Highs and Lows: Penn State 27 - Rutgers 6
What stood out about Penn State's 27-6 win against Rutgers on Saturday? Our quick reaction to the Nittany Lions' win.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME Journey Brown might not have started the season as Penn State’s starting tailback but he certainly looked the part by the end of the regular season schedule. Against the Scarlet Knights, Brown had 16 carries for 103 yards and three touchdowns, providing a spark Penn State lacked otherwise for the afternoon.
PLAY OF THE GAME Penn State found itself ahead just 13-6 at the start of the worst Power Five programs. And, in spite of a chain-moving possession into Rutgers territory, the Nittany Lions found themselves staring at a third-and-15 at the Rutgers’ 44-yard line following a Will Levis sack. Still, Levis and the Nittany Lions kept with it, wrangling a bad snap on the third-down play, scurrying to his left, then unloading deep downfield to a wide-open Jahan Dotson. Securing the reception at the 3-yard line, the Lions’ sophomore receiver outran the defense from the left hash to the right pylon to give Penn State the 20-6 advantage it desperately needed.
BEST PASS Levis didn’t have a great day passing the ball, completing just 8 of 14 attempts for 81 yards, but his one touchdown - a 44-yard completion to Dotson - proved to be the play of the game and all the Nittany Lions needed to finally create some breathing room in the win.
BEST RUN Coming out of a completely uninspiring offensive performance in the first half, Penn State quarterback Will Levis changed the game’s complexion with a dramatic, 49-yard carry on the Nittany Lions’ first offensive play of the second half. Two plays later, Journey Brown found his way into the end zone on an 18-yard carry to give the Nittany Lions a 13-3 advantage.
BEST CATCH Facing a third-and-short on their very first possession of the game, Rutgers quarterback Johnny Langan and Bo Melton hooked up for a 27-yard connection and a first down thanks to Melton’s full-extension catch. Although, an out-of-bounds grab might warrant a mention here as well.
WORST DROP Levis and the Nittany Lions desperately needed to hold onto the momentum they’d built to open the second half, both defensively and offensively, but his underthrown deep pass to Hamler wound up on the Beaver Stadium turf.
BEST SACK Micah Parsons gave Langan no chance to escape his grasp on a Rutgers’ first-and-10 with 8:45 left in the first quarter. Finding the quarterback in space, Parsons drove the signal-caller back for a 6-yard loss on the play.
BEST HIT Rutgers defensive back Damon Hayes quickly sniffed out Will Levis’ screen pass to K.J. Hamler in the first quarter, immediately breaking on the pass to swallow up Hamler whole behind the line of scrimmage.
BEST EFFORT Levis was in trouble, sweeping left behind the line of scrimmage with Rutgers’ linebacker C.J. Onyechi quickly closing in for a 5-yard loss. Keeping with it, Levis shed the tackle, twice, then scurried upfield for a 6-yard gain late in the first half.
BEST KICK Blake Gillikin rebounded his performance at Ohio State with a wild 72-yard punt in the first half against the Scarlet Knights.
BEST RETURN K.J. Hamler looked like he was close to breaking a big one all afternoon, his 24-yard punt return a much longer effort until a review deemed him out of bounds, and his 34-yard kickoff return oh-so-close to something much bigger.
BEST DECISION There weren’t many to speak of in this ugly, ugly game, but whatever was said in the locker room at halftime for the Nittany Lions seemed to have worked in that Penn State produced a three-play, 74-yard touchdown drive on its first touch in the second half.
WORST DECISION We won’t ever know, but from an optics standpoint, Penn State’s choice to remove its offensive starters with possession at the Rutgers’ 6-yard line late in the game could be costly. The Nittany Lions just needed another trip into the end zone to solidify a 34-7 win rather than the 27-6 final, which could raise a few eyebrows given the consistency with which the Scarlet Knights have been blown out this year.
MOST TELLING MOMENT It might not have been pretty, and could probably be described by some as downright ugly, but Penn State's win marked its third out of four seasons with an unbeaten record at Beaver Stadium. Before this stretch started in 2016, the Nittany Lions had only equalled the mark five other times in the past 30 years.
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