Penn State is preparing to play in Round One of the College Football Playoff (CFP). The last thing head coach James Franklin and Penn State needed was a distraction off the field. However, that is what they are faced with heading into the White Out matchup with SMU on Saturday. Penn State’s Pribula problem will have an impact on this game. It will also impact future rounds of the CFP (if applicable), and the team heading into next season.
Penn State’s backup quarterback, Beau Pribula, announced on Sunday that he has entered the transfer portal. While the Beau Show is not a huge surprise given the presence of Drew Allar, perhaps the most impactful part of this is that Pribula will not take part in the CFP. In his Monday press conference, Franklin addressed the Pribula situation and took the opportunity to pitch reform to the college football schedule. Franklin said “We talked last week. (Pribula) had no intentions of leaving. But we have problems in college football, and I can give you my word. Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program, and he did not want to leave our program until the end of the season.” The problems Franklin alluded to are the overlapping schedules, whereby if Pribula waited to enter the portal, quality quarterback spots were already going to be taken.
Penn State’s Pribula Problem: Impact on the CFP Game
Losing the backup quarterback who has attempted less than 10% of the team’s passes should not be a huge deal. Given Allar’s announcement that he will be returning to Penn State for his senior season, Pribula’s decision seems even more logical. However, heading into the round-one matchup with SMU, the loss of Beau Pribula is indeed important.
Pribula has served as a change-of-pace quarterback in coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s offense. In addition to throwing the ball, he is a threat in the rushing attack. On the season, Pribula is fourth on the team in rushing attempts (38), in rushing yards (242), and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns (four). Throwing the ball, he has completed 26 of 35 passes for 275 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. The highlight of Pribula’s season was his performance in the win against Wisconsin. Taking off for an injured Allar, Pribula completed 11 of 13 passes for 98 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. He also rushed six times for 28 yards.
Penn State is losing Pribula’s change-of-pace production at quarterback. There will also be an impact on some of the creativity that Kotelnicki brings to the offense. However, there is another risk that this brings forward. Penn State’s backup quarterback is now a freshman who has not taken any snaps in a game yet.
Ethan Grunkemeyer, Please Step Forward
A true freshman, Ethan Grunkemeyer now moves into the backup quarterback spot. Grunkemeyer stands a 6’ 2”, 200 pounds, and has a strong arm. He profiles as more of a pocket passer, in contrast to Pribula. Grunkemeyer has not taken any snaps in a regular season game this season. The only time he has been under center in a “game” situation was Penn State’s Blue-White Game this year.
Given the inexperience of Grunkemeyer, it will be interesting to watch the ramifications of the Penn State game plan against SMU. It is even more imperative to keep Allar healthy. A big part of his game this season has been a more aggressive style. This has included taking more chances and running the ball. Allar’s inability to win the biggest games of his career so far, with perhaps more apprehension due to a lack of a backup quarterback, is an additional risk for Penn State this weekend.
Grunkemeyer may be the future of the Penn State quarterback position. However, the team and its fans don’t necessarily want to see what they have in him yet. Given Pribula’s decision to leave immediately though, they may not have a choice.
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