Penn State Football: Grades Nittany Lions in win vs. Rutgers
By Dylan Burd
The Penn State football team capped off its regular season with a 27-6 win vs. Rutgers at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It felt like just yesterday that Sean Clifford took the field vs. Idaho in what was his first college start. Now, in a blink of an eye, the 2019 Penn State football regular season is in the books, as the Nittany Lions’ 27-6 win over Rutgers moved them to 10-2 on the season.
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins for Penn State, as it was a one-score game entering the fourth quarter and Sean Clifford, Noah Cain, Yetur Gross-Matos, and Tariq Castro-Fields all sat out due to injury. However, this team finishing with ten wins undoubtedly exceeded expectations.
The majority of experts and media outlets predicted that Penn State would have a down-year due to all of the underclassmen that got significant playing time and the departure of Trace McSorley. James Franklin and the coaching staff have done a phenomenal job this season.
With Penn State missing out on the Big Ten Championship, the Nittany Lions bowl destination will be determined based on the results of other teams next week.
If Ohio State handily beats Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions could be headed to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl. If Wisconsin wins or plays Ohio State to a close game, it looks like the Orange Bowl or Cotton bowl could be likely destinations for Penn State.
Let’s get to this week’s positional grades.