Penn State Football: Handing Out The Grades Following Penn State’s Win Over Rutgers

Offense:B

Without question this was Penn State’s best looking offensive performance of the year. Just over 300 yards on the ground with separate 100-yard rushers and nearly 150 yards through the air made for an effective evening. Christian Hackenberg went a modest 10-for-19 and could have done a bit better if not for a few short throws. 

Oh and that Saquon Barkley kid appears to be good at football. 21 carries of 195 yard performance that you tell your friends that “I was there the night he became someone.”

This grade should be higher, but Penn State was either putting together long drives or punting in the blink of the eye. Assuming that the Nittany Lions aren’t going to score every drive, the fewer three-and-outs the better off both sides of the ball will be.

At the end of the day Penn State’s offense put up good numbers, but it’s the consistency that is holding this grade back. The 4-of-12 mark on third down is a big factor here.

Defense: A

Bob Shoop’s squad was as healthy as it has been all season and as full of personality and energy as ever before. Marcus Allen’s 11 tackles led the team while the front forced five sacks. Overall the Nittany Lions forced two fumbles and two interceptions while collecting a total of three turnovers. Jason Cabinda and Troy Reeder continue to excel at the linebacker position while John Reid impressed in the secondary.

All in all there isn’t much to complain about here. Rutgers did have its fair share of mid range passes, but Penn State seemed happy to sit in cover two and avoid giving up the big play. Rutgers scored three points and converted only five third downs so ultimately it’s hard to knock that grade down. Anthony Zettel only had two tackles but Rutgers passing attack didn’t get him involved much.

Oh and giving up 43 yards on the ground isn’t too shabby either.

Special Teams: A+

After struggling to punt as a unit all year, Chris Gulla stepped up and delivered a game changing performance. With Rutgers boasting one of the best return men in college football the Nittany Lions excelled on punt and kick coverages all night. Joe Julius was perfect when called on and Gulla had all five punts land inside the 20 including one just feet from a touchback. Averaging just over 41-yards a punt it looks like Gulla will hold on to the job for now. But as always it’s about consistency, and that has been Penn State’s biggest issue in that area.

On the other side of the special team’s ball, Nick Scott’s 34-yard return was a great way to open the game but about the only noteworthy return of the night. That being said, Rutgers was getting good punting as well which made limited returns less indicative of what Penn State was doing and more what Rutgers was.

It’s rare to have special teams be such a factor in the game consistently and Penn State delivered in flying colors in this area. This unit appears to be something “special” in the making. Saturday was a great step forward in proving that to be true.

Overall: B

While two of the three units ended up with A grades, the fact Penn State probably should have won this game by more keeps the grade down. Maybe it’s being a little nitpicky, but Hackenberg was essentially a game manager and a few bizarre play calls are hard to forget. Without question this was Penn State’s best overall game, but the bar to pass is not incredibly high.