If there was any ideal way in which the Nittany Lion Football team needed to open its Big Ten Conference season, it would be how they played against Rutgers on a rainy Saturday night in Beaver Stadium. With the help of the running backs, true freshman Saquon Barkley and senior Akeel Lynch, the Nittany Lions rolled on to increase the number in the win column by one.
PSU Football Downpour On Rutgers
The first quarter was off to a slow start for the Nittany Lions as they recorded three penalties—two illegal procedures and one illegal block—in their first drive before having to punt from the Rutgers 41st yard line. However, it didn’t take long for the defense to show worthy of the consistent praise they have been receiving. With the Penn State defense limiting the Rutgers offense to just twelve plays amongst two drives, three and out on the first and nine recorded plays on the second drive, and 56 yards, Christian Hackenberg and the Nittany Lion offense had momentum on their side. Hackenberg’s 30 yard completed pass to sophomore wide receiver Chris Godwin (wonder what’s up with the one long sock—superstition perhaps?) ignited the spark of the, ironically, running game that would be the theme of the game.
By the beginning of the second quarter, it was obvious that the running game of the Penn State Nittany Lions was going to be incredibly important and impactful. Saquon Barkley recorded his first touchdown in the second quarter of the game on a second down with 14 yards needed. What was so impressive, however, is how he was able to emerge into the end zone. He did not reflect the panic of a true freshman player. Instead of accepting getting tackled and panicking, Barkley fought for each yard to put Penn State even more ahead by any means necessary.
Although the defense was incredible, recorded five sacks and limiting the Rutgers offense to 294 total offensive yards—43 rushing and 251 receiving—the defensive backs had plenty of opportunities to capitalize on the amount of air that was underneath the balls thrown by Rutgers’ quarterback Chris Laviano; i.e. the would have been interception that slipped through the hands of senior safety Jordan Lucas. But no love was lost for Jordan Lucas as Akeel Lynch, with the help of perfectly executed blocks by Derek Dowrey and Angelo Mangiro, turned on the burners to score a 75 yard rushing towndown to put the Nittany Lions up 21-0 by the end of the first half. By the end of the first half, the Nittany Lions offense recorded 311 yards.
The Nittany Lions were on attack mode until the very end of the game. Although they were leading the Scarlet Knights by twenty-one points, Penn State still played as if the score was even at zero; the mentality of a successful and determined team. It was during the last five minutes of the game that Saquon Barkley ran for sixteen yards into the end zone after running for 54 yards on the down immediately before the final touchdown of the night.
This game against Rutgers marked the first time since 2009 that the Nittany Lions recorded at least 200 yards in consecutive games. Maybe it was burying the tape from the Temple game or the rainy conditions at home that has served as a charm to Penn State’s football team. Either way, this team looks like it has found its identity in strong running backs to transform this season into that of what Happy Valley believed it could and should be.
