Blue White Illustrated

KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   R U T G E R S | B Y P H I L G R O S Z W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 172.8 YPG, 4.4 YPC // RUTGERS RUN DEFENSE251.3 YPG, 5.4 YPC THE LOWDOWNDespite the fact that RB Saquon Barkley had his worst rushing performance of the season against Indiana, finishing with 58 yards on 33 carries (1.2 ypc), he enters Saturday's game against Rutgers as the Big Ten leader with 1,113 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. QB Trace McSorley is the Nittany Lions' second-leading rusher with 304 yards, while backup QB Tommy Stevens is third with 137 yards. Backup running backs Miles Sanders, Mark Allen and Andre Robinson have combined for 253 yards on 53 carries. The biggest concern for the Lions on Saturday will be their offensive line. They will be without tackles Andrew Nelson and Paris Palmer, both of whom have been lost for the season, and may be without T Brendan Mahon and G Connor McGovern. But even if all of those players are unavailable, Penn State should have an advantage over a Rutgers defense that ranks last in the Big Ten against the run. The Scarlet Knights' leading tackler is sophomore WLB Trevor Morris with 84 stops, including 3.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore MLB Deonte Roberts is second with 78 tackles and 2.5 TFL, while senior SS Anthony Cioffi leads the secondary with 47 tackles. Rutgers has not had a lot of success at dropping opposing ball carriers for losses. Senior DE Julian Pinnix-Odrick leads the team with 6.5 TFL. // KEY MATCHUP If, as ex- pected, Penn State keeps Ryan Bates at leB tackle, he will go up against Pinnix-Odrick. The guards – probably Steven Gonzalez and either McGovern or Derek Dowrey – will face Morris and Roberts. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 241.6 YPG, 16.0 YPC // RUTGERS PASS DEFENSE 193.2 YPG, 13.2 YPC THE LOWDOWN Penn State enters this game with the fiBh-ranked pass offense in the Big Ten. McSorley has com- pleted 150 of 271 passes (55.4 percent) for 2,390 yards, with 16 touchdown passes and only five interceptions, two of which he threw last week vs. Indiana. He has an impressive 145.2 pass-efficiency ranking, and his average of 16 yards per completion leads the Football Bowl Subdivision. WR Chris Godwin is the Nittany Lions' leading re- ceiver with 39 catches for 591 yards (15.2 ypc) and seven touchdowns. TE Mike Gesicki is having a breakout sea- son with 37 catches for 499 yards (13.5 ypc) and two TDs. The Scarlet Knights' pass defense ranks fourth in the Big Ten. In addition to his 47 tackles, Cioffi leads the team with two interceptions. Freshman CB Damon Hayes has an interception, which he returned 55 yards for a touchdown. Sophomore CB Blessuan Austin is Rutgers' best cover man. He leads the Knights with 13 pass break-ups and 14 passes defended. As a team, Rutgers has eight intercep- tions. Pinnix-Odrick leads the pass rush with 4.5 sacks. As a team, Rutgers has only 16 sacks to rank 13th in the Big Ten. // KEY MATCHUP If he's at tackle, Bates will be trying to keep Pinnix-Odrick out of the backfield. Downfield, Godwin will look to get loose against Austin. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. RUTGERS PASS DEFENSE RUTGERS RUNNING GAME 155.3 YPG, 3.7 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE160.7 YPG, 4.1 YPC THE LOWDOWN Rutgers' offense has struggled all season long. The Scarlet Knights rank last in the Big Ten with an average of 17.5 points per game, and the running game has been a part of that downturn, ranking 11th in the league. The one bright spot here has been the performance of junior RB Robert Martin. The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder has 547 yards on 105 carries and one touchdown to lead the team. Senior RB Justin Goodwin is Rutgers' second-lead- ing rusher with 411 yards on 98 carries. In addition, redshirt sophomore QB Giovanni Rescigno is a threat to run, with 108 yards on 36 carries and two rushing TDs. As a team, Rutgers has only six rushing TDs this season. Penn State's run defense ranks ninth in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions' leading tackler is FS Marcus Allen with 82 stops including 5.5 tackles for loss. SS Malik Golden is second with 56 tackles and 3.5 TFL. Linebackers Manny Bowen and Brandon Bell are tied for third with 52 tackles apiece. DE Garrett Sickels leads Penn State with 11 tackles for loss, while DE Shareef Miller and Allen each have 5.5 TFL. As a team, Penn State has an impressive 83 TFL, sec- ond-best in the Big Ten. // KEY MATCHUP Rutgers LT Tariq Cole will face Sickels, while guards Dorian Miller and Chris Muller will battle Bell, Bowen and MLB Jason Cabinda. // EDGE Penn State RUTGERS RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE RUTGERS PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N R U T G E R S H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. RUTGERS RUN DEFENSE 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 4 RUTGERS PASSING GAME 140.8 YPG, 10.8 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE212.4 YPG, 10.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNRutgers' passing game has been a major disappointment, ranking last in the Big Ten. Redshirt junior QB Chris Laviano began the season as the starter but was pulled during a 24-7 loss to Illinois on Oct. 15. The Knights' new quarterback is Rescigno. Since taking over the position, he has completed 57 of 108 passes (52.8 per- cent) for 638 yards, with five touchdown passes and five interceptions. The Scarlet Knights' leading pass catcher is redshirt freshman WR Jawuan Harris with 32 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Senior WR Andre

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