No. 12 Penn State looking to extend its dominance over Rutgers

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Singleton houses 100-yard kickoff return for Penn State

Penn State takes the lead in the first quarter as Nicholas Singleton goes 100 yards on the kickoff return.

Nov 16, 2023, 05:17 pm

Rutgers (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) at No. 12 Penn State (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten, No. 12 CFP), Noon ET (FS1)

Line: Penn State by 20 ½, according to .

Series record: Penn State leads 31-2.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

An ineffective offense last week against No. 2 Michigan ruined Penn State’s chance to play for a Big Ten championship and cost offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich his job. The Nittany Lions enter their final home game looking to take out their frustrations on a team they’ve always been able to push around. Rutgers has never even scored a touchdown at Beaver Stadium since joining the Big Ten in 2014. While Penn State breaks in a pair of new play-callers, the Scarlet Knights will look to add what would be their biggest win in years to an already strong season.

KEY MATCHUP

Rutgers’ running game versus Penn State’s front seven. Rutgers ran for 276 and 232 yards in games against Indiana and Ohio State before the Hawkeyes held them to just 34 last week. The Scarlet Knights need to be better against a defense that ranks third in the nation in stopping the run and thrives on tackles for loss.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Rutgers: RB Kyle Monangai. The junior leads the Big Ten with 942 yards rushing and 181 carries. He has run for seven touchdowns. He is seeking to become the eighth player in program history with a 1,000-yard rushing season. He has rushed for at least 100 yards five times this season, including efforts of 165 against Temple and 159 against Ohio State. He ranks third in the conference with an average of 97.2 all-purpose yards.

Penn State: RB Nick Singleton. He leads Penn State with 165 total touches and eight touchdowns. Rutgers gave up 179 rushing yards to Iowa last week and Singleton has been close to breaking a big run every week. He also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in this game last year.

FACTS & FIGURES

After becoming bowl eligible with its win over Indiana, Rutgers has dropped consecutive games to No. 3 Ohio State and Iowa. … The Scarlet Knights' three Big Ten wins matches the program high previously set in 2014, 2017 and 2020. … Rutgers leads the nation in kickoff returns (36.7), ranks fifth in fewest tackles-for-loss allowed (3.60), seventh in fewest sacks allowed (0.90), seventh in red zone defense (0.719), ninth in passing defense (166.2), 13th in total defense (294.4), 18th in fewest penalties (4.60) and 19th in scoring defense (18.3). … Rutgers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca was Penn State’s offensive coordinator in 2020. … Penn State’s tight ends combine to lead all FBS teams with 13 receiving touchdowns. … Penn State is second nationally in sacks per game (3.8), third in total sacks (38), fourth in tackles for loss per game (8.2) and fifth in total tackles for loss (82). … QB Drew Allar is the only FBS quarterback with 20-plus touchdown passes and fewer than two interceptions.

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