Penn State spoils Rutgers senior night, runs away with blowout victory
Penn State looked to make it four-straight victories Saturday night as it faced Rutgers on the road.
After a slow start, the Nittany Lions poured it on in Piscataway, winning 55-10.
Special teams set the tone in this one, as freshman Nick Singleton blew the game open on a 100-yard touchdown return in the first quarter. The running back flew through an open gap and went untouched to the end zone.
On the ensuing kickoff, Aron Cruickshank scooted up the sideline for a long kick return. His 66-yard runback gave the Scarlet Knights great field position, which they would turn into six points on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Wimsett to Shameen Jones.
With Penn State's offense stuck in neutral, the defense stepped up with a scoop-and-score touchdown. Marquis Wilson drilled tight end Johnny Langan to force the fumble, and Kobe King picked it up and waltzed into the end zone.
Later in the second quarter, the blue and white offense continued to struggle, turning the ball over in its own territory due to a fumble from Singleton. Rutgers failed to capitalize, as Jude McAtamney's 41-yard field goal try sailed wide left.
The next Rutgers possession, Penn State claimed a short field of its own after Johnny Dixon picked off Wimsett. For the first time all night, the Nittany Lions moved the ball downfield, punching it in with a Tyler Warren touchdown reception to make it 21-10.
In the final two minutes of the half, the blue and white marched back into scoring range. Sean Clifford called his own number and walked in for a 14-yard touchdown to extend the lead.
Despite the slow start offensively, the Nittany Lions mounted a comfortable 28-10 halftime lead on the road.
The third quarter began with another non-offensive touchdown for Penn State. Linebacker Curtis Jacobs came through unblocked for the strip sack, and Ji'Ayir Brown picked it up and went for the touchdown.
Rutgers was threatening to chip into the lead on the drive, but the 70-yard defensive touchdown stamped out any momentum for coach Greg Schiano's bunch.
Penn State's tacked on 10 more points, including a touchdown for Kaytron Allen. Up 38-10, freshman quarterback Drew Allar entered the game to get valuable reps in garbage time.
It was a slow start for Allar, but the Medina, Ohio, product helped lead a scoring drive that pushed Penn State to 55 points on the night. Along with Allar, young players like receiver Omari Evans and tight end Khalil Dinkins made plays in the fourth quarter.
In their last three victories, the Nittany Lion defense dominated, and Saturday night's affair was no different. Rutgers managed just 167 yards of offense and turned it over three times.
With this weekend's win, Penn State improves to 9-2 (6-2 Big Ten), with the regular season finale against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium up next. The Scarlet Knights drop to 4-7 (1-7 Big Ten) and will conclude the year on the road against Maryland.
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