Game Recap: Penn State 28, Rutgers 0
Penn State fans got their first taste of true freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux on Saturday, and it was quite the showing.
When James Franklin met with media behind the south end zone following Penn State's 28-0 shutout victory over Rutgers on Saturday, he spoke to the dire situation the Nittany Lions were in this week.
A flu bug that ran through Penn State took out 35 members of the Nittany Lions' football team, many of whom missed Saturday's contest.
One player that did not miss, however, was quarterback Sean Clifford. Clifford was a game-time decision, receiving IV fluids on both Friday and Saturday before being cleared moments before kickoff.
The senior didn't last long, however, coming out of the game after three possessions and giving way to true freshman Christian Veilleuix. Veilleux himself was a doubt until Saturday morning according to Franklin, but the recently promoted backup quarterback proved quite the hand in a reserve role.
After an up-and-down first series that ended in a punt, Veilleux came on strong late in the first half, leading the Nittany Lions on a 10-play, 67-yard drive over 4:37 to take a 7-0 lead on a beautifully thrown ball to Jahan Dotson in the corner of the end zone.
From then on, the momentum snowballed.
A dominant Penn State defense forced a three-and-out to start the third and after an exchange of punts throughout an ugly third quarter, Veilleux took advantage of strong field position, leading Penn State 42 yards and finding Parker Washington, who made a circus catch for a 17-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0.
Shortly thereafter, Veilleux rolled out on a play-action pass and hit his Canadian compatrior Malick Meiga, who was in acres of space and raced in for a 67-yard touchdown to make it 21-0 with 1:31 left to play in the third quarter.
The Scarlet Knights drove into the Penn State half for the first time early in the fourth quarter and reached the red zone before stalling out, with Arnold Ebiketie sacking Nick Vedral and forcing a fumble on fourth down.
The Nittany Lions then marched 85 yards on 14 plays in 5:02, highlighted by a big throw from Veilleux to tight end Tyler Warren for 29 yards and capped by a Keyvone Lee 7-yard touchdown run to finish the scoring and bring the lead to 28-0.
Playing behind a makeshift offensive line, Veilleux finished the day 15 of 24 for 235 yards and three touchdowns, while while Penn State added 149 yards on the ground on 42 carries.
The defense, meanwhile, notched its second shutout of a Big Ten opponent this season, marking the first time in program history that they've shut out multiple conference foes.
The focus now shifts to 9-2 Michigan State, which got walloped by Ohio State, 56-7, on Saturday. The Spartans have the 130th-ranked pass defense in the nation, last among FBS schools. Whether they'll be facing Veilleux or Clifford is yet to be seen and will surely be a point of interest for Penn State throughout the week
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