Penn State at Rutgers
Nov. 29, 3:30 p.m.
Piscataway, NJ
UNIVERSITY PARK — It is down to one game for the Penn State Nittany Lions, and it is against a likely very determined Rutgers team with the same record and the same bowl possibilities.
As the 37-10 victory over Nebraska has been entered into the books, the Lions are now 5-6 for the season, 2-6 in the Big Ten, and one game away from bowl eligibility.
So is Rutgers at 5-6 overall and 2-6 in the Big Ten with wins over Purdue and Maryland.
The game — the final regular-season contest of 2025 for both teams — will take place in Piscataway on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 3:30 p.m. with the winner emerging with that all-important sixth win.
And as an extra incentive for the Scarlet Knights, it will be Senior Day at SHI Stadium.
Like Penn State, the Knights took three wins in non-conference contests over Ohio, Miami Ohio and Norfolk State, but then they had trouble finding their footing in the conference.
Rutgers lost four in a row to Iowa, Minnesota (31-28 late), Washington and Oregon before finally coming away with a 27-24 win at Purdue.
There was then a loss to Illinois, a big 35-20 win over Maryland at home, and a 42-9 loss to Ohio State last week in Columbus.
Offensively, the two teams match up with Penn State gaining 345 yards per game and Rutgers getting 396, and with Penn State scoring 31 per game and Rutgers at 28 points per game.
Defensively, however, Penn State has a clear advantage in allowing just 316 yards per game (25th in the FBS) and Rutgers at 425 (119th). Rutgers run defense is ranked at 111 in the FBS and could be an area the Penn State will try to exploit.
The Knights’ defense so far has just 10 sacks, with seven fumble recoveries and five interceptions.
Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis has completed 213-of-246 passes for 2,786 yards and 17 touchdowns, with a long of 72 yards and an average of 253 yards-per-game.
Running back Antwon Raymond leads the team with 215 carries for 1,052 yards and 12 touchdowns, an average of 96 ypg. Ja’shon Benjamin follows with 68 carries for 333 yards and 5 TDs.
KJ Duff and Ian Strong are the leading receivers with a combined 1,682 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Rutgers’ opponents have scored 31 points per game and gained an average of 425 yards, including an average of 201 yards on the ground.
Against Ohio State on Saturday, the Knights played a competitive first half, down only 14-3, but the Buckeyes opened it up with 21 unanswered points to begin the second half.
The Knights scored their only touchdown on a 1-yard run by Raymond with 6 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
Penn State will come into Piscataway coming off perhaps its best performance of the season against Nebraska.
The game started with a goal-line stand, a 98-yard drive, a field goal, and then the Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton show.
After holding the Huskers on their first drive, Penn State shot ahead 10-0 on a touchdown by Andrew Rappleyea and a field goal by Ryan Baker.
Nebraska came back to make it 10-3, but from there Singleton scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, Allen scored one in the third quarter and then finished it all with a 13-yard dash with 11 minutes left that made the score 37-10.
With the way the Penn State defense was playing, there would be no comeback by the Huskers.
For the second week in a row, Penn State went over 200 yards rushing—231 with Allen gaining 160–and this week quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer added 181 yards through the air with the touchdown to Rappleyea.
In addition, with 160 yards on 25 carries, Allen became the all-time leading running back in program history.
The Lions also held one of the Big Ten’s best backs, Emmett Johnson, to just 103 yards on 19 carries and no touchdowns.
“Everyone plays a role here at Penn State, and I appreciate them and I’m thankful for all of them,” head coach Terry Smith said.
“In regard to the game, the opening drive, Nebraska drove down and we had a critical fourth down stop that set the tone for the game. It allowed our defense to gain their confidence.
“Our offense stepped on the field with confidence, and then they marched down the field for a touchdown.
“The fourth down stop was the difference in the game.
“I’m super proud of the effort of our guys. They are playing inspired football. They’re hungry. They want to play in a season that they could easily give up and quit. They’re on the brink of playing some of our best ball. “(Ethan) Grunkemeyer is playing unbelievable football. We’re throwing the ball. We’re answering all your questions about throwing the ball down the field. We’re throwing the ball down the field because explosive plays count as the pass interferences, too, because the ball is going down the field, which is opening up our run game, which is why we ran for over 200 yards with those guys.
“We look like a real football team. I’m super proud of these guys.” Kickoff in Piscataway is at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 29
