Blue White Illustrated

Rutgers Pregame

Penn State Sports Magazine

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O T H E R M A T C H U P S THE LOWDOWNDavid Bonagura has hit 10 of 12 field goal attempts, including a 49-yarder, while punter Michael Cin- tron is averaging 37.9 yards. But the most noteworthy aspect of Rutgers' special teams is this: Since 2009, the Knights have blocked 47 kicks, more than any team in the country. This year alone, they've blocked two field goals and a punt. Penn State kicker Tyler Davis has had two field goal attempts blocked this season, and Blake Gillikin has had a punt blocked, so the Nittany Lions will have to be wary, because Rutgers will be looking for a game-changing play in the kicking game. One other note: Rutgers has had only four touchbacks on 40 kickoffs. Sanders has come close to break- ing some long returns lately, and he could get that opportunity on Saturday. // EDGE Penn State SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWN It will be senior night at Rutgers, and that oBen brings out a team's best. But the atmosphere may have more of a neutral-site feel, as Rutgers is averaging only 43,710 fans per game, and Lions coach James Franklin is looking to create a sort of traveling White Out by filling that excess capacity with PSU fans. // EDGEPenn State THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN Chris Ash has had a rough ride in his first season as a head coach. Coming to Rutgers last December aBer two seasons as co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State, he's been able to make some recruiting headway, but the on-field product has been sub-par. Of course, the team he inherited went 4-8 in 2015, so a bit of patience is going to be required. Franklin has Penn State rolling in his third season. The Nittany Lions need two wins and a Michigan loss to qualify for their first Big Ten Championship Game. // EDGE Penn State COACHING STAFF N O V E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 5 Patton has 23 catches for 362 yards and five TDs. The Knights also use Goodwin as a receiver coming out of the backfield. He has 16 receptions for 167 yards. As a team, Rutgers has only 11 touchdown catches. Even though their pass defense ranks seventh in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions should have a big advantage against Rutgers. Backup MLB Brandon Smith leads Penn State with two interceptions, while Golden, Bell, CB Amani Oruwariye, CB Christian Campbell, CB John Reid, CB/NB Jordan Smith and FS Troy Apke have one apiece. Reid is Penn State's best man-to-man coverage specialist. He leads the team with seven pass break-ups and eight passes defended. Penn State is second in the Big Ten in sacks with 30 for 211 yards. Sickels leads the way with six sacks for 42 yards. FiBeen players have been credited with sacks. // KEY MATCHUP Cole will try to keep Sickels out of the pocket, while Harris will do battle with Reid. // EDGE Penn State

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