Blue White Illustrated

NATE BAUER RECORD 9-1 The light at the end of the tunnel is right in front of this group; the Nittany Lions just have to handle their business. Their visit to Rutgers could be more challeng- ing than some anticipate due to a banged-up offensive line, but even with the hiccups, the Lions are ready to get the win. PENN STATE 37, RUTGERS 10 PHIL GROSZ RECORD 8-2 Even with an injury-depleted offensive line, Penn State should be able to score enough points for a comfortable win. Rutgers' offense and defense have not performed close to expectations this sea- son. The Scarlet Knights are 14th in the Big Ten in scoring offense and 13th in scoring defense. This might be the worst statistical offensive and defensive per- formance I've ever seen from one of Penn State's Big Ten opponents. PENN STATE 27, RUTGERS 7 MATT HERB RECORD 7-3 Rutgers has been on the short end of some nightmarish scores, but it's also kept things close in games against quality opponents like Iowa and Minnesota. The Nittany Lions can't afford to take this game lightly. I don't think they will. PENN STATE 27, RUTGERS 17 TIM OWEN RECORD 8-2 Penn State is banged up, and Rutgers will be energized to play spoiler at home. This will be closer than many might think. PENN STATE 28, RUTGERS 20 RYAN SNYDER RECORD 8-2 With all the injuries up front, don't be surprised if Rutgers is able to slow down PSU's offense early. However, the Lions will prove once again that they're a great second-half team. PENN STATE 31, RUTGERS 13 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 3 BWI'S FORECAST up in the air. But with former Rutgers re- cruit Saquon Barkley in its backfield, this is a matchup that Penn State will un- doubtedly look to exploit. Meanwhile, on offense, the quarterback position has been unsettled, with Gio- vanni Rescigno replacing an ineffective Chris Laviano at midseason. A redshirt sophomore, Rescigno threw for 220 yards against Minnesota in his first ca- reer start and 258 against Indiana the fol- lowing week, but he had a tough aBernoon against Michigan State, going 6 for 16 for 40 yards and throwing two interceptions before being pulled in the fourth quarter in favor of true freshman Tylin Oden. Ash said he made the switch because "the game was out of control" but added that Rescigno will be the starting quarterback for Rutgers' final two games. The Knights finish on the road against Maryland, which means that Saturday's game will be senior night. Ash is hoping the occasion helps boost attendance at High Point Solutions Stadium, where the on-field disappointments have taken a toll at the gate. The Knights' most recent home game against Indiana drew only 37,345 fans, their smallest crowd of the year. Meanwhile, Franklin has tweeted that he wants "as much support as possible on the road this week in N.J." Given the stadium's 52,454-seat capacity and the fact that it is located well within driving distance of thousands of newly energized Penn State fans, a strong blue-and-white turnout is expected. With the Nittany Lions in town, the turnstiles probably will be spinning a lit- tle faster this week. But Ash said he can envision a future in which the Knights don't need a high-profile opponent to create enthusiasm. "You might laugh now, but there's going to be a time when that stadium is going to be filled with Rutgers fans re- gardless of who we play because of the product that we have on that football field and the way we go out and com- pete," he said. Franklin can envision that, too. "They've got a really good staff, they've got really good people, and they've got talent," he said. "So at some point, it's going to click for them offensively." But at the moment, Penn State's third- year coach is not thinking about the long-term power balance of the Big Ten East Division. He's thinking short- term, and in that short term, only one thing is looming large: Rutgers, Rutgers, Rutgers. On Tuesday morning, Mike Gesicki re- ceived a text from his father asking about tickets to Penn State's upcoming game at Rutgers. "If you can get a hundred tick- ets," the elder Gesicki wrote, "I can get a hundred people to go." Gesicki hails from Manahawkin, N.J., about 70 miles from Piscataway via the Garden State Parkway, and you can un- derstand why his family and friends would be excited about seeing him play in their home state. He is having a tremen- dous season. Through Penn State's first 10 games, Gesicki has caught 37 passes for 499 yards, both career-highs. He leads the Big Ten in receiving yards by a tight end and ranks fiBh in the Football Bowl Subdivi- sion. With those numbers presumably in mind, the Mackey Award's organizing committee recently named him to their midseason watch list. Gesicki is one of 19 Penn State players from New Jersey. ABer Pennsylvania, the Garden State is the best-represented state on the Nittany Lions' roster. The list in- cludes three other pass catchers, as wide- outs Saeed Blacknall, Irvin Charles and Juwan Johnson all hail from New Jersey. Those players are expecting a mixed re- ception on Saturday, as the Lions' previ- ous visit to High Point Solutions Stadium brought out its share of boo birds. "There were a lot of boos and all that kind of stuff," Gesicki recalled. "But as a com- petitor and a guy from there, you love that kind of stuff. You feed off of it. So it's great for us. It's great for the team. It gets the juices flowing early. It means no harm, it's just the competitive nature and what the game means to both sides. So I'm looking forward to it again, to be honest." –M.H. Gesicki eager to return to home state

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