It wasn’t a flawless performance from Gavin Wimsatt on Saturday at Penn State. But the Rutgers football quarterback did make plays and was more efficient in the pocket.
And despite the 27-6 loss at Penn State, Wimsatt was efficient in passing the ball.
Coming into Saturday’s game, Wimsatt had seen his completion percentage drop in four consecutive games. The low water mark was at Iowa, where Wimsatt completed just 38.9 percent of his passes. In that game, Rutgers didn’t score and had just 127 yards of total offense while managing just seven first downs.
Against Penn State, one of the best defenses in the nation, Wimsatt was 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) for 130 yards. He had two turnovers (a fumble on a blindside hit and a second-half interception) but he threw the ball much better.
He also ran well, his 31 rushing yards were second-most on the team after [autotag]Kyle Monangai[/autotag].
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It was the first time since a late-September blowout win of Wagner that Wimsatt had completed more than half of his passing attempts.
“We are a developing offense. I told you when we started this (season) there are not going to be any magic pills so it’s gonna take time,” head coach Greg Schiano told reporters after the game.
“We have had some good showings in the red zone and we have had some tough showings in the red zone.”
The rough news for Rutgers was that Penn State was a second straight game where Rutgers has failed to score a touchdown.
But, they did show improvement at Penn State, with 229 yards of total offense and 13 first downs. Not gaudy numbers, but certainly a step in the right direction in terms of being a viable offense.
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With the win, Penn State is now 9-2 (6-2 Big Ten). Rutgers is 6-5 (3-5 Big Ten).
On Saturday, Rutgers will host Maryland for Senior Day. The Terrapins are coming off a tough loss to No. 3 Michigan.
Their defense is seventh in the Big Ten, allowing 335.3 yards per game.
Scroll down and check out the best photos from Rutgers football’s game on Saturday at Penn State!