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Penn State Football tops Rutgers 23-7 | Finally a winning streak

By Lawrence Santa Maria

Dec 5, 2020; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Penn State wide receiver Parker Washington (3) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (13) and quarterback Sean Clifford (14) during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2020; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Penn State wide receiver Parker Washington (3) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (13) and quarterback Sean Clifford (14) during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Penn State football picked up their second win in as many weeks over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a blustery SHI Stadium Saturday afternoon, 23-7.

If there were ever a season for Rutgers to gain ground and try to establish a rivalry with Penn State Football, this was it, but instead it was the Nittany Lions to once again showed how far the Scarlet Knights are from this series gaining any real juice.

It was evident from the Nittany Lions’ opening possession just how wide the talent gap remains between James Franklin’s team and Greg Schiano’s still developing Scarlet Knights.

Penn State football picks up their second consecutive victory of the season Saturday, defeating Rutgers 23-7. It was an ugly game, with rain and 30 mph winds playing a factor in play calling.

Despite the weather, Penn State was dominant on both lines of scrimmage, bullying the Scarlet Knights as the Nittany Lions outgained Rutgers 381 yards to 205, in a game that felt much more uneven than the final score suggests.

The question coming into this one was would the Nittany Lions be motivated, and they answered that question rather quickly, jumping out to an early 7-0 lead and never looking back.

Because of the weather, the play calling kept the ball on the ground most of the day, as quarterback Sean Clifford only completed 15 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown in the win.

Here are three key takeaways from Penn States dominant victory over Rutgers:

Dominant in the trenches

Penn State football fans have been waiting all season for a performance like this by the offensive and defensive lines, as the Nittany Lions talent and depth showed out on both sides of the line of scrimmage Saturday afternoon.

Offensively, it seems Penn State has found a starting five they like, as the big uglies paved the way for 248 rushing yards on the day. For the second straight week, freshman running back Keyvone Lee led the team in rushing with 95 yards on 17 carries. Sophomore running back Devyn Ford was back this week and had arguably his best performance, racking up 65 yards and a touchdown on the ground, showing the elusiveness the staff hoped to see earlier in the season.

On the other side of the ball, Penn States front lived in the Rutgers backfield all afternoon. The Nittany Lions allowed only 205 total yards, with a mere 83 of them coming on the ground. On two of there first three drives of the afternoon, Rutgers turned the ball over on downs in there own territory after failing to convert on 4th and 1 each time. Penn State’s front seven blew up both short yardage attempts, with Antonio Shelton showing out on both en route to maybe his best game in the blue and white.

Penn State also recorded two sacks on the afternoon after finally generating pressure quarterback Noah Vedral every time he dropped back to pass. Defensive end Jayson Oweh stood out, showing why many think he may be a first round draft pick in April’s NFL Draft.

Penn State was the more talented team today, with blue chip prospects all over the field and it showed. The Nittany Lions were the bully on both sides of the ball, manhandling the Scarlet nights to a decisive victory.

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