2022 Penn State football game grades: Rutgers
Penn State kept up its conference domination with a 55-10 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday.
That made it three wins in a row for the Nittany Lions with all of them being by 30 points or more. Here’s a look at how each position group performed in Saturday’s win.
Offense: B-
It looked scary for about a quarter and a half, but the offense was able to pull things together.
The lack of Parker Washington was evident in this game, as only three receivers finished the game with multiple receptions.
Sean Clifford didn’t turn the ball over but didn’t stand out with just 157 yards and two total touchdowns.
It was Clifford’s second game in a row with less than 200 passing yards, and he has only thrown for 250 passing yards or more in three games this season.
In what has been the standard for the offense the past few weeks, the ground game led the way.
Kaytron Allen finished as the team leader with 117 yards and a touchdown, as most of those yards came on a career-high 59-yard run which would set up his score later that drive.
Nicholas Singleton chipped in with 62 yards of his own, while Clifford and Drew Allar found the endzone on the ground.
While 436 total yards on the day is nowhere near bad, the Nittany Lions finished with a higher total in six previous games this season.
Defense: A+
If there were ever a game for the defense to get an “A+”, this would be the game.
That’s even with special teams not being included in this grade, which should get a mention with Singleton’s 100-yard kickoff return early in the contest.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions managed to produce three turnovers, with two ending in touchdowns.
Both came off of fumble recoveries, with Kobe King finding the endzone in the first quarter to help give the Nittany Lions a lead and Ji’Ayir Brown doing so at the start of the second half.
The other turnover came in the middle of those two, with Johnny Dixon coming away with an interception to help get the Nittany Lions in Rutgers territory where they would eventually score a touchdown.
Despite the Scarlet Knights coming away with 10 points, which was tied for the most they’ve finished with against the Nittany Lions since joining the Big Ten, they struggled to move the ball for the majority of the game.
The Scarlet Knights finished with just 32 rushing yards and were the fourth straight opponent the Nittany Lions held to under 100 rushing yards.
Quarterback Garrett Wimsatt also completed less than half of his passes despite Joey Porter Jr. not suiting up.
Coaching: A
It’s easy to be critical of the Nittany Lions' slow start, but they more than made up for it with how they finished.
After the Scarlet Knights scored 10 points in the first quarter and even led at one point, they were held scoreless for the remaining three quarters.
The Nittany Lions also were leading big enough to allow some backup players opportunities to play for long periods.
James Franklin’s squad remained disciplined with just four penalties which tied for their lowest total in a game this season.
Overall, Saturday’s performance was as complete as Penn State fans could’ve hoped for following the slow start offensively.
Logan Bourandas is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
