a moot point and we'll see Allar play most or all of the game tonight.

But if, as I suspect, Allar is still too banged up to go, it will be cool to finally see what Pribula can do running the whole show as opposed to just running.