Penn State's Drew Allar was injured at Wisconsin, adding drama to the Ohio State game

As he stood on the sideline Saturday night, rubbing his eyes and hugging his coaches, quarterback Drew Allar carried Penn State's playoff hopes in his knee brace. Then fellow quarterback Beau Pribula led the Nittany Lions on a second-half tour of Camp Randall Stadium, scoring a goal along the way 28-13 win over Wisconsin that brought the College Football Playoff ever closer to State College. But now the quarterback becomes an even more compelling story when Penn State hosts Ohio State on Nov. 2 at Beaver Stadium.

Allar, who had to leave Saturday's game at Wisconsin before halftime because of an apparent knee injury, will lead the week-long conversation about Penn State's offense. However, don't expect Penn State coach James Franklin to say much, especially considering how Pribula played in the second half against the Badgers. The redshirt sophomore completed 11 of 13 passes, one for a touchdown, and made some nervy throws that spun Wisconsin around. Franklin wants Ohio State coach Ryan Day to be as cautious with Pribula as Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell was on Saturday.

“Give them credit. They did a really good job with (Pribula) in the second half and caused us some problems,” Fickell said. “As much as you have to prepare for so many things, when he actually comes into the game the game is going to be a little different, which has caused us some problems. You give them credit for having a plan when he's there,” and I don't think we did a good enough job of making sure we understood what he was going to do. He also made some plays in the second half that were really great.”

Allar also made several plays in the first half, completing 14 of 16 passes before recording a sack late in the second quarter. Allar was clearly limping as he threw two incompletions and headed to the dressing room before the end of the half. He came out to warm up but ended up standing on the sideline in a knee brace and getting a pep talk from quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien. Franklin said he told NBC that Allar would return in the third quarter, but that plan changed during warmups.

“(The decision) was: Will he be mobile enough to give us a chance to run the offense the way we need it? It really came down to Drew.” Franklin told reporters after the game. “…After we got out there and they loosened up, Drew told me he couldn't leave. … I asked (Drew) to be very, very honest with me. He just didn't feel like he was going to be able to move well enough to walk. Even at the end of the half you could see that even throwing was a challenge.

Allar, a team captain, spent the second half with O'Brien and an iPad, communicating game information with Pribula. He celebrated more than anyone when Pribula completed 10 consecutive passes in the second half. Franklin had praised Pribula for his selflessness during his three seasons at Penn State and extended that description to Allar.

“I think that's the most important thing. It’s because of selflessness,” Franklin said. “'Drew, you are a leader for us, and even though you don't have the role you envisioned, we need you. How you behave, how you carry yourself, how you help Beau, all of that will be.” “We won't be able to do this without you.” We discussed that in the locker room before we even went out (for the second half).

Now, however, Penn State turns its attention to Ohio State, a game Allar is certainly excited about. Last season, the Ohio native struggled in the Nittany Lions' 20-12 loss to the Buckeyes, a game in which Allar was 18-for-42 for 191 yards and 10-for-30 at one point. After the game, an emotional Allar said he “sucked”.

“We talk about everything as blessings and lessons in life.” Allar said through tears after the game. “Of course we lost the game, but this is a lesson for us and we have to learn from it because I never want to feel like that again.”

Meanwhile, Saturday in Columbus, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard explained how excited he is for the Buckeyes' trip to Penn State. Howard, who played high school football at Downingtown West High in Pennsylvania, said he was “enthusiastic” for the game.

“I grew up a Penn State fan,” Howard said after the Buckeyes’ win over Nebraska. “I've wanted to go there my whole life. They didn’t think I was good enough, but I guess we’ll see next week if I was.”

More Penn State football

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What they said after the Penn State-Wisconsin game

The Penn State vs. Wisconsin report card