PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith described the defense’s performance Saturday night as “horrible.”
But linebacker Amare Campbell and nickel back Zion Tracy made two game-changing plays in the final eight minutes that enabled the Nittany Lions to turn back Rutgers 40-36 at SHI Stadium.
With the Scarlet Knights driving, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis dropped the football with defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton charging. Campbell picked it up and returned it 61 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 7:27 to go.
“As soon as I saw the ball drop, I was just thinking, ‘Scoop and score,’ ” Campbell said. “I was like, ‘Just don’t get caught and don’t fumble.’ I was winded. I played every snap in that game, so I was just trying to get in.”
A few minutes later, after a remarkable 42-yard catch by KJ Duff, Tracy tackled Kaliakmanis for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the Lions’ 28 with 3:55 left.
Penn State then took advantage of a defensive holding call on second-and-26 to get a new set of downs and to maintain possession. Kaytron Allen reeled off a 50-yard run to the Scarlet Knights’ 28 before the Lions sealed it with two more first downs.
“It was definitely not a pretty victory,” Smith said. “The offense was unbelievable tonight, They had their way. I was super proud of them. They answered the call.
“The defense struggled all night. We just didn’t seem to have an answer to cover those guys. We struggled tackling those guys. It was not pretty, but we figured out a way.”
The Nittany Lions (3-6 Big Ten, 6-6) became bowl eligible with their third straight win in the regular season finale, beat the Scarlet Knights (2-7, 5-7) for the 18th consecutive time and prevented them from qualifying for a bowl.
It wasn’t easy. Penn State gained a season-high 509 total yards, but allowed a season-high 533 yards. Rutgers scored its most points against the Lions in the 35-game series and matched its point total from the previous six meetings combined.
Allen carried 22 times for a career-high 226 yards and one touchdown one week after becoming Penn State’s all-time leading rusher. He now has 4,180 yards.
Singleton gained 183 all-purpose yards, passing Saquon Barkley as the school’s all-time leader, and scored two touchdowns, passing Barkley in career rushing TDs and overall TDs. He carried nine times for 86 yards and two TDs and moved past Curt Warner into fourth place on Penn State’s career rushing list with 3,461 yards.
“I went to those guys the last couple weeks and said, ‘I’m going to get you those records,’ ” Smith said. “I knew if we stuck to our game plan and got those guys 30-plus touches a game, they’d do exactly what they’ve done.
“They’re just incredible. Everybody knows we’re running and they can’t stop us.”
Behind Allen and Singleton, Penn State rushed for a season-high 300 yards against one of the worst run defenses in the nation.
In addition, Ethan Grunkemeyer completed 17-of-21 passes for 209 yards and one touchdown in another solid performance.
“He’s the future of the position for us,” Smith said. “He’s taken great strides in getting better.”
Kaliakmanis was precise with his passing, going 16-for-22 for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Antwan Raymond carried 29 times for 189 yards and one TD, finding cracks in Penn State’s defense time and time again.
“He’s a very good back,” said Campbell, who had 14 tackles. “He has very good contact balance. Those shorter, stocky backs with good contact balance cause a lot of trouble. He was a great player. Salute to him. We’ve just got to tackle better.”
The first half was full of offensive fireworks, Penn State taking a 24-21 lead and rolling up 311 total yards to 296 for Rutgers.
The Lions’ three touchdowns came on Grunkemeyer’s 53-yard pass to tight end Andrew Rappleyea; Singleton’s 11-yard run, which broke Barkley’s TD records; and Allen’s 16-yard burst.
The Knights scored on Raymond’s 19-yard touchdown run, Kaliakmanis’ 2-yard sneak and his 21-yard pass to DT Sheffield with 27 seconds left in the half.
Penn State, though, wasn’t about to settle. Singleton picked up 8 yards and Grunkemeyer completed three straight passes for 48 yards, setting up Ryan Barker’s 31-yard field goal with one second left in the half.
“The drive right before the half was big,” Smith said. “It was critical to the outcome of the game.”
So was running out the final four minutes of the game. On fourth-and-2 from the Rutgers 10, Grunkemeyer tossed a 3-yard pass to Rappelyea to seal it.
“You all recall the Indiana game,” Smith said about the Hoosiers’ last-minute 27-24 win. “Tonight was the same situation with four minutes to go and we didn’t give the ball back. We ended it on our terms. That was fantastic.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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