Rutgers: LOL

It hurts just a little bit.  Despite a spirited effort by the Nittany Lions, Ohio State proved too much this past Saturday as the Lions fell to the now number one ranked Buckeyes by a score of 28-17.  Considering the Lions were 19-point road underdogs, they sure didn’t play like one.  

Both coaches said pregame that in order to win the heavyweight matchup, they needed to land big blows on their opponent.  At the start of this game, it was all Buckeyes. The duo of J.K Dobbins and quarterback Justin Fields tore apart the stout Nittany Lions defense.  As the first half came to a close, it was looking like the second half has squaring up to be a rout.

After an early second half touchdown that extended the Buckeye lead to 21-0, chaos commenced.  Sean Clifford went down following a brutal hit from an Ohio State defender, forcing redshirt freshman Will Levis to enter the game. The quarterback was thought to be a known quantity as an athletic, but raw play caller.  Levis’s first drive felt like old school, hard mouth Penn State football. He and Journey Brown used their physical running ability and ran the ball down the Buckeyes throat for a touchdown.  

Following that, a switch was flipped and the Penn State defense looked absolutely dominate.  The play following the touchdown, Ohio State’s stud running back J.K Dobbins fumbled the football and Penn State recovered.  Just like the last Penn State offensive drive, Levis and Brown ran the ball right through the Buckeye defense and scored yet another touchdown.  It was deja vu on the following Buckeye drive, as they fumbled again and Penn State recovered. Penn State was held to a field goal, but the Nittnay Lions had suckered punched the best team in the country so hard that their was a belief that the Nittany Lions could pull off the shocker.

Sadly for Penn State, Ohio State’s sheer talent took over.  The Ohio State defense clamped down with the leadership of future number one pick, Chase Young.  A 4th quarter Chris Olave touchdown would seal it for the Buckeyes, as Ohio State escaped the Horseshoe with a victory and their perfect record in tact.  Ohio State’s stars came to play and in the end, that made the difference.

I’ve never felt better after a loss.  The defense, including the secondary, played amazing.  Micah Parson’s did his thing and Lamont Wade was an absolute beast.  Offensively we saw Will Levis’s coming out party. Is he the new starting quarterback over Clifford this season?  The answer is a hard no. This performance did show us that James Franklin may have something to ponder at the quarterback position, possibly opening up a quarterback competition in the spring.  Also, Journey Brown continues to improve week by week. I have full confidence in Journey Brown as Penn State starting running back this season and next, with Noah Cain as a situational guy for the time being.

A loss is a loss though.  Penn State has suffered their second loss of the season, putting them at a 9-2 record.  The College Football rankings put the Nittany Lions at No. 10 in the country, keeping them firmly in the mix for a spot in a New Year’s Six Bowl.  There’s still business to be done and that starts with going 1-0 this week. So let’s get it. It’s time to take a look at this week’s opponent, the mighty, terrifying, dominate *checks notes*, RUTGERS!!!

At First Glance…

RUTGERS IS SO BAD.  They currently sit at a 2-9 record and have not won a single game in conference play.  They beat UMASS and Liberty. Their like really, really, really bad.

A Deeper Look…

To put Rutgers into perspective, there isn’t a single player currently on their roster who would even sniff Penn State’s starting lineup.  The best player they “have”, Raheem Blacksheer, decided to redshirt 4 games into the season because they were so bad and he didn’t want to play for them anymore.  Blacksheer, a junior running back, is statistically Rutgers 2nd best receiver. HE HASN’T PLAYED IN TWO MONTHS!

I can’t preview their quarterback because no one knows who’s it’s going to be.  They’ve used Johnny Langan, Artur Sitlowski, and McLane Carter. Not a single one of them has a positive touchdown to interception ratio.   I would expect for Langan to start this game, but I highly doubt he finishes it. Their one bright spot can be considered to be Isaah Pacheco.  He’s got 7 touchdowns on the season, which is kinda good.

The defense isn’t even worth mentioning.  According to S+P ranking, which is a highly regarding stat in tracking the quality of a team, Rutgers ranks 118 out of 130 FBS teams.  At least they’re not the worst team, statistically.

Connor’s Keys to the Game…

Penn State- Show Up

Yep.

Rutgers- Hope Penn State doesn’t show up

Yep.

Predictions

Penn State’s going to win this game and it won’t even be close.  I wouldn’t be shocked if a game similar to last year happened, where Penn State only won 20-6.  It may be a slow start from the Nittany Lions, but their going to run away with it. Couple all this with the fact that Penn State’s performance may have a factor on their bowl placement, pray for Rutgers.  I’ll give Rutgers a field goal out of pity and also for the fact they represent my home state of New Jersey.

Score Prediction- Penn State 49, Rutgers 3

If you can get out to the game this weekend, try and go.  With a lot of students home for break, the student section will be bare.  It’s the last home game for the likes of Jon Reid, Garrett Taylor, Robert Windsor, Blake Gillikan, Jan Johnson, Nick Bowers, and nine other seniors.  A spot in the Rose Bowl or Orange Bowl are still on the line. So, Nittany Nation, let’s get it for one final time. Kickoff from Beaver Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m on Saturday, November 30.  The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. As our fearless leader James Franklin always says, “It begins with I love you and ends with I love you.” We Are!

 

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