Penn State endured a devastating combination of insult and injury in Saturday’s 22-21 loss to Northwestern, a third consecutive defeat that also saw starting quarterback Drew Allar go down while attempting to lead the team on a game-winning drive near the end of regulation.
With Allar hobbling to the sideline and being carted to the locker room with what head coach James Franklin later revealed to be a season-ending and likely Penn State career-ending injury, backup Ethan Grunkemeyer sprung into action, taking snaps from center Nick Dawkins and tossing to wide receiver Kyron Hudson on the sideline.
“I love Drew, man,” wide receiver Devonte Ross said. “That’s unfortunate, and it’s a tough situation. Just knowing him as a person, and knowing how much football means to him and this team means to him, it’s tough. But I know it’s next man up, and I know what we got coming behind him. We’ll do a great job, and we’ll rally behind whoever that is, and try to do our best for them.”
If Allar’s time in the blue and white is over, he’ll go down as one of the best quarterbacks in program history, statistically speaking.
For as many big-game breakdowns as he’s produced, Allar also ranks fourth in career passing yards, third in passing touchdowns, fourth in completions and first in career completion percentage, along with having the lowest interception percentage in program history.
Grunkemeyer came in for just one play, drawing an eruption of cheers from the remaining fans which the offense quickly signaled for an end to as he delivered the play call.
“He handled it great,” Ross said. “I mean, he came in there hyping us up, he called the play with confidence. Grunk is somebody who has confidence, so that instills confidence in us, and we got 100% belief in him.”
The redshirt freshman took the snap, scanned the field, tucked the ball and ran for no gain on fourth-and-3 to turn the ball over on downs and effectively end the game. While it wasn’t a ringing endorsement for the start of the Grunkemeyer era, it was significant in what it means moving forward. After battling for the backup role all offseason with redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik, he’ll be handed the reins to the offense for the remaining six games, plus any potential postseason matchup.
“I’m confident,” defensive tackle Zane Durant said after the game. “He’s been balling, been preparing like he’s the starter from day one. So I’m ready to see what he’s gonna show.”
Penn State fans haven’t seen much from the former four-star recruit, who’s similar in many ways to Allar — an blue-chip recruit from Ohio who works with quarterback trainer Brad Maendler. Part of Grunkemeyer’s game is his mobility, an element Allar often attempted to improve but never mastered.
In an extremely limited sample size, Grunkemeyer has completed nine of 13 passes for 114 yards, one touchdown and one interception as a Nittany Lion. He’s also rushed four times for eight yards and a touchdown.
It’s likely he’ll more than double his career snap count next Saturday at Iowa, not an easy environment for a first-time starter to play in. Regardless of the circumstances, Penn State remains confident that he’ll be ready for the moment.
“I’ve always been a fan of Grunk,” defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton said. “Tough guy, not scared of anything. He’s always getting ready, like I always see him in the building preparing like he’s a starter. So that right there has me, you know, have faith in him.”
