PISCATAWAY – Rutgers football was on its way, a win over Penn State for the first time in 35 years right in front of it, a chance to vanquish so many demons and so much disappointment.
Then the type of play that has dogged this program for far too long happened once again.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Scarlet Knights had second-and-7 at the Penn State 32. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis took the snap and began scanning his receivers. Then the ball somehow popped up out of his hands.
Penn State’s Amare Campbell scooped it up and took off for the end zone, sprinting in for a touchdown that silenced what had been a raucous and loud SHI Stadium crowd and gave the Nittany Lions the lead again in a wild, back-and-forth, momentum-shifting shootout.
This time, Penn State wouldn’t give it up. This time, Penn State kept the momentum.
The Nittany Lions escaped with a 40-36 victory Nov. 29 in the final week of the regular season, earning a sixth win and bowl eligibility in the process.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementInstead of beating Penn State for the first time since 1988, Rutgers instead saw its season come to a bitterly disappointing end at 5-7.
What made this disappointing was that the Scarlet Knights had every opportunity to win this game.
Their offense – featuring another dominant performance by running back Antwan Raymond and an elite showing by wide receiver KJ Duff – had been so good against a Penn State defense that had shown improvement in recent weeks.
Nov 29, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights wide receiver Kj Duff (8) is tackled by Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback AJ Harris (4) during the first half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesThe Scarlet Knights scored the most points they had against Penn State since 1995 (a 59-34 loss).
And Rutgers’ beleaguered defense? It was far from perfect – Penn State had more than 500 total yards and more than 300 rushing yards – but the unit made multiple big plays at big moments to kill potential big drives for the Nittany Lions.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut when the Scarlet Knights needed to play perfectly to kill the clock and finish off the win, they couldn’t do it.
After the go-ahead touchdown, Rutgers’ went for it on fourth down on its ensuing possession but couldn’t convert for a turnover on downs.
Penn State then chewed up the clock, converted a fourth-and-2 at the Rutgers 10 and locked up the win.
Just like that, a program-defining win slipped from Rutgers’ grasp. Once again.
Just like that, the Scarlet Knights’ season came to a crashing end.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Instant analysis from Rutgers football loss vs. Penn State
AdvertisementAdvertisement
