PENN STATE 23 (2-5, 2-5), RUTGERS 7 (2-5, 2-5)Â
SHI STADIUM • PISCATAWAY, N.J.Â
DECEMBER 5, 2020Â
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football (2-5, 2-5) was topped by Penn State (2-5, 2-5), 23-7, on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway, presented by Provident Bank. Wide receiver Bo Melton recorded his sixth touchdown reception of the season – a three-yard catch in traffic from quarterback Noah Vedral – in the loss at SHI Stadium.Â
Linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi led the defense with a career-high 17 tackles, with one for a loss, marking the sixth game the 2020 Butkus Award semifinalist produced 10 or more stops in a game this season. RU forced two turnovers against the Nittany Lions, which included an interception from defensive back Christian Izien and a forced fumble by defensive end Tijaun Mason.  Â
FIRST HALFÂ
Rutgers kept Penn State out of the end zone on its first possession, as it stuffed the Nittany Lions on a fourth-and-13 attempt inside Scarlet Knights' territory. The fourth-down stop gave RU the ball with 8:27 to go in the first half. Rutgers picked up a first down on the ensuing possession – courtesy of a 12-yard rush from Vedral – but stopped on its own fourth-down attempt to give the ball back to the visitor. Â
Penn State would score on the next drive to make it 7-0 with 3:27 left in the first. The Scarlet Knights' defense held strong for the remainder of the quarter, as a tackle-for-loss from defensive lineman Julius Turner kept PSU off the board heading into quarter two. The Nittany Lions continued their drive into the second quarter and closed it with a 30-yard field goal from Jake Pinegar to extend their lead, 10-0. Â
After Penn State's second touchdown, Rutgers recorded its first turnover of the afternoon. On first-and-10 from the PSU 40-yard line, Mason broke through and forced a fumble, which was recovered by defensive back Avery Young with 5:10 left in the half. Both teams would trade punts before entering the locker room with Penn State leading, 17-0.Â
SECOND HALFÂ
PSU extended its advantage with a field goal in the third quarter, but Rutgers' defense continued to mount pressure against the Nittany Lions. Izien intercepted a deflected pass with 8:54 left in the third quarter, as his first career pick set up Rutgers within enemy territory at the Penn State 36-yard line.Â
Rutgers orchestrated a nine-play scoring drive to take advantage of the turnover. Running back Kay'Ron Adams registered back-to-back first-down runs to get the Scarlet Knights to PSU's eight-yard line. Then on fourth-and-three, a scrambling Vedral connected with Melton, who came down with the jump ball in the end zone for the touchdown. Melton's seventh score of the season (six receiving, one punt return) made it 20-7 with 4:56 left in the third quarter. Â
Rutgers' defense held strong once again during Penn State's first possession of the fourth quarter. On a fourth-and-three attempt inside RU territory, linebacker Tyreek Maddox-Williams brought down PSU's quarterback Sean Clifford on the scramble to turn the ball over on downs. Though the Scarlet Knights were unsuccessful on their next possession, a 62-yard punt from Adam Korsak pinned Penn State at its own two-yard line with 12 minutes to go in the game.
Penn State used a 11-play, 89-yard drive to get away from its own end zone, but RU held the Nittany Lions from breaking through. PSU was held to a 27-yard field goal to extend its lead, 23-7, which would remain as the game's final margin.Â
UP NEXTÂ
Rutgers travels to Maryland on Dec.12 for its eighth and final scheduled game prior to Big Ten Champions Week. It will be the 16th all-time meeting on the gridiron. The game time and television network will be determined Saturday night or Sunday morning.Â
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