Penn State Football dominates second half, rolls Rutgers on Senior Day

It was senior day at Beaver Stadium for Penn State Football, but freshmen were the theme of the day as the Nittany Lions trounced Rutgers by a final score of 28-0.

Penn State Football’s defense was once again a bright spot, as the Nittany Lions pitched their second shut out of the season in a game that, early on, was a war between two of the best punters in the country.

When the already ill Sean Clifford was forced to leave the game early with an injury, Christian Veilleux stepped up big and played well in his first football game in over 2 years.

Finally, despite many moving parts along the offensive line, the unit that has been the primary weakness all season long managed all of the missing pieces well and did what they had to do to help the offense.

Saturday was also a day for Penn State’s young players, who could figure into key roles in the program’s future.

Here were some of the common themes throughout the afternoon as Penn State Football picked up a win in their final home game of the 2021 season.

Penn State Football’s freshmen shine

The Nittany Lions had a ton of production this afternoon from true and redshirt freshmen at numerous different positions.

Quarterback Christian Veilleux was certainly the one that stuck out, as he went 15/24 for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first-ever collegiate football game. He also added 36 yards on the ground.

Perhaps the most impressive thing that we saw out of the freshman quarterback from Canada today was his ability to remain calm in the pocket.

Although, his worst moment of the day may have come after the game;

Fellow true freshman Landon Tengwall spent most of the afternoon at left tackle for the Nittany Lions in his first game of his career and played well all things considered. Tengwall was the highest-rated recruit in Penn State’s 2021 recruiting class.

Cornerback Kalen King, who has played a lot this season as a true freshman, also played well including a nice break on a ball in which he nearly came away with an interception, but still broke the pass up and did his job.

Redshirt freshman Malick Meiga was left wide open for a 67-yard touchdown, the first of his career. And Tyler Warren, another redshirt freshman, made an incredible catch in the fourth quarter despite being held on the play.

All things considered, Penn State Football fans should be more than pleased with what they saw out of the freshman against Rutgers.