Penn State fans react prematurely as Jim Knowles' defense sparks with gift from Rutgers

Penn State football's defense allowed Rutgers to barrel through, picking up chunk play after chunk play in the first three quarters of the game on Saturday. Blue and white faithful (5-6, 2-6 Big Ten) thought it saw enough, and lit the torches back up against defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

After keeping the Nittany Lions in the lead or tied for the first half, the Scarlet Knights (5-6, 2-6 Big Ten) garnered more life and took advantage of Knowles' defense. Rutgers took its first lead of the evening, 28-27, in the third quarter with a 13-yard reception caught by wide receiver KJ Duff. After a one-yard rushing score from running back Nicholas Singleton, the Scarlet Knights answered right back and started the fourth quarter on a high note.

Penn State allowed running back Antwan Raymond to rush 46 yards into the end zone, and then kept that momentum hot with a successful two-point conversion. Rutgers took a 36-33 lead just under 1.5 minutes into the final quarter.

Knowles' defense allowed 159 yards on the ground and 229 pass yards through the first three quarters of the afternoon. Fans took note of how poor their defense played, saying it reminded them of Week 6 against UCLA.

Both defenses performed poorly and by the third quarter, it became clear that the winner would be determined by which team gets the key stop and which can capitalize on scoring opportunities. The unimpressive performances from both teams irritated fans as they thought Knowles should out-coach Rutgers, especially with the momentum the Nittany Lions rode on coming into the game.

On a 17-game win-streak against the Scarlet Knights as well, fans directed their anger towards Knowles as they saw a potential loss in their near future. Knowles also became the first Penn State defensive coordinator since 1995 to allow Rutgers two or more touchdowns in a matchup between these two teams.

However, fans didn't account for the spark of life ahead in the fourth quarter. When the Nittany Lions looked exhausted, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis gifted them energy.

Kaliakmanis folded under pressure from defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, who just had to get close in front for him to cause a reaction. He popped the ball out without any momentum behind it as Dennis-Sutton came jumping in front. The self-fumble was scooped up by linebacker Amare Campbell and taken 61 yards down the field into the end zone.

Campbell's defensive score eventually ended the night and extended Penn State's win-streak in the season to gain bowl eligibility.

On fourth-and-one when Rutgers had the ball back, Knowles' players got the stop they needed and forced a turnover on downs. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer and the offense closed it out with a series of first downs, supported by a holding penalty called on the Scarlet Knights, and a single knee to end the game, 40-36.