Penn State Football vs Rutgers: Keys to victory for the Nittany Lions
Penn State Football on Saturday will look for their first season of at least nine wins since 2019 when they take on the 4-6 Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Nittany Lions, winners of two straight are coming off a 30-0 shutout win over Big Ten East foe, Maryland. Rutgers, on the other hand, losers of six of their last seven, fell to Michigan State last weekend 27-21.
Below, we give five keys to victory for James Franklin's Nittany Lions if they hope to pick up win No. 9 of the season.
1. Establish the rushing attack early...
Overall, Rutgers, this season has been okay against the run, allowing an average of 144 yards per game on the ground. Against lower and middle-tier opponents, they've had greater success while against higher-tier opponents, they've struggled as they've 200+ yards four times this season.
Last week, the Scarlet Knights struggled to stop Michigan State's rushing attack allowing a total of 197 rushing yards over 35 carries. It was the third game in a row that the Scarlet Knights' were burned for nearly 200 yards, also surrendering 253 rushing yards to Minnesota and 282 rushing yards to Michigan.
Now they'll face a Nittany Lions' rushing attack which is coming off one of their best game of the season against Maryland, rushing for 249 yards and 5.8 yards per carry.
If the Nittany Lions, can establish the run early in this game and set the tone on the ground, it will take any wind out of Rutgers' sails early. Based off how Rutgers has performed against their better opponents this season, this is a very favorable matchup for the Nittany Lions.
2. Don't try to be too cute, flashy, etc...
Against opponents like Rutgers, it's easy to feel like you can go for some style points in your playcalling, decision-making, etc. But for Penn State, it should be the opposite on Saturday against the Scarlet Knights. Simply come out and play your game, make the plays that are there to be made, and don't try to make plays you normally wouldn't. If you do, you risk making a poor decision, or play, etc that could result in a turnover or significant momentum shift. Don't give Rutgers any reason to believe they can win this game, don't give them any momentum.
If the Nittany Lions play the style of football they've played nearly this entire season, they'll cruise to victory. Though even if they brought their C- or D+ game in this one, they should still walk away with a victory in Piscataway quite easily.
3. Sean Clifford must play clean, smart football
To build off key to victory No.2, Sean Clifford against Rutgers needs to simply play clean and smart football. His last few performances have been a mixture of ups and downs but overall have been disappointing performances. Luckily for Penn State, they could likely survive another such performance against the Scarlet Knights but if the sixth-year quarterback can simply play an efficient style of football on Saturday, Penn State should cruise to victory from the start.
Rutgers' pass defense is a high-quality one, keeping opponents to under 200 passing yards per game. They held CJ Stroud in October to just 161 passing yards and kept J.J McCarthy just a few weeks ago to 151 yards and a completion percentage of under 50%. This is not a pass defense to take lightly, they've been strong all season, and is the strength of this Rutgers' defense. It will be a quality challenge for a Penn State wide receiver room that hasn't always been dominant this season.
If Clifford makes a poor decision or poor throw, Rutgers will take advantage of the opportunity. Temple transfer Christian Braswell has been especially opportunistic this season with three interceptions. Clifford doesn't have to throw for 300 yards or even 200 yards, but if he can be efficient, and limit the turnovers and missed opportunities, it will make it a much easier game for Penn State.
4. Shut down Rutgers' run offense
It's pretty straightforward for Rutgers when they rush for over 3.0 yards per carry this year, they're 4-1. When held to 3.0 yards or less per carry, they're 0-5.
Losing talented freshman Samuel Brown was a big blow for the Scarlet Knights' offense while Kyle Mongangai has done a solid job this season, this is a matchup that the Nittany Lions' run defense should dominate much like they did a week ago. Look for the Nittany Lions, to post similar numbers to Iowa and Ohio State who allowed just 2.5 and 3.0 yards per carry respectively in their matchups against Rutgers.
All in all, if Penn State can shut down the run and force Gavin Wimsatt to have to throw the ball at a high rate to find any offensive success, the Nittany Lions' defense is going to be set up for a very good day.
5. Make Gavin Wimsatt uncomfortable
Building off that....
Former four-star quarterback Gavin Wimsatt is still someone that the Scarlet Knights still believe could be quite the player for them. After a tough showing against Michigan two weeks ago with three interceptions, he bounced back with a solid performance against Michigan State, completing 20-of-34 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns.
On Saturday, the Nittany Lions will need to make Wimsatt uncomfortable. The Nittany Lions have the defensive line to dominate Rutgers upfront on Saturday afternoon and look for them to get after Wimsatt early and often in the game much as they did to Taulia Tagovailoa last Saturday. This defensive line is clicking on all cylinders and is a bad matchup for a Rutgers offensive line that is still very much a work in progress.
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