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pulled him late in the game and said after- ward, "We've got to figure out something offensively to move the ball consistently and score some points." Rutgers has moved the ball a bit better in the three games since then. The Scarlet Knights were leading in the fourth quarter against eventual Big Ten West Division champion Northwestern before falling, 18- 15. A week later, Sitkowski hit 20 of 39 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown in a 31-17 loss to Wisconsin. And last week, Isaih Pacheco burst 80 yards up the middle for a touchdown to tie the score against Michigan. It was only the first quarter, and the Wolverines dominated the rest of the game en route to a 42-7 victory. But by to- taling 142 yards against the Big Ten's best defense, Pacheco, a 5-11, 210-pound fresh- man, gave Rutgers something to build on. The running backs have been a relative bright spot this season. Pacheco has flashed some potential, with 460 yards on 84 carries, and he's not even starting. The Scarlet Knights' starter is Raheem Blacks- hear, a 5-9, 192-pound sophomore from Warminster, Pa., who has rushed for 478 yards and is also the team's leading receiver with 40 catches for 332 yards. His average of 4.3 catches per game is ninth-best in the Big Ten. Penn State coach James Franklin said of Blackshear, "He's explosive, he's quick, plays with a lot of confidence. Obviously, being a PA guy, playing Penn State is going to be motivation. But there's no doubt for us, going into it, you know their running back position in general has been very pro- ductive for them. So that's going to be our biggest challenge in the game, their run- ning backs and obviously the O-line and the running game and their running backs, the way they're using them. Blackshear will line up in the slot and do things like that, so we'll have to be aware." There's some potential in the Scarlet Knights' freshman and sophomore classes, and they will be looking to showcase it this week, even as they celebrate their senior day. Their priority on Saturday will be to send the team's veterans out with an upset victory over their border rival, but the game won't be entirely about Rutgers' de- parting senior class. Said Ash, "It's about the future, too. I think the last couple of games, you've seen some of our younger players on display, making plays. Hope- fully, fans get excited about what [those players] can do as they continue to grow and develop." N O V E M B E R   1 4 ,   2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 3 NATE BAUER 8-2 | Penn State's defensive line might not like the sack numbers that emerge from its game at Rutgers, as the Scarlet Knights are allowing only 1.2 sacks per game this season. But it could be the rare area in which the Nittany Lions leave disap- pointed. Flatly, Rutgers just does not score enough points – not against the worst teams in the Big Ten and certainly not against the best. Penn State's fast-developing group will be no exception. Even if the Knights hit their 14.5-points-per-game average, Penn State needs to simply redeploy the pound-the-rock gameplan it used against Wisconsin and it should find success against a Rutgers team that is ranked 119th nationally in rushing de- fense. Given the difficulty that Penn State has had getting the passing game dialed up to 10, I'm not expecting a barrage of points, but rather a game in which ball-control offense and stout defense are good enough to secure a win. | PENN STATE 34, RUTGERS 10 PHIL GROSZ 8-2 | This is a game that should give Penn State's offense a chance to get healthy while also providing the defense with a chance to make a statement about its readiness for the rest of the season and beyond. Analyst Kirk Herbstreit has predicted that Penn State could enter the 2019 season with not only one of the top defenses in the Big Ten but quite possibly the country. The Lions' running game could have its best performance of the season against the Scarlet Knights, who are ranked 13th in the Big Ten in rushing de- fense, allowing 230.2 yards per game and 5.6 per carry. It would not surprise me if Miles Sanders were to run for over 150 yards. In addition, if history means anything, Trace Mc- Sorley should have one of his best performances of the season. In his past two games against Rutgers, he's completed 33 of 56 passes for 424 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. He's also rushed for 99 yards and one TD in those games. This one should be over by halBime. | PENN STATE 45, RUTGERS 7 MATT HERB 8-2 | The numbers that jump out at me when thinking about this game are four and 18. That is Rutgers' touchdown-interception ratio on the season. Take a moment to let that sink in. The Scarlet Knights are averaging less than one touchdown pass every two games, while also averaging nearly two interceptions per game – not exactly a formula for success. Even if you think they're not quite as bad as the numbers would suggest – they can't be, right? – they still don't appear to have anywhere near the kind of firepower they will need to do significant damage to a Penn State defense that is starting to look like it could be something special in the years to come. There are some legitimate questions about Penn State's offense, many having to do with the health of Trace McSorley. But the coaching staff appears increasingly comfortable trusting the freshman receivers to take on bigger roles. If Jahan Dotson, Cam Sullivan-Brown and Justin Shorter are able to comple- ment K.J. Hamler and Juwan Johnson down the stretch (assuming Johnson returns soon from the injury that has hindered him since the Indiana game), Penn State will have re- solved its most glaring weakness. Add it all up, and the Lions will stay on track for a 10-win season with a victory in Piscataway. | PENN STATE 34, RUTGERS 13 TIM OWEN 7-3 | The past two games between these teams have had similar outcomes, with scores of 39-0 and 35-6. I'm expecting something like that again this year. The Nit- tany Lions appear to have finally rebounded from a midseason lull. Rutgers, meanwhile, hasn't won a game since week one with only a couple of close losses sprinkled in. This will be neither a close game, nor a Rutgers win. | PENN STATE 38, RUTGERS 3 RYAN SNYDER 9-1 | Rutgers has been down for a few years now, but this year's team is one of the worst in recent memory. The Scarlet Knights rank dead last in the Football Bowl Subdivision, No. 129, in scoring offense (14.5 ppg). The defense hasn't been much better, ranking 105th (34.3 ppg). In fact, of the 23 team stats listed in Rutgers' game notes, the Knights sit outside the top 100 in more than half of them. I expect the Lions not only win, but to cover the 27-point spread easily. | PENN STATE 54, RUTGERS 17 S T A F F P R E D I C T I O N S

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