1. 35 players were unavailable for the Nittany Lions

Earlier this week in his Wednesday press conference, Penn State head coach James Franklin noted that a handful of players were out due to a non-COVID illness. Unsurprisingly, those issues continued to plague the Nittany Lions throughout the rest of the week and entering Saturday’s matchup versus Rutgers. Following the Nittany Lions' win against the Scarlet Knights, Franklin told the media that 35 different players for "one reason or another" were unavailable or played through their illness for the game. While the Nittany Lions weren't missing a handful of starters on Saturday, losing or having 35 players that are playing ill is quite the hit to a team's depth. While Penn State's coaching staff has had some questionable performances throughout the course of the season, credit is deserved in having their team ready to go on Saturday despite having to juggle their roster due to the illness that has plagued the program this week.

2. Christian Veilleux makes his Penn State debut

Sean Clifford got the start on Saturday afternoon against Rutgers but did not make it through the first quarter. While no reason was given as to why Clifford left the game, it is worth noting that the senior quarterback entered Saturday's game under the weather and appeared to be a game-time decision. Clifford attempted to give it a go but struggled in his brief appearance, going 2-of-8 for 23-yards. He also had two rushing attempts for four yards. That being said, at the end of the Nittany Lions' third drive in the first quarter, Clifford fell awkwardly on his arm and shoulder while being tackled on a third-down run. That would be his last play of the afternoon after heading off to the sidelines and into the trainer's tent.

With Clifford sidelined, true freshman Christian Veilleux made his Penn State debut and had a rather quality performance. The former four-star quarterback completed 15-of-24 passing attempts for 235-yards and three touchdowns. Throughout the game, the Orleans, Ontario native looked poised and comfortable in the pocket and made only one or two poor throws while showing a nice touch on a handful of passes. Also notable is the fact that Veilleux was unavailable for Friday's practice meaning the Nittany Lions were not that far away from the possibility of having to start walk-on quarterback Mason Stahl as redshirt sophomore Ta'Quan Roberson appeared to be among the unavailable. Stahl eventually would see action in the fourth quarter during the Nittany Lions' final offensive drive.

2. Penn State's defense has another outstanding performance

Penn State's defense has come up big nearly each and every game this season and their performance on Saturday was perhaps their best of the season. The Nittany Lions' defense kept the Rutgers offense to just 165 total yards in the game including just 93 passing yards on 13-of-27 passing. On the ground, Rutgers was never able to get anything going, with just 72-yards on 31 carries. The Nittany Lions defense also recorded a turnover in their 17th straight game on Saturday as senior safety Jonathan Sutherland recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter to put an exclamation point on the defenses' performance. The 28-0 shutout also meant that for the first time since joining the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions recorded two shutouts against Big Ten opponents. Their first shutout of the season came on October 2 in a 24-0 win against Indiana.

3. A passing of the torch to Parker Washington?

Jahan Dotson had one of his quieter days of the season, recording just three receptions for 52-yards and one touchdown. However, it may have been perhaps poetic as the wide receiver with the biggest performance was the player who will be taking his spot as the No.1 wide receiver in 2022. That player being, sophomore wide receiver Parker Washington who recorded six receptions for 72-yard and a touchdown. Washington has quietly had a strong season for Penn State, now totaling 53 receptions for 662-yards and three touchdowns.

4. The Nittany Lions offensive line bounces back from a poor performance against Michigan

Last weekend against Michigan, Penn State's offensive was manhandled series after series, resulting in seven sacks allowed. That was not the case this week as the Nittany Lions offensive line allowed just one sack while keeping Christian Veilleux comfortable for the majority of the game. It was another unit that was missing quite a few players for the game including left tackle Rasheed Walker and center Mike Miranda. Additionally, redshirt junior Juice Scruggs left for a handful of plays as well. Over the course of the game, the Nittany Lions played a few different combinations on the offensive line which makes the performance a bit more impressive.

On the ground, it was a performance that was on par for the course, as the Nittany Lions averaged 3.5 yards per carry over 42 carries. Keyvone Lee who had his best game of the season against Michigan didn't have nearly the same success against Rutgers, with just 41-yards on 13-carries. Junior tailback Noah Cain was the only other tailback prior to the Nittany Lions' final drive to carry the ball, with seven attempts for 29-yards. Sophomore Caziah Holmes and redshirt sophomore walk-on Tank Smith both recorded a trio of carries on the Nittany Lions' final drive of the game, totaling 15 and -2 yards respectively.

5. Jordan Stout makes a late push for the Ray Guy Award.

Penn State senior punter Jordan Stout has been phenomenal throughout the season for the Nittany Lions but had potentially his best performance of the season against Rutgers. Stout punted eight times during the game, often flipping field position and pinning the Scarlet Knights deep. While his 42.9 yards per punt may not jump off any stat sheet, his six punts inside the 20 certainly will. He also had two punts of 50+ yards in the game. Stout will arguably be one of the more interesting players to watch over the next few weeks in regards to his decision in terms of possibly returning for the 2022 season.

A pair of quick hits:

OH CANADA: During the James Franklin era, Penn State has made it a priority to build a recruiting pipeline to Canada. On Saturday, that pipeline paid off in quite a few ways, with Christian Veilleux being the biggest but also redshirt freshman Malick Meiga had the play that really broke the game open for the Nittany Lions, recording a 67-yard touchdown on a broken coverage by Rutgers. Add in Jonathan Sutherland's interception late in the fourth quarter and Theo Johnson's two receptions for nine yards and overall, it was a pretty good day for Penn State's contingent from Canada.

Tyler Warren: Another week and another great catch by Tyler Warren, this one coming in the fourth quarter against the Scarlet Knights. Warren went up and made a great grab in nearly double-coverage for a gain of 29-yards. While Theo Johnson and Brenton Strange entered the season with all the eyes on them, it's been Warren who has been the most impressive tight end this season, in my opinion. If all three return in 2022,the Nittany Lions could have the best tight end room in the country next season.