Penn State sidesteps miscues, blows by Rutgers: Highs and lows

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Penn State couldn’t quite find the same page on offense, defense, or special teams on Saturday. Finding themselves trailing Rutgers as the end of the first quarter neared, the Nittany Lions needed a spark.

Marquis Wilson, Dom DeLuca, and Kobe King provided it.

Building on Nicholas Singleton‘s sterling 100-yard kickoff return, a forced fumble, recovered by King and returned for a touchdown, gave Penn State a 14-10 advantage it wouldn’t relinquish. Shaking off its early missteps, the Nittany Lions dominated the rest of the way in a 55-10 win.

Here, a look at the highs and lows from Penn State’s big win to improve to 9-2 on the 2022 season:

Penn State, Rutgers highs and lows

PLAYER OF THE GAME For such a massive blowout, Penn State’s performances weren’t necessarily of a standout nature individually. Sure, Abdul Carter deserves a nod for his four tackles, two tackles for a loss, and a quarterback hurry. But, Curtis Jacobs, Kobe King, Kaytron Allen, Nick Singleton, and even Sean Clifford could claim the same. Team game, team win, and team honor in this spot for Penn State this week. 

PLAY OF THE GAME Gashed by Rutgers to open the second half, Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs stopped the Knights cold. Running free at Wimsatt, Jacobs knocked the ball loose and into the hands of Ji’Ayir Brown, who returned it 70 yards for a touchdown and a 35-10 lead. 

BEST PASS The game had already been decided, but Drew Allar’s completion to Omari Evans over the middle to pick up a first down in the fourth quarter was a potential preview of what Penn State will boast in its passing game next season. 

BEST RUN Kaytron Allen hadn’t done much with his first five carries of the game. He made the most of his sixth. Taking the first-and-10 handoff through the heart of Rutgers’ defense, the rookie running back weaved his way to a 32-yard gain, setting up a Penn State field goal to take a 38-10 lead midway through the third quarter.

BEST CATCH Gavin Wimsatt left a pass in no man’s land, directed to receiver Sean Ryan, but Penn State corner Johnny Dixon made him pay for the mistake. Reading the quarterback the whole way, Dixon stretched to make the interception and returned it for a touchdown, only to have a personal foul illegal block in the back called to bring it back.

WORST DROP Rutgers’ tight end Johnny Langan was met first by Marquis Wilson, then Dom DeLuca, who proved to be a brick wall. Coughing up the rock, it eventually landed in the hands of Kobe King. The Nittany Lions linebacker corralled the football and trotted the remaining 11 yards into the end zone to give Penn State a 14-10 advantage.

BEST SACK Penn State could have elected to take a holding call on third-and-long for the Knights late in the first half. Abdul Carter’s eye-popping 13-yard sack made it a moot point, though. Screaming through Rutgers’ offensive front, the Nittany Lion linebacker forced Wimsatt to the turf to force a punt.

BEST HIT Pick one. Abdul Carter was electric all afternoon, but Jacobs’ game-ending pop on Wimsatt could get the nod, as could any other number of Penn State’s defenders on the day. 

BEST EFFORT Tyler Elsdon became Penn State’s 15th defender to notch a sack when he registered the first for the Nittany Lions against Rutgers in the first half. The play went for a 2-yard loss. 

BEST KICK Barney Amor was replaced for one punt after struggling with his first two attempts. If Penn State’s coaches were sending a message, Amor got it. Returning for a third attempt midway through the second quarter, Amor blasted his punt 58 yards, soaring through the Piscataway night sky, then landing and stopping at the Rutgers 3. 

WORST KICK Afforded an easy opportunity to cut into Penn State’s 14-10 advantage to open the second quarter, Rutgers’ kicker Jude McAtamney couldn’t connect on a 41-yard attempt from the left hash. 

BEST RETURN Penn State was stagnant offensively and, on Rutgers’ second possession of the game, put on its heels defensively a bit. Nicholas Singleton wouldn’t let that stand. Responding to the Scarlet Knights’ 3-0 lead, the true freshman ripped off his first kickoff return for a touchdown as a Nittany Lion, speeding through traffic to his left, then cutting back to his right untouched for the 100-yard return. The play showcased Singleton’s elite speed as he raced away from everyone in red. 

BEST DECISION Penn State head coach James Franklin spent the week discussing the installation of the “old school ’T’ formation” his offense has been using this season, explaining that more tricks remained to be exploited out of the set. Taking advantage of Dixon’s interception midway through the second quarter, a third-and-one began that way, broke out of it, and eventually landed with a wide-open touchdown pass from Sean Clifford to Tyler Warren to go ahead 21-10.

MOST TELLING MOMENT Leading Rutgers, 48-10, with 10:35 left to play in the game, the mostly empty stands at Rutgers Stadium emitted a final, rousing cheer. Their target? Mostly clad in blue and white, Penn State fans unleashed a “We Are” chant in celebration of their team’s win.