Penn State closed out the regular season with a nail-biter against Rutgers, defeating the Scarlet Knights 40-36 at Shi Stadium on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions used a smaller rotation of players than normal, but that group found a way to get it done and clinch bowl eligibility.
Here are Penn State’s full offensive and defensive snap counts from the win, per PFF.
*Season total in parentheses
Quarterbacks
Ethan Grunkemeyer: 58 (398)
Drew Allar: 0 (349)
Jaxon Smolik: 0 (12)
Grunkemeyer played every snap at quarterback — though there was a momentary scare when he came up limping after a hit on an incompletion — passing Allar in total snaps this season while starting the same amount of games. While most of the attention was rightfully focused on Penn State’s run game, Grunkemeyer quietly put together another efficient outing, completing 17 of 21 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. He also played turnover-free football for the third consecutive game and only took the one aforementioned sack.
Wide receivers
Kyron Hudson: 31 (522)
Devonte Ross: 30 (366)
Koby Howard: 29 (132)
Trebor Peña: 29 (485)
Liam Clifford: 3 (105)
Tyseer Denmark: 0 (26)
Aaron Enterline: 0 (7)
Snaps were down overall for the room, as the Nittany Lions employed heavy 12 and 13 personnel usage. They kept the same four-man rotation, with Hudson leading the way slightly despite limited receiving production once again. Hudson continued to be an effective blocker, however. Howard continued to see elevated playing time but didn’t dent the stat sheet.
Running backs
Kaytron Allen: 45 (441)
Nick Singleton: 25 (359)
Cam Wallace: 0 (15)
Corey Smith: 0 (11)
Allen set a new career high with 226 yards and a touchdown, continuing a hot streak to close out the season. It’s unclear whether he’s played his last game at Penn State, but he’s etched his name in plenty of spots in the Nittany Lion record books. Singleton also had one of his better performances with nine carries for 86 yards and two scores.
Tight ends
Khalil Dinkins: 42 (495)
Andrew Rappleyea: 39 (333)
Luke Reynolds: 12 (388)
Joey Schlaffer: 0 (7)
Dinkins saw the most playing time, but Rappleyea stood out in the box score with four receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. Rappleyea also earned high run and pass blocking grades. Reynolds saw his snap count dip to a season low.
Offensive linemen
Nick Dawkins: 58 (723)
Drew Shelton: 58 (721)
Anthony Donkoh: 58 (619)
Vega Ioane: 58 (614)
Nolan Rucci: 58 (611)
Cooper Cousins: 1 (99)
TJ Shanahan Jr.: 0 (337)
Garrett Sexton: 0 (30)
Dom Rulli: 0 (30)
Eagan Boyer: 0 (6)
Owen Aliciene: 0 (22)
J’Ven Williams: 0 (2)
Chimdy Onoh: 0 (2)
Alex Birchmeier: 0 (2)
Ian Harvie: 0 (1)
The Nittany Lions stuck with the same five-man unit throughout the game, with Shanahan continuing to ride the bench. The group all earned high PFF grades, with Donkoh leading the pack at 73.0.
Defensive linemen
Dani Dennis-Sutton: 57 (582)
Zuriah Fisher: 45 (438)
Zane Durant: 37 (476)
Xavier Gilliam: 31 (379)
Ty Blanding: 31 (182)
Alonzo Ford Jr. 30 (308)
Yvan Kemajou: 24 (197)
Chaz Coleman: 7 (150)
Owen Wafle: 5 (83)
Jaylen Harvey: 4 (144)
Enai White: 0 (47)
Cortez Harris: 0 (18)
Mylachi Williams: 0 (32)
D’Andre Cook: 0 (9)
Liam Andrews: 0 (17)
Sam Siafa: 0 (9)
Randy Adirika: 0 (19)
Bobby Mears: 0 (11)
In one of the more interesting subplots of the game, Chaz Coleman returned to action for a few plays after missing the last three weeks of games and practices with injury. There was speculation Coleman would sit out the rest of the season and transfer, with both Ohio State and Virginia Tech being pegged as possible destinations. However, Coleman struggled with a 37.0 PFF grade, worst on the team, and was manhandled by the Rutgers offensive line.
Linebackers
Amare Campbell: 68 (703)
Dom DeLuca: 46 (495)
Alex Tatsch: 21 (108)
Keon Wylie: 4 (182)
Tony Rojas: 0 (176)
Anthony Speca: 0 (47)
DaKaari Nelson: 0 (2)
Cam Smith: 0 (1)
Despite facing a run-heavy Rutgers offense, Penn State only used three linebacker sets on a few occasions. In addition to playing the most snaps, Campbell led the team with 14 tackles and had the highest PFF grade on the defense at 71.1.
Defensive backs
Zakee Wheatley: 68 (658)
Audavion Collins: 59 (503)
Zion Tracy: 57 (383)
King Mack: 45 (458)
Daryus Dixson: 39 (263)
A.J. Harris: 36 (493)
Dejuan Lane: 23 (224)
Kenny Woseley Jr.: 10 (224)
Elliot Washington II: 3 (256)
Antoine Belgrave-Shorter: 0 (144)
Vaboue Toure: 0 (59)
Jahmir Joseph: 0 (48)
Kolin Dinkins: 0 (37)
Tyler Armstead: 0 (12)
Joshua Johnson: 0 (8)
Harris saw a decrease in playing time and struggled throughout the game, earning the team’s third-lowest PFF grade at 46.3 and lowest in the secondary. He surrendered three receptions to Scarlet Knight wide receiver KJ Duff on three targets for 72 yards. The cornerback room as a whole struggled, though Dixson continued to trend up in snaps and posted a strong grade of 67.5.
