Penn State vs Rutgers Game Grades

Sep 13, 2014; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franglin speaks with official Brian Matthew during the first half of a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O’Connor- USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Line 

The defensive line, once again, had a strong showing against Rutgers.

Anthony Zettel (3 TFL, 1 sack) continues to be a dominant force after moving inside to defensive tackle. Deion Barnes and C.J. Olaniyan also recorded sacks for the Nittany Lions front line. Penn State continues to mix in a plethora of defensive lineman, as Parker Cothren, Austin Johnson, Brad Bars and Carl Nassib all recorded tackles on the defensive line.

It wasn’t a perfect effort though as they failed to generate pressure at times and missed tackles in the run game early on. The second half was definitely a strong performance from the defensive line and the defense in general, but the D-line looked sluggish early on.

Rutgers running back Paul James was much more effective in the first half and the line was nowhere to be found on the Gary Nova touchdown run.

Grade: B-