Penn State is 8-2 on the year and looking to pick up win No. 9 against a Rutgers’ program that has scored two total touchdowns in the past half decade against the Nittany Lions. Every game is different but often times they end up all feeling the same in this series. Here are five storylines to follow to keep that trend the same if you’re Penn State and head coach James Franklin.
Get Out Ahead Early: Rutgers is not a particularly fun place to play. The crowd is hostile, the parking lots have an element of Thunderdome to them and if there was ever going to be a revamped New Jersey welcome center it wouldn’t be here. This game is sold out, and while Penn State fans will make up for a decent portion of the crowd, there’s no reason to give the Rutgers’ partisans something to believe in. Penn State is the better team and that shouldn’t even be a question by the time the first half is done. Anything is possible in the wild world of college football but the sooner the Nittany Lions send Rutgers’ fans to the exits the easier this night will have gone. Upsets are built on hope. Penn State doesn’t need to give Rutgers any.
Do Your Job: Earlier in the season Penn State coach James Franklin lamented that this team — mostly the defense —was getting away from assignments to try and make plays. Since then things have been a lot smoother, but a team like Rutgers can make it tempting to try and get away with some freedom you might not have against better opponents. Can Penn State stay on assignment and not give up any big plays by virtue of mistakes? These games don’t need to be difficult and self-inflicted wounds are often the biggest way to turn an easy evening into a far more difficult outing. Discipline is the difference between good teams and great ones no matter who is across the field.
Not Good At Much, So Let Them Be: Rutgers is 115th in scoring offense, 74th in rushing offense and 120th in passing offense. The Scarlet Knights are a bit better on defense, up the No. 21 passing defense in the nation, but this group still gives up just over 25 points a game. In short, Rutgers isn’t good at much on offense so don’t let it pretend to be. Penn State’s defense is rounding into elite form yet again and Rutgers shouldn’t be the team to break the code for Manny Diaz’s group. Sean Clifford will need to be sharp with the ball, Rutgers has nine interceptions in the year – just one less than Penn State does – and a nothing helps a struggling offense quite like a short field. Rutgers isn’t good at much and Penn State shouldn’t let the Scarlet Knights pretend to be.
Finishing No. 1: Rutgers attempts just 27 passing attempts per game, 101st in the nation while Penn State still leads the country in pass breakups. Can the Nittany Lions close in on that crown in the final two weeks of the regular season? Rutgers won’t give this Penn State defense many chance to knock the ball down but with a 10 PBU lead on Illinois the Nittany Lions are just one away from 80 on the year. Can they finish the season top this list? Only 22 teams have faced more passing attempts than Penn State and the Nittany Lions are still standing tall.
Red Zone Defense: Rutgers has scored two total touchdowns in the previous seven meetings between these two teams while Penn State hasn’t scored more than 28 in each of the last four meetings. Which one of those trends will break first? The Nittany Lions boast the No. 8 red zone defense in the country and the No. 5 when it comes to percentage of opponent red zone scores that end with a touchdown. This would – as you might imagine – not bode well for a Rutgers’ team that has struggled to score from anywhere on the field this season, let alone against Penn State. Rutgers is actually dead last in the nation when it comes to red zone defense, Penn State scores touchdowns 78% of the time in the red zone, fifth best in the nation.
