With so much uncertainty in the air, Penn State will finish the regular season with a chance to reach .500 and become eligible for a bowl game.
No one knows who the next head coach will be or when he will be named. No one knows how much of the coaching staff, including interim head coach Terry Smith, will remain. No one knows how many players will stay or continue their careers elsewhere next season.
“I’ve been part of a coaching change last year, so I’m pretty used to this type of stuff,” linebacker Amare Campbell said, referring to North Carolina last year before he transferred. “There’s a lot of business that’s being handled right now that we can’t control.
“I let that stuff kind of play out from a distance and then decide on how I feel.”
The Nittany Lions (2-6 Big Ten, 5-6) and Rutgers (2-6, 5-6) meet Saturday at 3:30 at SHI Stadium, each seeking a sixth victory that could continue their season.
“It definitely would mean a lot (to win),” Campbell said. “The season didn’t go the way we wanted, but we still have pride. We still want to win. We still want to put good film out there.”
Penn State has relied on its defense and its running backs the last three games against No. 2 Indiana, Michigan State and Nebraska.
The Lions have allowed an average of 15.7 points and 291 yards in those games, a last-minute loss against the Hoosiers and decisive wins over the Spartans and the Cornhuskers.
“Over the course of time, you’re going to get better naturally,” interim head coach Terry Smith said. “But I think we have simplified things and taken away some of the third and fourth options to what we can do on defense.
“I think Jim (defensive coordinator Jim Knowles) has done a really good job minimizing calls in the game plan. I think it’s allowed our guys to really accelerate and play better.”
Penn State has registered 11 sacks in the last three games, including four by end Dani Dennis-Sutton. That could spell trouble for Rutgers, which ranks among the nation’s worst teams in pass protection with 35 sacks allowed.
Campbell has been the Lions’ most consistent player on defense all season, leading the team with 82 tackles.
“Guys are putting in a lot more time into the defense during the week,” he said. “I think that’s starting to show a lot these last couple weeks.”
On offense, Penn State has relied on running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton the last three games.
Allen, who became the school’s all-time rushing leader last week, carried 69 times for 389 yards and four TDs in those games. Singleton ran 32 times for 171 yards and four TDs, had 315 all-purpose yards and caught a TD pass.
As he prepares for what might be his final Penn State game, Singleton is tied with Saquon Barkley for the most career rushing touchdowns (43) and most overall TDs (51) in school history.
“I know when you’re able to achieve a record like that, you then become legendary,” center Nick Dawkins said about Singleton. “It’s no longer you chasing excellence; it’s you becoming the standard of excellence to be chased.”
Rutgers has allowed 201.7 rushing yards per game, last in the Big Ten and 127th in the country. Allen and Singleton will get their chances to run, especially the way the offensive line has performed in recent weeks.
“Sometimes it just takes a little bit to really get it going,” Dawkins said. “We’ve been playing physically. There are great clips from the beginning of the year. Now we’re just seeing fruition and more explosiveness in the run game.”
Penn State likely will see many changes over the next several days and weeks. The Lions are seemingly doing their best to focus on Saturday.
“Rutgers is all that matters,” Smith said. “It means everything to us in the building and we’re trying to go out and get this victory.”
Rich Scarcella’s pick
Penn State 34, Rutgers 17
The Nittany Lions have managed to maintain their concentration and effort after the firing of their coach in midseason. They’re coming off their best performance of the season against Nebraska. Expect them to continue to rely on their running backs and their aggressive defense against a team that has been blown out three times in the last five games.
Source: Berkshire mont