Penn State looks to Rutgers after getting its first win of the 2020 season on Saturday against Michigan. The Nittany Lions broke a five-game losing streak with a 27-17 win in the Big House. Both Penn State and Michigan are having a rough 2020 season, but there were bright spots that Penn State will look to take into the game against Rutgers this weekend.
Penn State Looks to Win Again at Rutgers
Nittany Lion quarterback Sean Clifford got the starting job back against Michigan after coming off of the bench against Iowa. He will look to improve on a solid outing against the Wolverines. Clifford threw for 163 yards with a 60.7 completion percentage. In addition, the signal-caller added 73 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. The stat line coaches and fans were happy about was that there were no turnovers from the quarterback position. Winning the turnover battle is something that Penn State has struggled with all season. The Nittany Lions will have to keep that trend against a Rutgers team that has forced nine turnovers this season.
Balanced Offensive Attack
Against Michigan, the Nittany Lions were able to get the run game going and find open receivers. Penn State accounted for 417 total yards of offense. While this wasn’t the highest offensive total of the season it proved to be the most efficient. It was also the most rushing yards the Nittany Lions have had this season with 254. Leading the way for the rushing attack was true freshman Keyvone Lee. Lee rushed for a season-high 134 yards. He also snagged his third touchdown of the season. His third in three straight games. The other true freshman, Caziah Holmes, rushed for 34 yards on 10 carries. Both will have to have another strong outing this week against a Rutgers defense that is allowing an average of 174.5 rushing yards per game this season.
Clifford threw for 163 yards on Saturday and 93 of those were to freshman receiver Parker Washington. The nine receptions for 93 yards were both season highs for the freshman. Being able to have another weapon to throw to for Clifford or Will Levis outside of Jahan Dotson will be key moving forward now that star tight end Pat Freiermuth is out for the rest of the season. The Rutgers defense is not any better in passing yards allowed. The unit is averaging an allowance of 260.2 passing yards per game this season. However, the Scarlet Knights do have three interceptions this season. The unit has accounted for at least one turnover in each game this season except in the loss to Indiana. The young playmakers for Penn State will need to be cautious of that this weekend.
Better Red Zone Play
The Penn State offense needs to be better in the red zone. Red zone efficiency has plagued the Nittany Lions this season and Saturday’s game against Michigan was no different. Penn State currently ranks 123rd in red zone efficiency. That is bad. This will need to improve this week against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have not scored less than 20 points all season and rank 59th in red zone efficiency. The Nittany Lion defense has been inconsistent this year, so to leave New Jersey with a win the offense will need to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
Scarlet Knight Quarterback Watch
Rutgers got its second win of the season last weekend against Purdue but did so without starting quarterback Noah Vedral. It is unclear if Vedral will be able to suit up against Penn State on Saturday. If he cannot play it will likely be the same combination of Art Sitkowski and Johnny Langan that secured the win against Purdue. Sitkowski would make his second start of the season if Vedral isn’t healthy. The junior was the starter before Vedral took the job this season. Sitkowski and Langan combined for 236 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Boilermakers. It was also the first game without any offensive turnovers for the Scarlet Knights. Regardless of who is behind center for Rutgers, the Nittany Lions will have to be ready for an offense that has been efficient against both Indiana and Ohio State this season. Two of arguably the best teams in the Big Ten this season.
Penn State vs Rutgers: The Details
Time: 12:00 pm ET
Location: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
TV: FS1
Records: Penn State 1-5; Rutgers 2-4
