The five keys for Rutgers to pull off an upset in Week 12 at Penn State

Can Week 12 finally be the game Rutgers ends their winless drought against Penn State? Here are the five keys for RU to pull off a victory.

On Saturday, Rutgers football (6-4, 3-4) will travel to Beaver Stadium (Pennsylvania) to take on the No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2, 5-2) in their Week 12 matchup.

Rutgers’ Week 12 matchup will mark the third consecutive game against a ranked opponent and the second straight road opponent. Also, Week 12 will mark the tenth time Rutgers and Penn State played each other in the Big Ten Conference (34 times overall). The series between the two Big Ten schools started 103 years ago on Nov. 9, 1918, with a 26-3 Rutgers victory over Penn State.

 

The Scarlet Knights and the Nittany Lions have matched up against each other more than any other Big Ten opponent, playing each other annually from 1982 until 1995.

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The last time the Scarlet Knights defeated the Nittany Lions was in 1988 when Rutgers beat No. 15 Penn State 21-16. Since then, the Scarlet Knights are riding a 35-year winless drought against the Nittany Lions.

Can Week 12 finally be the game where the drought ends? Below are the five keys for Rutgers to defeat No. 12 Penn State.

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