Penn State improved to 9-2 on Saturday afternoon after a 27-6 victory over Rutgers in Happy Valley. It wasn’t always pretty for the Nittany Lions, but they pulled out the win with their tough defense and gritty offensive performance. Penn State will end the regular season next week against Michigan State in Detroit on Friday evening.
No team could get the passing game going in the first half, and it seemed like every yard Penn State gained was hard-earned. Starting quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] left the game early while running and taking a brutal hit that left him on the turf for a minute. He appeared to injure his right shoulder area and did not return, and he airmailed a screen pass out of bounds on the next play. Redshirt freshman Beau Pribula came into the game and seemed to give the offense a jolt of energy with his ability to find the edge on several of his runs. Allar’s health will be a fascinating storyline to follow this week.
Rutgers was able to drive the ball down the field for a couple of drives with quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, giving Penn State’s defense fits with his legs. The defense forced the Scarlett Knights into three turnovers and pressured Wimsatt often.
Let us dive into a few takeaways from the Nittany Lions’ ninth win of the season.