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Placing Penn State on Upset Alert!!!

rutgersal

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Jun 7, 2001
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Penn States comes into Saturday’s contest sporting a 6-4 record (3-4 in the Big Ten), recently dropping a heartbreaker to Michigan 21-17, after being up 17-14 late in the contest. They have lost four of their last five games, but three of their losses were very close, falling to Iowa (23-20), Illinois (20-18) and Michigan (21-17). Total margin was 9 points for those three losses, so Penn State could very well be 8-1.

The Nittany Lions have been hard hit with injuries, losing their best Defensive Tackle, PJ Mustipher for the season. This has left them susceptible to opponent’s running attacks, as Michigan’s Haskins rushed for 157 yards on 31 attempts and Illinois’ Chase Brown was able to run 33 times for 226 yards. Ohio State’s Treyveyon Henderson rushed 28 Times for 160 yards. Thus Penn State is ranked #9 in the Conference in terms of Rush Defense, which probably is a historical low for them.

Their offensive line is led by LT #79 Caeden Wallace, 6-5 323 lbs. He hails from Robbinsville, NJ. C. Mike Miranda goes 6-3 305 lbs. Eric Wilson goes 6-4 307 lbs. Rasheed Walker goes 6-6 325 lbs. C Michael Menet and LT Will Fries graduated and the line hasn’t played as well this year.

As big as they are, the Nittany Lions have similarly struggled to run the ball, as they are also ranked #13 in the Conference in Rushing as their rushers have rushed for 1067 yards on 341 carries, for a 3.1 ypc average. Keyvonne Lee is their leading rusher, and he ran 20 times for a respectable 90 yards vs Michigan, a 4.4 ypc average.

The Nittany Lion’s strength is surprisingly airpower, with Penn State having the #4 Big Ten Passing Attack. Spearheading the attack is Penn State’s Quarterback Sean Clifford, who has thrown 354 passes, and completed 222 of them, for an impressive 63% Completion Percentage.

Clifford’s favorite target has been #5 Jahan Dotson, who may be the best receiver in college football. Dotson has caught 80 passes for 993 receiving yards, and is averaging an impressive 99.3 receiving yards per game. His longest reception is 86 yards, so Rutgers DBs are going to have to pay extra attention to him. He may require double coverage. Parker Washington is their next best receiver, and has caught 47 passes for 590 receiving yards.

The line has also struggled to protect their passer, as they are at the bottom of the Big East in terms of sacks given up with 27 given up in 10 games. Michigan was able to sack Penn States Quarterback 7 times with Aiden Hutchinson getting 3 off Caeden Wallace and David Ojabo getting two sacks. It should be noted that Penn State has been able to notch a significant number of sacks with 20. Sr Defensive End Arnold Ebiketie notched 8.5 of them and also has 15.5 tackles for loss.

So now it's time to talk about Rutgers. Rutgers is coming off its best played game of the season, besting Indiana 38-3, and has won two of its last three games. For the GameBall, I give it to Jay Butler. Last year, we lost to Indiana, 37-21, the last of 5 consecutive losses, where they seriously manhandled our team. This year, we put a serious beatdown on Indiana, and a lot of it I think is due to the significant gains in Strength and Conditioning that were made over the last year. It’s good to see the kids get a payoff for all those early morning winter workouts. For the many fans who couldn’t understand why we were paying our S&C Coach $500K per year, this is the reason why. I don’t know his method, but Jay Butler is the only one who has been able to elevate Rutgers Strength and Conditioning from noncompetitive to Big Ten Competitive.

When you hold an opponent to 3 points, you can pretty single out every single defensive player for recognition. These are the guys who really stood out to me. Kyonte Hamilton stepped in at three technique tackle and contributed significantly at Indiana, chipping in with 5 Tackles at Indiana and 1 Tackle for loss. Even when he wasn’t getting stats, he was still affecting the trajectory of the play, with his ability to penetrate. Skies the limit for this kid.

#50 Julius Turner and #88 Ifeanyi Maijeh were also a force in the middle, even if their efforts didn’t always show up in the stat sheet. #58 Mohamed Toure had 5 tqckles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack.

Other standouts included LB Drew Singleton, who led all tacklers with 10 tackles. Avery Young has probably his best game as a safety and followed close behind with 8 tackles. Christian Izien was all over the field, and made a terrific read, dropping a back right in the backfield for a tackle for loss. Tyreem Powell had his best game with 4 tackles and an interception. Max Melton also chipped in with an interception, and he has emerged as our best cover corner.

The offense, aided by a change in personnel on the offensive line, also performed well, after failing to convert an early 4th and one. The new lineup included:
  • LT – Raiqwon O’Neal
  • LT – Ireland Brown
  • C – Gus Zilinskas
  • RG – Nick Krimin
  • RT - Aaron Pierce
This to me, looked like our optimal lineup, and I hope to see it for the balance of the year. I particularly liked the play where Zilinskas and Brown pulled, facilitating a TD run by one of the backs. We have not blocked this well in the red zone, all year long, and it felt great to see the offense experience success getting 7, which is something we’ve struggled with. Isaih Pacheco ran particularly strong and gained 80 yards on 20 carries to go along with 2 Touchdowns. Jonny Football was our next leading rusher with 6 carries for 32 yards and Aaron Young also ran tough, blasting into the end zone for a touchdown.

But the guy I think is due special praise is quarterback Noah Vedral, who bounced back from an awful performance against Wisconsin, and delivered a gritty, mistake free performance against Indiana. His passing stats were somewhat pedestrian, completing 9 passes out of 17 attempts for 97 yards, but more importantly, the offense took advantage of every opportunity presented itself, something we have struggled to do, at times. It was gratifying to watch us score Touchdowns rather than having to settle for field goals. We can now say that the coaches decision to go all in with Vedral was the correct one.

Must mention Adam Korsak, who continues to have a strong Season, with 5 punts received inside the 20, and a 43.3 average yards per punt. This position has been a source of competitive advantage for us for a while now. His punts made it so much easier for the defense to do its job.

Rutgers vs Penn State Analysis

To say the Rutgers/Penn State series has been lopsided, is an understatement. We have been the ultimate little brother, where we show up, and they kick our butt. I still remember the Doug Graber teams, which seemed to have decent talent, and thinking we had a shot, only to attend the games and watch our teeth get knocked in. At best, the games were close in the first half, and they’d blow our doors off in the 2nd half.

Saturday is the first time in the long time, where Rutgers has its best opportunity since 2014, for victory. Like with most games, it will come down to line play. The biggest risk for Rutgers, is that it is unable to mount an effective pass rush, and the Penn State Quarterback is able to play pitch and catch with his receivers all game long, leading to blowout city for us, much like what Wisconsin was able to do. I don’t see that happening, because Penn State has struggled to adequately protect its quarterback in recent games. Illinois got 4 sacks on them, while Michigan got 7 sacks. I expect that we will employ a significant amount of pressure to attempt to accomplish the same.

Another possible risk for us is turnovers, but thankfully we’ve been able to avoid too many of those, aside from the Wisconsin game. And I was particularly impressed with how we are able to keep our composure, and play well, despite being down significantly in the Big House. We had Michigan on the ropes in the 2nd half, but just could not finish.

The biggest key difference, from previous contests, is that we should be able to run the ball Saturday, and stop the run. Michigan’s Hassan Haskins ran for 156 yards, and Illinois’ Chase Brown ran for 223 yards. And the respective defenses were able to limit Penn States rushing attack. Saturday will be a fantastic opportunity for Isaih Pacheco, who has run well, but hasn’t had that standout, exemplary, Player. Of the Week Type Performance.

Another key difference from previous Rutgers/Penn State contests, is that we are facing Penn State, while playing our best football. We’ve usually faced them towards the beginning of the season, but recently, we’ve faced them towards the end, when we were in a beaten up, depleted, state. This year, we’re ready to go. We have some injuries, but they do as well.

I expect that Saturday will be a similar situation to the Michigan game for us. A close game, against a very tough opponent, in one of the best environments in college football, where we’ll have our opportunity. Saturday, we finish.

Rutgers 17
Penn State 14
 
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Good write-up and I would not be a bit surprised to see the Knights from the banks of the Raritan win.

I am attending my first PSU game in 4 years this week. Big tailgate planned with several Rutgers alums whose kids go to Penn State. I guess it's true that parents always want their kids to grow up with better things than they had.......
 
Actually a pretty good review of the teams - some homerism but not bad. RutergeraI is a good poster but I can't say much nice about the rest of the RU fans. Schiano has done a good job with this team and they aren't a push over but they don't have the enough skill players to win over PSU but I said the same thing about Illinois so we will see.
 
Penn States comes into Saturday’s contest sporting a 6-4 record (3-4 in the Big Ten), recently dropping a heartbreaker to Michigan 21-17, after being up 17-14 late in the contest. They have lost four of their last five games, but three of their losses were very close, falling to Iowa (23-20), Illinois (20-18) and Michigan (21-17). Total margin was 9 points for those three losses, so Penn State could very well be 8-1.

The Nittany Lions have been hard hit with injuries, losing their best Defensive Tackle, PJ Mustipher for the season. This has left them susceptible to opponent’s running attacks, as Michigan’s Haskins rushed for 157 yards on 31 attempts and Illinois’ Chase Brown was able to run 33 times for 226 yards. Ohio State’s Treyveyon Henderson rushed 28 Times for 160 yards. Thus Penn State is ranked #9 in the Conference in terms of Rush Defense, which probably is a historical low for them.

Their offensive line is led by LT #79 Caeden Wallace, 6-5 323 lbs. He hails from Robbinsville, NJ. C. Mike Miranda goes 6-3 305 lbs. Eric Wilson goes 6-4 307 lbs. Rasheed Walker goes 6-6 325 lbs. C Michael Menet and LT Will Fries.

As big as they are, the Nittany Lions have similarly struggled to run the ball, as they are also ranked #13 in the Conference in Rushing as their rushers have rushed for 1067 yards on 341 carries, for a 3.1 ypc average. Keyvonne Lee is their leading rusher, and he ran 20 times for a respectable 90 yards vs Michigan, a 4.4 ypc average.

The Nittany Lion’s strength is surprisingly airpower, with Penn State having the #4 Big Ten Passing Attack. Spearheading the attack is Penn State’s Quarterback Sean Clifford, who has thrown 354 passes, and completed 222 of them, for an impressive 63% Completion Percentage.

Clifford’s favorite target has been #5 Jahan Dotson, who may be the best receiver in college football. Dotson has caught 80 passes for 993 receiving yards, and is averaging an impressive 99.3 receiving yards per game. His longest reception is 86 yards, so Rutgers DBs are going to have to pay extra attention to him. He may require double coverage. Parker Washington is their next best receiver, and has caught 47 passes for 590 receiving yards.

The line has also struggled to protect their passer, as they are at the bottom of the Big East in terms of sacks given up with 27 given up in 10 games. Michigan was able to sack Penn States Quarterback 7 times with Aiden Hutchinson getting 3 off Caeden Wallace and David Ojabo getting two sacks. It should be noted that Penn State has been able to notch a significant number of sacks with 20. Sr Defensive End Arnold Ebiketie notched 8.5 of them and also has 15.5 tackles for loss.

So now it's time to talk about Rutgers. Rutgers is coming off its best played game of the season, besting Indiana 38-3, and has won two of its last three games. For the GameBall, I give it to Jay Butler. Last year, we lost to Indiana, 37-21, the last of 5 consecutive losses, where they seriously manhandled our team. This year, we put a serious beatdown on Indiana, and a lot of it I think is due to the significant gains in Strength and Conditioning that were made over the last year. It’s good to see the kids get a payoff for all those early morning winter workouts. For the many fans who couldn’t understand why we were paying our S&C Coach $500K per year, this is the reason why. I don’t know his method, but Jay Butler is the only one who has been able to elevate Rutgers Strength and Conditioning from noncompetitive to Big Ten Competitive.

When you hold an opponent to 3 points, you can pretty single out every single defensive player for recognition. These are the guys who really stood out to me. Kyonte Hamilton stepped in at three technique tackle and contributed significantly at Indiana, chipping in with 5 Tackles at Indiana and 1 Tackle for loss. Even when he wasn’t getting stats, he was still affecting the trajectory of the play, with his ability to penetrate. Skies the limit for this kid.

#50 Julius Turner and #88 Ifeanyi Maijeh were also a force in the middle, even if their efforts didn’t always show up in the stat sheet. #58 Mohamed Toure had 5 tqckles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack.

Other standouts included LB Drew Singleton, who led all tacklers with 10 tackles. Avery Young has probably his best game as a safety and followed close behind with 8 tackles. Christian Izien was all over the field, and made a terrific read, dropping a back right in the backfield for a tackle for loss. Tyreem Powell had his best game with 4 tackles and an interception. Max Melton also chipped in with an interception, and he has emerged as our best cover corner.

The offense, aided by a change in personnel on the offensive line, also performed well, after failing to convert an early 4th and one. The new lineup included:
  • LT – Raiqwon O’Neal
  • LT – Ireland Brown
  • C – Gus Zilinskas
  • RG – Nick Krimin
  • RT - Aaron Pierce
This to me, looked like our optimal lineup, and I hope to see it for the balance of the year. I particularly liked the play where Zilinskas and Brown pulled, facilitating a TD run by one of the backs. We have not blocked this well in the red zone, all year long, and it felt great to see the offense experience success getting 7, which is something we’ve struggled with. Isaih Pacheco ran particularly strong and gained 80 yards on 20 carries to go along with 2 Touchdowns. Jonny Football was our next leading rusher with 6 carries for 32 yards and Aaron Young also ran tough, blasting into the end zone for a touchdown.

But the guy I think is due special praise is quarterback Noah Vedral, who bounced back from an awful performance against Wisconsin, and delivered a gritty, mistake free performance against Indiana. His passing stats were somewhat pedestrian, completing 9 passes out of 17 attempts for 97 yards, but more importantly, the offense took advantage of every opportunity presented itself, something we have struggled to do, at times. It was gratifying to watch us score Touchdowns rather than having to settle for field goals. We can now say that the coaches decision to go all in with Vedral was the correct one.

Must mention Adam Korsak, who continues to have a strong Season, with 5 punts received inside the 20, and a 43.3 average yards per punt. This position has been a source of competitive advantage for us for a while now. His punts made it so much easier for the defense to do its job.

Rutgers vs Penn State Analysis

To say the Rutgers/Penn State series has been lopsided, is an understatement. We have been the ultimate little brother, where we show up, and they kick our butt. I still remember the Doug Graber teams, which seemed to have decent talent, and thinking we had a shot, only to attend the games and watch our teeth get knocked in. At best, the games were close in the first half, and they’d blow our doors off in the 2nd half.

Saturday is the first time in the long time, where Rutgers has its best opportunity since 2014, for victory. Like with most games, it will come down to line play. The biggest risk for Rutgers, is that it is unable to mount an effective pass rush, and the Penn State Quarterback is able to play pitch and catch with his receivers all game long, leading to blowout city for us, much like what Wisconsin was able to do. I don’t see that happening, because Penn State has struggled to adequately protect its quarterback in recent games. Illinois got 4 sacks on them, while Michigan got 7 sacks. I expect that we will employ a significant amount of pressure to attempt to accomplish the same.

Another possible risk for us is turnovers, but thankfully we’ve been able to avoid too many of those, aside from the Wisconsin game. And I was particularly impressed with how we are able to keep our composure, and play well, despite being down significantly in the Big House. We had Michigan on the ropes in the 2nd half, but just could not finish.

The biggest key difference, from previous contests, is that we should be able to run the ball Saturday, and stop the run. Michigan’s Hassan Haskins ran for 156 yards, and Illinois’ Chase Brown ran for 223 yards. And the respective defenses were able to limit Penn States rushing attack. Saturday will be a fantastic opportunity for Isaih Pacheco, who has run well, but hasn’t had that standout, exemplary, Player. Of the Week Type Performance.

Another key difference from previous Rutgers/Penn State contests, is that we are facing Penn State, while playing our best football. We’ve usually faced them towards the beginning of the season, but recently, we’ve faced them towards the end, when we were in a beaten up, depleted, state. This year, we’re ready to go. We have some injuries, but they do as well.

I expect that Saturday will be a similar situation to the Michigan game for us. A close game, against a very tough opponent, in one of the best environments in college football, where we’ll have our opportunity. Saturday, we finish.

Rutgers 17
Penn State 14
Nice write up. Took some time so appreciate it. With Penn State...you never know which team will show up.
 
Who knows how this team will show up.Really hope they come to play and put the disappointment of this season behind them in the last two games
 
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A well thought out and articulated analysis; can't find much to disagree with.

Schiano has a good defensive mind and gets his kids motivated to play hard. If PSU shoots itself in the foot with mistakes (mental as well as physical) it will be an uncomfortable afternoon for us.
 
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I like the OP's enthusiasm but Rutgers beating PSU just isn't happening. Schiano needs a couple of more years bringing in some really top notch recruits before something like this can be a reality
 
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I like the OP's enthusiasm but Rutgers beating PSU just isn't happening. Schiano needs a couple of more years bringing in some really top notch recruits before something like this can be a reality
Yeah, yeah and yeah. Some posters here are infatuated with Schiano because he coached for Joe at PSU. Coincidentally, who among Joe’s assistants ever attained great success as head coach. That’s not a knock on Joe, it just means that being on his staff isn’t an automatic path to success elsewhere. The guy has an overall losing record as a college coach, and washed out in Tampa Bay. True he got shafted on the Tennessee job, but OSU saw enough to hand him his walking papers.

He’s improving their recruiting, but then again which half way competent coach couldn’t? The guy before him couldn’t recruit an undercover FBI agent into the KKK. I think he’ll elevate Rutgers to middle of the road status, (being competitive with MD, IND, Purdue and NW) and that’s his ceiling. For Rutgers fans I guess that’s HOF status. They appear to have a strange love affair with him, because they’ve been bottom feeders for so long 5 to 6 wins a year is a crowning experience. Now if he wins Saturday I’ll be eating crow and shut my mouth regarding Greg.
 
Damn, that was long.
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I am not sure Miranda plays. From what I saw, he was taken out in the first half and I never saw him back in. I don't think Clifford is 100% and both Key and Dotson got injured late. We'll have no idea if they will play or not.

I expect PSU to win but would not be shocked if we lost.
 
I like the OP's enthusiasm but Rutgers beating PSU just isn't happening. Schiano needs a couple of more years bringing in some really top notch recruits before something like this can be a reality
This didn’t even have a chance to age….since we can 20/20 all the way back to Illinois.
 
It could happen Al, at the very least I think you guys beat the spread of 17.

Rutgers will be up for this game, I don’t think we will be. One of those sleepy games where we think we can walk through . I can see an Illinois outcome but I’d still say we edge out a win
 
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Penn States comes into Saturday’s contest sporting a 6-4 record (3-4 in the Big Ten), recently dropping a heartbreaker to Michigan 21-17, after being up 17-14 late in the contest. They have lost four of their last five games, but three of their losses were very close, falling to Iowa (23-20), Illinois (20-18) and Michigan (21-17). Total margin was 9 points for those three losses, so Penn State could very well be 8-1.

The Nittany Lions have been hard hit with injuries, losing their best Defensive Tackle, PJ Mustipher for the season. This has left them susceptible to opponent’s running attacks, as Michigan’s Haskins rushed for 157 yards on 31 attempts and Illinois’ Chase Brown was able to run 33 times for 226 yards. Ohio State’s Treyveyon Henderson rushed 28 Times for 160 yards. Thus Penn State is ranked #9 in the Conference in terms of Rush Defense, which probably is a historical low for them.

Their offensive line is led by LT #79 Caeden Wallace, 6-5 323 lbs. He hails from Robbinsville, NJ. C. Mike Miranda goes 6-3 305 lbs. Eric Wilson goes 6-4 307 lbs. Rasheed Walker goes 6-6 325 lbs. C Michael Menet and LT Will Fries graduated and the line hasn’t played as well this year.

As big as they are, the Nittany Lions have similarly struggled to run the ball, as they are also ranked #13 in the Conference in Rushing as their rushers have rushed for 1067 yards on 341 carries, for a 3.1 ypc average. Keyvonne Lee is their leading rusher, and he ran 20 times for a respectable 90 yards vs Michigan, a 4.4 ypc average.

The Nittany Lion’s strength is surprisingly airpower, with Penn State having the #4 Big Ten Passing Attack. Spearheading the attack is Penn State’s Quarterback Sean Clifford, who has thrown 354 passes, and completed 222 of them, for an impressive 63% Completion Percentage.

Clifford’s favorite target has been #5 Jahan Dotson, who may be the best receiver in college football. Dotson has caught 80 passes for 993 receiving yards, and is averaging an impressive 99.3 receiving yards per game. His longest reception is 86 yards, so Rutgers DBs are going to have to pay extra attention to him. He may require double coverage. Parker Washington is their next best receiver, and has caught 47 passes for 590 receiving yards.

The line has also struggled to protect their passer, as they are at the bottom of the Big East in terms of sacks given up with 27 given up in 10 games. Michigan was able to sack Penn States Quarterback 7 times with Aiden Hutchinson getting 3 off Caeden Wallace and David Ojabo getting two sacks. It should be noted that Penn State has been able to notch a significant number of sacks with 20. Sr Defensive End Arnold Ebiketie notched 8.5 of them and also has 15.5 tackles for loss.

So now it's time to talk about Rutgers. Rutgers is coming off its best played game of the season, besting Indiana 38-3, and has won two of its last three games. For the GameBall, I give it to Jay Butler. Last year, we lost to Indiana, 37-21, the last of 5 consecutive losses, where they seriously manhandled our team. This year, we put a serious beatdown on Indiana, and a lot of it I think is due to the significant gains in Strength and Conditioning that were made over the last year. It’s good to see the kids get a payoff for all those early morning winter workouts. For the many fans who couldn’t understand why we were paying our S&C Coach $500K per year, this is the reason why. I don’t know his method, but Jay Butler is the only one who has been able to elevate Rutgers Strength and Conditioning from noncompetitive to Big Ten Competitive.

When you hold an opponent to 3 points, you can pretty single out every single defensive player for recognition. These are the guys who really stood out to me. Kyonte Hamilton stepped in at three technique tackle and contributed significantly at Indiana, chipping in with 5 Tackles at Indiana and 1 Tackle for loss. Even when he wasn’t getting stats, he was still affecting the trajectory of the play, with his ability to penetrate. Skies the limit for this kid.

#50 Julius Turner and #88 Ifeanyi Maijeh were also a force in the middle, even if their efforts didn’t always show up in the stat sheet. #58 Mohamed Toure had 5 tqckles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack.

Other standouts included LB Drew Singleton, who led all tacklers with 10 tackles. Avery Young has probably his best game as a safety and followed close behind with 8 tackles. Christian Izien was all over the field, and made a terrific read, dropping a back right in the backfield for a tackle for loss. Tyreem Powell had his best game with 4 tackles and an interception. Max Melton also chipped in with an interception, and he has emerged as our best cover corner.

The offense, aided by a change in personnel on the offensive line, also performed well, after failing to convert an early 4th and one. The new lineup included:
  • LT – Raiqwon O’Neal
  • LT – Ireland Brown
  • C – Gus Zilinskas
  • RG – Nick Krimin
  • RT - Aaron Pierce
This to me, looked like our optimal lineup, and I hope to see it for the balance of the year. I particularly liked the play where Zilinskas and Brown pulled, facilitating a TD run by one of the backs. We have not blocked this well in the red zone, all year long, and it felt great to see the offense experience success getting 7, which is something we’ve struggled with. Isaih Pacheco ran particularly strong and gained 80 yards on 20 carries to go along with 2 Touchdowns. Jonny Football was our next leading rusher with 6 carries for 32 yards and Aaron Young also ran tough, blasting into the end zone for a touchdown.

But the guy I think is due special praise is quarterback Noah Vedral, who bounced back from an awful performance against Wisconsin, and delivered a gritty, mistake free performance against Indiana. His passing stats were somewhat pedestrian, completing 9 passes out of 17 attempts for 97 yards, but more importantly, the offense took advantage of every opportunity presented itself, something we have struggled to do, at times. It was gratifying to watch us score Touchdowns rather than having to settle for field goals. We can now say that the coaches decision to go all in with Vedral was the correct one.

Must mention Adam Korsak, who continues to have a strong Season, with 5 punts received inside the 20, and a 43.3 average yards per punt. This position has been a source of competitive advantage for us for a while now. His punts made it so much easier for the defense to do its job.

Rutgers vs Penn State Analysis

To say the Rutgers/Penn State series has been lopsided, is an understatement. We have been the ultimate little brother, where we show up, and they kick our butt. I still remember the Doug Graber teams, which seemed to have decent talent, and thinking we had a shot, only to attend the games and watch our teeth get knocked in. At best, the games were close in the first half, and they’d blow our doors off in the 2nd half.

Saturday is the first time in the long time, where Rutgers has its best opportunity since 2014, for victory. Like with most games, it will come down to line play. The biggest risk for Rutgers, is that it is unable to mount an effective pass rush, and the Penn State Quarterback is able to play pitch and catch with his receivers all game long, leading to blowout city for us, much like what Wisconsin was able to do. I don’t see that happening, because Penn State has struggled to adequately protect its quarterback in recent games. Illinois got 4 sacks on them, while Michigan got 7 sacks. I expect that we will employ a significant amount of pressure to attempt to accomplish the same.

Another possible risk for us is turnovers, but thankfully we’ve been able to avoid too many of those, aside from the Wisconsin game. And I was particularly impressed with how we are able to keep our composure, and play well, despite being down significantly in the Big House. We had Michigan on the ropes in the 2nd half, but just could not finish.

The biggest key difference, from previous contests, is that we should be able to run the ball Saturday, and stop the run. Michigan’s Hassan Haskins ran for 156 yards, and Illinois’ Chase Brown ran for 223 yards. And the respective defenses were able to limit Penn States rushing attack. Saturday will be a fantastic opportunity for Isaih Pacheco, who has run well, but hasn’t had that standout, exemplary, Player. Of the Week Type Performance.

Another key difference from previous Rutgers/Penn State contests, is that we are facing Penn State, while playing our best football. We’ve usually faced them towards the beginning of the season, but recently, we’ve faced them towards the end, when we were in a beaten up, depleted, state. This year, we’re ready to go. We have some injuries, but they do as well.

I expect that Saturday will be a similar situation to the Michigan game for us. A close game, against a very tough opponent, in one of the best environments in college football, where we’ll have our opportunity. Saturday, we finish.

Rutgers 17
Penn State 14
May not be such an upset.....Rutgers dominated Illinois at Illinois....PSU cannot run the football, PSU cannot stop the run....I see a very close game, decided by a FG or less....
 
May not be such an upset.....Rutgers dominated Illinois at Illinois....PSU cannot run the football, PSU cannot stop the run....I see a very close game, decided by a FG or less....
May not be such an upset.....Rutgers dominated Illinois at Illinois....PSU cannot run the football, PSU cannot stop the run....I see a very close game, decided by a FG or less....
 
One advantage to Rutgers is that many of the students will have left before the weekend for Thanksgiving break.

Not that this really matters, but unlike Penn State where most of the Student Population comes from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, most of the Rutgers student population live within an hour drive of Rutgers and can easily go to a game even with Thanksgiving break. That's why Rutgers campus life will never compare to PSU because a lot of Rutgers folks just go home whenever they want.
 
Not that this really matters, but unlike Penn State where most of the Student Population comes from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, most of the Rutgers student population live within an hour drive of Rutgers and can easily go to a game even with Thanksgiving break. That's why Rutgers campus life will never compare to PSU because a lot of Rutgers folks just go home whenever they want.
If you went to Rutgers, wouldn’t you want to go home too?

IF.
 
Penn States comes into Saturday’s contest sporting a 6-4 record (3-4 in the Big Ten), recently dropping a heartbreaker to Michigan 21-17, after being up 17-14 late in the contest. They have lost four of their last five games, but three of their losses were very close, falling to Iowa (23-20), Illinois (20-18) and Michigan (21-17). Total margin was 9 points for those three losses, so Penn State could very well be 8-1.

The Nittany Lions have been hard hit with injuries, losing their best Defensive Tackle, PJ Mustipher for the season. This has left them susceptible to opponent’s running attacks, as Michigan’s Haskins rushed for 157 yards on 31 attempts and Illinois’ Chase Brown was able to run 33 times for 226 yards. Ohio State’s Treyveyon Henderson rushed 28 Times for 160 yards. Thus Penn State is ranked #9 in the Conference in terms of Rush Defense, which probably is a historical low for them.

Their offensive line is led by LT #79 Caeden Wallace, 6-5 323 lbs. He hails from Robbinsville, NJ. C. Mike Miranda goes 6-3 305 lbs. Eric Wilson goes 6-4 307 lbs. Rasheed Walker goes 6-6 325 lbs. C Michael Menet and LT Will Fries graduated and the line hasn’t played as well this year.

As big as they are, the Nittany Lions have similarly struggled to run the ball, as they are also ranked #13 in the Conference in Rushing as their rushers have rushed for 1067 yards on 341 carries, for a 3.1 ypc average. Keyvonne Lee is their leading rusher, and he ran 20 times for a respectable 90 yards vs Michigan, a 4.4 ypc average.

The Nittany Lion’s strength is surprisingly airpower, with Penn State having the #4 Big Ten Passing Attack. Spearheading the attack is Penn State’s Quarterback Sean Clifford, who has thrown 354 passes, and completed 222 of them, for an impressive 63% Completion Percentage.

Clifford’s favorite target has been #5 Jahan Dotson, who may be the best receiver in college football. Dotson has caught 80 passes for 993 receiving yards, and is averaging an impressive 99.3 receiving yards per game. His longest reception is 86 yards, so Rutgers DBs are going to have to pay extra attention to him. He may require double coverage. Parker Washington is their next best receiver, and has caught 47 passes for 590 receiving yards.

The line has also struggled to protect their passer, as they are at the bottom of the Big East in terms of sacks given up with 27 given up in 10 games. Michigan was able to sack Penn States Quarterback 7 times with Aiden Hutchinson getting 3 off Caeden Wallace and David Ojabo getting two sacks. It should be noted that Penn State has been able to notch a significant number of sacks with 20. Sr Defensive End Arnold Ebiketie notched 8.5 of them and also has 15.5 tackles for loss.

So now it's time to talk about Rutgers. Rutgers is coming off its best played game of the season, besting Indiana 38-3, and has won two of its last three games. For the GameBall, I give it to Jay Butler. Last year, we lost to Indiana, 37-21, the last of 5 consecutive losses, where they seriously manhandled our team. This year, we put a serious beatdown on Indiana, and a lot of it I think is due to the significant gains in Strength and Conditioning that were made over the last year. It’s good to see the kids get a payoff for all those early morning winter workouts. For the many fans who couldn’t understand why we were paying our S&C Coach $500K per year, this is the reason why. I don’t know his method, but Jay Butler is the only one who has been able to elevate Rutgers Strength and Conditioning from noncompetitive to Big Ten Competitive.

When you hold an opponent to 3 points, you can pretty single out every single defensive player for recognition. These are the guys who really stood out to me. Kyonte Hamilton stepped in at three technique tackle and contributed significantly at Indiana, chipping in with 5 Tackles at Indiana and 1 Tackle for loss. Even when he wasn’t getting stats, he was still affecting the trajectory of the play, with his ability to penetrate. Skies the limit for this kid.

#50 Julius Turner and #88 Ifeanyi Maijeh were also a force in the middle, even if their efforts didn’t always show up in the stat sheet. #58 Mohamed Toure had 5 tqckles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack.

Other standouts included LB Drew Singleton, who led all tacklers with 10 tackles. Avery Young has probably his best game as a safety and followed close behind with 8 tackles. Christian Izien was all over the field, and made a terrific read, dropping a back right in the backfield for a tackle for loss. Tyreem Powell had his best game with 4 tackles and an interception. Max Melton also chipped in with an interception, and he has emerged as our best cover corner.

The offense, aided by a change in personnel on the offensive line, also performed well, after failing to convert an early 4th and one. The new lineup included:
  • LT – Raiqwon O’Neal
  • LT – Ireland Brown
  • C – Gus Zilinskas
  • RG – Nick Krimin
  • RT - Aaron Pierce
This to me, looked like our optimal lineup, and I hope to see it for the balance of the year. I particularly liked the play where Zilinskas and Brown pulled, facilitating a TD run by one of the backs. We have not blocked this well in the red zone, all year long, and it felt great to see the offense experience success getting 7, which is something we’ve struggled with. Isaih Pacheco ran particularly strong and gained 80 yards on 20 carries to go along with 2 Touchdowns. Jonny Football was our next leading rusher with 6 carries for 32 yards and Aaron Young also ran tough, blasting into the end zone for a touchdown.

But the guy I think is due special praise is quarterback Noah Vedral, who bounced back from an awful performance against Wisconsin, and delivered a gritty, mistake free performance against Indiana. His passing stats were somewhat pedestrian, completing 9 passes out of 17 attempts for 97 yards, but more importantly, the offense took advantage of every opportunity presented itself, something we have struggled to do, at times. It was gratifying to watch us score Touchdowns rather than having to settle for field goals. We can now say that the coaches decision to go all in with Vedral was the correct one.

Must mention Adam Korsak, who continues to have a strong Season, with 5 punts received inside the 20, and a 43.3 average yards per punt. This position has been a source of competitive advantage for us for a while now. His punts made it so much easier for the defense to do its job.

Rutgers vs Penn State Analysis

To say the Rutgers/Penn State series has been lopsided, is an understatement. We have been the ultimate little brother, where we show up, and they kick our butt. I still remember the Doug Graber teams, which seemed to have decent talent, and thinking we had a shot, only to attend the games and watch our teeth get knocked in. At best, the games were close in the first half, and they’d blow our doors off in the 2nd half.

Saturday is the first time in the long time, where Rutgers has its best opportunity since 2014, for victory. Like with most games, it will come down to line play. The biggest risk for Rutgers, is that it is unable to mount an effective pass rush, and the Penn State Quarterback is able to play pitch and catch with his receivers all game long, leading to blowout city for us, much like what Wisconsin was able to do. I don’t see that happening, because Penn State has struggled to adequately protect its quarterback in recent games. Illinois got 4 sacks on them, while Michigan got 7 sacks. I expect that we will employ a significant amount of pressure to attempt to accomplish the same.

Another possible risk for us is turnovers, but thankfully we’ve been able to avoid too many of those, aside from the Wisconsin game. And I was particularly impressed with how we are able to keep our composure, and play well, despite being down significantly in the Big House. We had Michigan on the ropes in the 2nd half, but just could not finish.

The biggest key difference, from previous contests, is that we should be able to run the ball Saturday, and stop the run. Michigan’s Hassan Haskins ran for 156 yards, and Illinois’ Chase Brown ran for 223 yards. And the respective defenses were able to limit Penn States rushing attack. Saturday will be a fantastic opportunity for Isaih Pacheco, who has run well, but hasn’t had that standout, exemplary, Player. Of the Week Type Performance.

Another key difference from previous Rutgers/Penn State contests, is that we are facing Penn State, while playing our best football. We’ve usually faced them towards the beginning of the season, but recently, we’ve faced them towards the end, when we were in a beaten up, depleted, state. This year, we’re ready to go. We have some injuries, but they do as well.

I expect that Saturday will be a similar situation to the Michigan game for us. A close game, against a very tough opponent, in one of the best environments in college football, where we’ll have our opportunity. Saturday, we finish.

Rutgers 17
Penn State 14

On drugs again I see Al
 
Penn States comes into Saturday’s contest sporting a 6-4 record (3-4 in the Big Ten), recently dropping a heartbreaker to Michigan 21-17, after being up 17-14 late in the contest. They have lost four of their last five games, but three of their losses were very close, falling to Iowa (23-20), Illinois (20-18) and Michigan (21-17). Total margin was 9 points for those three losses, so Penn State could very well be 8-1.

The Nittany Lions have been hard hit with injuries, losing their best Defensive Tackle, PJ Mustipher for the season. This has left them susceptible to opponent’s running attacks, as Michigan’s Haskins rushed for 157 yards on 31 attempts and Illinois’ Chase Brown was able to run 33 times for 226 yards. Ohio State’s Treyveyon Henderson rushed 28 Times for 160 yards. Thus Penn State is ranked #9 in the Conference in terms of Rush Defense, which probably is a historical low for them.

Their offensive line is led by LT #79 Caeden Wallace, 6-5 323 lbs. He hails from Robbinsville, NJ. C. Mike Miranda goes 6-3 305 lbs. Eric Wilson goes 6-4 307 lbs. Rasheed Walker goes 6-6 325 lbs. C Michael Menet and LT Will Fries graduated and the line hasn’t played as well this year.

As big as they are, the Nittany Lions have similarly struggled to run the ball, as they are also ranked #13 in the Conference in Rushing as their rushers have rushed for 1067 yards on 341 carries, for a 3.1 ypc average. Keyvonne Lee is their leading rusher, and he ran 20 times for a respectable 90 yards vs Michigan, a 4.4 ypc average.

The Nittany Lion’s strength is surprisingly airpower, with Penn State having the #4 Big Ten Passing Attack. Spearheading the attack is Penn State’s Quarterback Sean Clifford, who has thrown 354 passes, and completed 222 of them, for an impressive 63% Completion Percentage.

Clifford’s favorite target has been #5 Jahan Dotson, who may be the best receiver in college football. Dotson has caught 80 passes for 993 receiving yards, and is averaging an impressive 99.3 receiving yards per game. His longest reception is 86 yards, so Rutgers DBs are going to have to pay extra attention to him. He may require double coverage. Parker Washington is their next best receiver, and has caught 47 passes for 590 receiving yards.

The line has also struggled to protect their passer, as they are at the bottom of the Big East in terms of sacks given up with 27 given up in 10 games. Michigan was able to sack Penn States Quarterback 7 times with Aiden Hutchinson getting 3 off Caeden Wallace and David Ojabo getting two sacks. It should be noted that Penn State has been able to notch a significant number of sacks with 20. Sr Defensive End Arnold Ebiketie notched 8.5 of them and also has 15.5 tackles for loss.

So now it's time to talk about Rutgers. Rutgers is coming off its best played game of the season, besting Indiana 38-3, and has won two of its last three games. For the GameBall, I give it to Jay Butler. Last year, we lost to Indiana, 37-21, the last of 5 consecutive losses, where they seriously manhandled our team. This year, we put a serious beatdown on Indiana, and a lot of it I think is due to the significant gains in Strength and Conditioning that were made over the last year. It’s good to see the kids get a payoff for all those early morning winter workouts. For the many fans who couldn’t understand why we were paying our S&C Coach $500K per year, this is the reason why. I don’t know his method, but Jay Butler is the only one who has been able to elevate Rutgers Strength and Conditioning from noncompetitive to Big Ten Competitive.

When you hold an opponent to 3 points, you can pretty single out every single defensive player for recognition. These are the guys who really stood out to me. Kyonte Hamilton stepped in at three technique tackle and contributed significantly at Indiana, chipping in with 5 Tackles at Indiana and 1 Tackle for loss. Even when he wasn’t getting stats, he was still affecting the trajectory of the play, with his ability to penetrate. Skies the limit for this kid.

#50 Julius Turner and #88 Ifeanyi Maijeh were also a force in the middle, even if their efforts didn’t always show up in the stat sheet. #58 Mohamed Toure had 5 tqckles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack.

Other standouts included LB Drew Singleton, who led all tacklers with 10 tackles. Avery Young has probably his best game as a safety and followed close behind with 8 tackles. Christian Izien was all over the field, and made a terrific read, dropping a back right in the backfield for a tackle for loss. Tyreem Powell had his best game with 4 tackles and an interception. Max Melton also chipped in with an interception, and he has emerged as our best cover corner.

The offense, aided by a change in personnel on the offensive line, also performed well, after failing to convert an early 4th and one. The new lineup included:
  • LT – Raiqwon O’Neal
  • LT – Ireland Brown
  • C – Gus Zilinskas
  • RG – Nick Krimin
  • RT - Aaron Pierce
This to me, looked like our optimal lineup, and I hope to see it for the balance of the year. I particularly liked the play where Zilinskas and Brown pulled, facilitating a TD run by one of the backs. We have not blocked this well in the red zone, all year long, and it felt great to see the offense experience success getting 7, which is something we’ve struggled with. Isaih Pacheco ran particularly strong and gained 80 yards on 20 carries to go along with 2 Touchdowns. Jonny Football was our next leading rusher with 6 carries for 32 yards and Aaron Young also ran tough, blasting into the end zone for a touchdown.

But the guy I think is due special praise is quarterback Noah Vedral, who bounced back from an awful performance against Wisconsin, and delivered a gritty, mistake free performance against Indiana. His passing stats were somewhat pedestrian, completing 9 passes out of 17 attempts for 97 yards, but more importantly, the offense took advantage of every opportunity presented itself, something we have struggled to do, at times. It was gratifying to watch us score Touchdowns rather than having to settle for field goals. We can now say that the coaches decision to go all in with Vedral was the correct one.

Must mention Adam Korsak, who continues to have a strong Season, with 5 punts received inside the 20, and a 43.3 average yards per punt. This position has been a source of competitive advantage for us for a while now. His punts made it so much easier for the defense to do its job.

Rutgers vs Penn State Analysis

To say the Rutgers/Penn State series has been lopsided, is an understatement. We have been the ultimate little brother, where we show up, and they kick our butt. I still remember the Doug Graber teams, which seemed to have decent talent, and thinking we had a shot, only to attend the games and watch our teeth get knocked in. At best, the games were close in the first half, and they’d blow our doors off in the 2nd half.

Saturday is the first time in the long time, where Rutgers has its best opportunity since 2014, for victory. Like with most games, it will come down to line play. The biggest risk for Rutgers, is that it is unable to mount an effective pass rush, and the Penn State Quarterback is able to play pitch and catch with his receivers all game long, leading to blowout city for us, much like what Wisconsin was able to do. I don’t see that happening, because Penn State has struggled to adequately protect its quarterback in recent games. Illinois got 4 sacks on them, while Michigan got 7 sacks. I expect that we will employ a significant amount of pressure to attempt to accomplish the same.

Another possible risk for us is turnovers, but thankfully we’ve been able to avoid too many of those, aside from the Wisconsin game. And I was particularly impressed with how we are able to keep our composure, and play well, despite being down significantly in the Big House. We had Michigan on the ropes in the 2nd half, but just could not finish.

The biggest key difference, from previous contests, is that we should be able to run the ball Saturday, and stop the run. Michigan’s Hassan Haskins ran for 156 yards, and Illinois’ Chase Brown ran for 223 yards. And the respective defenses were able to limit Penn States rushing attack. Saturday will be a fantastic opportunity for Isaih Pacheco, who has run well, but hasn’t had that standout, exemplary, Player. Of the Week Type Performance.

Another key difference from previous Rutgers/Penn State contests, is that we are facing Penn State, while playing our best football. We’ve usually faced them towards the beginning of the season, but recently, we’ve faced them towards the end, when we were in a beaten up, depleted, state. This year, we’re ready to go. We have some injuries, but they do as well.

I expect that Saturday will be a similar situation to the Michigan game for us. A close game, against a very tough opponent, in one of the best environments in college football, where we’ll have our opportunity. Saturday, we finish.

Rutgers 17
Penn State 14
Most of us would not consider it an upset.
 
Penn States comes into Saturday’s contest sporting a 6-4 record (3-4 in the Big Ten), recently dropping a heartbreaker to Michigan 21-17, after being up 17-14 late in the contest. They have lost four of their last five games, but three of their losses were very close, falling to Iowa (23-20), Illinois (20-18) and Michigan (21-17). Total margin was 9 points for those three losses, so Penn State could very well be 8-1.

The Nittany Lions have been hard hit with injuries, losing their best Defensive Tackle, PJ Mustipher for the season. This has left them susceptible to opponent’s running attacks, as Michigan’s Haskins rushed for 157 yards on 31 attempts and Illinois’ Chase Brown was able to run 33 times for 226 yards. Ohio State’s Treyveyon Henderson rushed 28 Times for 160 yards. Thus Penn State is ranked #9 in the Conference in terms of Rush Defense, which probably is a historical low for them.

Their offensive line is led by LT #79 Caeden Wallace, 6-5 323 lbs. He hails from Robbinsville, NJ. C. Mike Miranda goes 6-3 305 lbs. Eric Wilson goes 6-4 307 lbs. Rasheed Walker goes 6-6 325 lbs. C Michael Menet and LT Will Fries graduated and the line hasn’t played as well this year.

As big as they are, the Nittany Lions have similarly struggled to run the ball, as they are also ranked #13 in the Conference in Rushing as their rushers have rushed for 1067 yards on 341 carries, for a 3.1 ypc average. Keyvonne Lee is their leading rusher, and he ran 20 times for a respectable 90 yards vs Michigan, a 4.4 ypc average.

The Nittany Lion’s strength is surprisingly airpower, with Penn State having the #4 Big Ten Passing Attack. Spearheading the attack is Penn State’s Quarterback Sean Clifford, who has thrown 354 passes, and completed 222 of them, for an impressive 63% Completion Percentage.

Clifford’s favorite target has been #5 Jahan Dotson, who may be the best receiver in college football. Dotson has caught 80 passes for 993 receiving yards, and is averaging an impressive 99.3 receiving yards per game. His longest reception is 86 yards, so Rutgers DBs are going to have to pay extra attention to him. He may require double coverage. Parker Washington is their next best receiver, and has caught 47 passes for 590 receiving yards.

The line has also struggled to protect their passer, as they are at the bottom of the Big East in terms of sacks given up with 27 given up in 10 games. Michigan was able to sack Penn States Quarterback 7 times with Aiden Hutchinson getting 3 off Caeden Wallace and David Ojabo getting two sacks. It should be noted that Penn State has been able to notch a significant number of sacks with 20. Sr Defensive End Arnold Ebiketie notched 8.5 of them and also has 15.5 tackles for loss.

So now it's time to talk about Rutgers. Rutgers is coming off its best played game of the season, besting Indiana 38-3, and has won two of its last three games. For the GameBall, I give it to Jay Butler. Last year, we lost to Indiana, 37-21, the last of 5 consecutive losses, where they seriously manhandled our team. This year, we put a serious beatdown on Indiana, and a lot of it I think is due to the significant gains in Strength and Conditioning that were made over the last year. It’s good to see the kids get a payoff for all those early morning winter workouts. For the many fans who couldn’t understand why we were paying our S&C Coach $500K per year, this is the reason why. I don’t know his method, but Jay Butler is the only one who has been able to elevate Rutgers Strength and Conditioning from noncompetitive to Big Ten Competitive.

When you hold an opponent to 3 points, you can pretty single out every single defensive player for recognition. These are the guys who really stood out to me. Kyonte Hamilton stepped in at three technique tackle and contributed significantly at Indiana, chipping in with 5 Tackles at Indiana and 1 Tackle for loss. Even when he wasn’t getting stats, he was still affecting the trajectory of the play, with his ability to penetrate. Skies the limit for this kid.

#50 Julius Turner and #88 Ifeanyi Maijeh were also a force in the middle, even if their efforts didn’t always show up in the stat sheet. #58 Mohamed Toure had 5 tqckles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack.

Other standouts included LB Drew Singleton, who led all tacklers with 10 tackles. Avery Young has probably his best game as a safety and followed close behind with 8 tackles. Christian Izien was all over the field, and made a terrific read, dropping a back right in the backfield for a tackle for loss. Tyreem Powell had his best game with 4 tackles and an interception. Max Melton also chipped in with an interception, and he has emerged as our best cover corner.

The offense, aided by a change in personnel on the offensive line, also performed well, after failing to convert an early 4th and one. The new lineup included:
  • LT – Raiqwon O’Neal
  • LT – Ireland Brown
  • C – Gus Zilinskas
  • RG – Nick Krimin
  • RT - Aaron Pierce
This to me, looked like our optimal lineup, and I hope to see it for the balance of the year. I particularly liked the play where Zilinskas and Brown pulled, facilitating a TD run by one of the backs. We have not blocked this well in the red zone, all year long, and it felt great to see the offense experience success getting 7, which is something we’ve struggled with. Isaih Pacheco ran particularly strong and gained 80 yards on 20 carries to go along with 2 Touchdowns. Jonny Football was our next leading rusher with 6 carries for 32 yards and Aaron Young also ran tough, blasting into the end zone for a touchdown.

But the guy I think is due special praise is quarterback Noah Vedral, who bounced back from an awful performance against Wisconsin, and delivered a gritty, mistake free performance against Indiana. His passing stats were somewhat pedestrian, completing 9 passes out of 17 attempts for 97 yards, but more importantly, the offense took advantage of every opportunity presented itself, something we have struggled to do, at times. It was gratifying to watch us score Touchdowns rather than having to settle for field goals. We can now say that the coaches decision to go all in with Vedral was the correct one.

Must mention Adam Korsak, who continues to have a strong Season, with 5 punts received inside the 20, and a 43.3 average yards per punt. This position has been a source of competitive advantage for us for a while now. His punts made it so much easier for the defense to do its job.

Rutgers vs Penn State Analysis

To say the Rutgers/Penn State series has been lopsided, is an understatement. We have been the ultimate little brother, where we show up, and they kick our butt. I still remember the Doug Graber teams, which seemed to have decent talent, and thinking we had a shot, only to attend the games and watch our teeth get knocked in. At best, the games were close in the first half, and they’d blow our doors off in the 2nd half.

Saturday is the first time in the long time, where Rutgers has its best opportunity since 2014, for victory. Like with most games, it will come down to line play. The biggest risk for Rutgers, is that it is unable to mount an effective pass rush, and the Penn State Quarterback is able to play pitch and catch with his receivers all game long, leading to blowout city for us, much like what Wisconsin was able to do. I don’t see that happening, because Penn State has struggled to adequately protect its quarterback in recent games. Illinois got 4 sacks on them, while Michigan got 7 sacks. I expect that we will employ a significant amount of pressure to attempt to accomplish the same.

Another possible risk for us is turnovers, but thankfully we’ve been able to avoid too many of those, aside from the Wisconsin game. And I was particularly impressed with how we are able to keep our composure, and play well, despite being down significantly in the Big House. We had Michigan on the ropes in the 2nd half, but just could not finish.

The biggest key difference, from previous contests, is that we should be able to run the ball Saturday, and stop the run. Michigan’s Hassan Haskins ran for 156 yards, and Illinois’ Chase Brown ran for 223 yards. And the respective defenses were able to limit Penn States rushing attack. Saturday will be a fantastic opportunity for Isaih Pacheco, who has run well, but hasn’t had that standout, exemplary, Player. Of the Week Type Performance.

Another key difference from previous Rutgers/Penn State contests, is that we are facing Penn State, while playing our best football. We’ve usually faced them towards the beginning of the season, but recently, we’ve faced them towards the end, when we were in a beaten up, depleted, state. This year, we’re ready to go. We have some injuries, but they do as well.

I expect that Saturday will be a similar situation to the Michigan game for us. A close game, against a very tough opponent, in one of the best environments in college football, where we’ll have our opportunity. Saturday, we finish.

Rutgers 17
Penn State 14
Thank you RutgersAl (I know I corrected your fuc#ed up spelling of your own handle)! You provided a lot of insight for us to consider as we watch this matchup between the two Eastern Titans of the B1G East, east. God bless and good health you brother!
 
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I am not sure Miranda plays. From what I saw, he was taken out in the first half and I never saw him back in. I don't think Clifford is 100% and both Key and Dotson got injured late. We'll have no idea if they will play or not.

I expect PSU to win but would not be shocked if we lost.
Really? I thought Clifford looked fine.
 
Don’t mind this guy. He’s a joke on our Board.
But he is much beloved on this board. Your program could do far worse than having him as a board monitor. He is polite, entertaining, informed (if a tad optimistic), and forward looking. In tis era, he is a breath of fresh (and perhaps a little hot) air. Best of luck on Saturday, RutgersAl! Please come back again.
 
Last edited:
But he is much beloved on this board. Your program could do far worse than having him as a board monitor. He is polite, entertaining, informed (if a tad optimistic), and forward looking. In tis era, he is a breath of fresh (and perhaps a little hot) air. Best of luck on Saturday, RutgersAl! Please come back again.
No!

Get lost!

Stay lost!!
 
May not be such an upset.....Rutgers dominated Illinois at Illinois....PSU cannot run the football, PSU cannot stop the run....I see a very close game, decided by a FG or less....
How many qb sneaks from rutgers? Bet there will be many inside 4th and 2.Or maybe the Illini jumbo express and the coaches will look just as lost.Better practice some with a heavy package
 
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