Trending
Some nitpicking as the Nittany Lions draw the curtain on the regular season tonight:
– Even if Drew Allar is recovered enough to play against Michigan State (7:30, NBC), expect a healthy dose of Beau Pribula, who stepped in last week vs. Rutgers and rushed for 71 yards on eight carries. Actually, it was Pribula's presence after Allar's injury in the second half that opened the Lions' run game in general and for Nick Singleton in particular.
– Pribula has gained 311 yards on the ground this season, an average of 6.0 yards on his 52 carries, including five touchdowns. He's only attempted 18 passes, completing eight for 90 yards.
– When this game was announced over the summer for a rare Friday night, optimism was high that Penn State could be 11-1 and in the mix for the Big Ten title. With the Lions at 9-2, with egg-laying losses to Ohio State and Michigan, and Sparty having collapsed in the wake of Mel Tucker's early-season firing, Ford Field should be less electric with fewer fans on both sides inclined to make the trip.
– James Franklin's unwillingness to disclose which of his two interim co-offensive coordinators -- Ja'Juan Seider or Ty Howle -- is generating the playcalling is odd. Or maybe no more odd than not just picking one of them.
– These next couple of weeks will tell a lot about the Lions' roster leading into the bowl game. Last year's team enjoyed excellent leadership (Sean Clifford, PJ Mustipher, Ji'Ayir Brown, Brenton Strange, Juice Scruggs), and all of the Nits' seniors, other than Joey Porter Jr., played in the Rose Bowl. We'll see if that's the case this year with potential draftees such as Olu Fashanu, Chop Robinson and Kalen King, among others. Especially if the Lions draw Tulane in the Peach Bowl, which is one of the projections.
– Leading receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith has caught two passes in the last two games, and none last week when he wasn't targeted at all. Keep an eye on him tonight to see if that was an aberration or (more likely), whether Mike Yurcich's offense gave KLS more opportunities than Franklin wanted.
– Penn State is ranked No. 11 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, which goes into effect next year. If the first four teams get byes, the 11 seed would travel to No. 6, which this year would be Oregon.
– Other than Penn State and Ohio State, the best teams in the 2024 Big Ten -- Michigan (JJ McCarthy), Washington (Michael Penix), Oregon (Bo Nix) and Southern Cal (Caleb Williams) -- will be replacing their starting quarterbacks.
– In the Big Ten game of the year Saturday, I'll go with Michigan over the Buckeyes, who based on the events of the past few weeks at UM almost seem likable.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.