Blue White Illustrated

GAME GRADES QUARTERBACK Trace McSorley completed 16 of 21 attempts for 214 yards, two touchdowns and no inter- ceptions. He added another 44 yards rushing. With everyone focusing on Saquon Barkley, it created some room for McSorley, and he's made the most of it. GRADEA RUNNING BACKAs we've seen a lot in Big Ten play this season, Barkley had lit- tle rushing room throughout the day. He finished with just 35 yards rushing and 13 yards receiving, but it's hard to fault him. GRADEB RECEIVERJuwan Johnson has been spotty at times this season, but he showed up against his in-state school, pulling in five receptions of 78 yards. Mike Gesicki also had four receptions, while DaeSean Hamilton had three, in- cluding a nice 22-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. GRADEA OFFENSIVE LINEThe issues against Ohio State and Michigan State are somewhat understandable, but Rut- gers' defensive front isn't nearly as deep as the other teams Penn State just faced. Things improved a bit in the second half, but it feels like someone on this unit is making a mistake every few play nowadays. That makes it tough to consistently put together drives. GRADEC- DEFENSIVE LINEShane Simmons was the only defensive lineman to make a play in the backfield today. You would have liked to have seen a bit more pres- sure, especially earlier in the game. However, they also played a part in Rutgers earning just over 100 yards of total offense before the second unit came into the game. GRADEB LINEBACKERJason Cabinda (11) and Brandon Smith (10) both had double- digit tackles on the day. They weren't asked to blitz as much, as Brent Pry kept the linebackers back in pass cover- age most of the day. GRADEB DEFENSIVE BACKAfter two tough games, Rutgers was exactly what this group needed to gain some confidence. The Knights had just 24 yards passing before the second unit came into the game late. That's mainly because of the Knights, who haven't been able to pass all season. But still, it was solid day for Penn State's defensive back- field. GRADEA SPECIAL TEAMSIt started out poorly, as Rutgers recovered the opening kick- off, but that evened out at the start of the second half. The staff had a nice call to do an onside kick in the third quarter, but an offside penalty cost them the element of surprise, and they were forced to kick it deep. Blake Gillikin continues to be one of the na- tion's best punters. GRADEC COACHESBrent Pry knew that Rut- gers wasn't going to be able to pass much and it showed, as he played a 3- 3-5 formation at times, keeping every- thing in front of the defense. Joe Moorhead was forced to use Barkley as a decoy more than he would probably prefer, but it resulted in a solid day for McSorley. The onside kick call would have been great if not for the offside penalty. GRADEB CROWDToday's announced atten- dance of 107, 531 was pretty solid when you consider that the temperature was below freezing the entire game. It wasn't the loudest of crowds, but there also weren't a ton of reasons to stand up and cheer. GRADEB N O V E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 6 R Y A N   S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . c O M Sizing up the Nittany Lions' performance in their win against Rutgers Johnson, a New Jersey native, had a big game against his in-state school, catching five passes for 78 yards in the Nit- tany Lions' victory. Photo by Steve Manuel

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