Penn State vs. Rutgers Grades

Sep 19, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) looks to throw a pass during the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Line:

What a turn around for a unit that was battered during the Temple game.  For the second week in a row, the offensive line allowed no sacks and gave Christian Hackenberg time to throw on most drop backs.

Paris Palmer started for the injured Andrew Nelson and he was very impressive.  He definitely appears to be getting better after his horrible performance in Week 1.  The whole line opened up huge holes all night for the running game to go to work.  Yes, Lynch and Barkley were doing the runs, but the offensive line made sure to seal off their blocks.  I didn’t notice any holding calls either, although, there were a couple of procedure penalties and a chop block that hampered the first Penn State possession.  There were also a few negative runs, but I think it was more of a result of Rutgers overloading the box or blitzing.

Overall you can’t complain about a performance like that.  A solid game that this unit can continue to build off of and gain confidence.

Grade: A-

Next: Defensive Line