These 3 Nittany Lions deserve praise after a gutsy victory against Rutgers

On Saturday, Penn State football closed out its regular season with a showdown against the Rutgers. The Nittany Lions (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten) entered this one looking to end their rough season on a high note, while the Scarlet Knights (5-7, 2-7 Big Ten) hoped to redeem themselves from a blowout loss to No. 1 Ohio State the week prior.

Penn State walked away with a gutsy victory and bowl eligibility, beating Rutgers 40-36. Here are the three players who helped the Nittany Lions pull out their win.

Tight end Andrew Rappleyea had huge plays on Saturday, finishing the game hauling in four passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. His receiving yards led Penn State, proving the redshirt sophomore as quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer's most reliable target in the mix of senior wide receivers.

Kicking off his hot day, Rappleyea helped the Nittany Lions answer Rutgers' opening drive touchdown. Grunkemeyer was expected to find running back Kaytron Allen, but the play action pass caught the Scarlet Knights off guard. The quarterback threw a 53-yard bomb to Rappleyea. He caught it at Rutgers' 39-yard-line and took it all the way into the end zone to tie the score, 7-7.

The play action pass returned at the end of the game. On a fourth-and-two decision, Grunkemeyer tricked Rutgers again and found his tight end for a three-yard completion. The new set of downs allowed the Nittany Lions to put the game away.

Even with Rappleyea's critical plays as a pass catcher, his blocking abilities rounded out his overall offensive performance.

Following his long touchdown reception, Allen broke free for an explosive, 55-yard run on Penn State's next offensive drive. This run wasn't possible without Rappleyea. The tight end walled off a defender, opening a huge gap for the running back to break free for the massive gain.

At tight end, it's not all about the credited yards, though Rappleyea's were substantial on Saturday. On the line, he proved his importance away from the ball, helping the other ball carriers to have their moments in the spotlight.

Penn State's defensive unit likely wants a number of plays back, potentially even the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, though, linebacker Amare Campbell got things rolling and proved it's never too late to make be a difference maker.

Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was caught off guard by defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, who fumbled the ball on his own accord without getting touched. Campbell scooped the ball up and ran it all the way back for a 61-yard touchdown. This gave the Nittany Lions the 40-36 lead and a whole lot of defensive momentum.

Campbell finished with 14 tackles. He also picked up half of a sack and one tackle for loss on Saturday. In the second quarter, he and defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam combined for a sack. This forced Rutgers to punt the ball while trailing 21-14 to the Nittany Lions.

Kicker Ryan Barker was valuable against the Scarlet Knights, especially before Penn State's defense lit up. Barker finished the game with two successful field goal attempts and 100 percent on extra point attempts. He had a total of 10 points to his name by the end, three of which gave the Nittany Lions the lead at halftime.

He nailed a 31-yard kick through the posts, putting Penn State up 24-21 at the end of the second quarter. Barker also started the second half off strong with another field goal, extending the team to a 27-21 advantage. Of those two attempts, one miss could have changed the trajectory or momentum of the game, potentially giving Rutgers the bowl eligibility win instead of the blue and white.