Rutgers blows golden chance vs. Penn State with disastrous defense, unthinkable blunder | 5 observations

It looked like this one could be different.

When Rutgers scored effortlessly on its opening drive.

When it answered each Penn State score with its own, trading blows in a game that saw five lead changes and three ties.

When the best players of the best offense the Scarlet Knights have had in the Big Ten era made play after play, from quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and running back Antwan Raymond to wide receiver KJ Duff and tight end Kenny Fletcher.

But in a game where its historically-bad defense got gashed by the Nittany Lions rush attack, it was an unthinkable offensive blunder that closed the door on the upset and led to devastating 40-36 loss for the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers was in position to earn its biggest win of the Big Ten era, moving the ball at will and holding a 36-33 lead with seven minutes to play. Raymond was running the ball down the Nittany Lions’ throats, putting his team past midfield and in position to take a two-score lead.

Then Kaliakmanis, who was having one of the best games of his career, fumbled the ball without being touched, and linebacker Amare Campbell scooped it up before returning it 61 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

Rutgers had a chance to answer, with Duff making one of the most impressive catches in program history to put Rutgers back inside Penn State territory. But the Scarlet Knights were stuffed on a fourth-and-1, giving the Nittany Lions a chance to kill the rest of the clock.

The loss ends the season for Rutgers (5-7, 2-7), snapping its two-year bowl bid streak and extending its losing streak against the Nittany Lions (6-6, 3-6) to 18 consecutive games across the last 38 years. The Scarlet Knights are now 2-32 against Penn State.

The game-changing mistake from Kaliakmanis was a rare mistake in an impressive offensive performance from the Scarlet Knights, who racked up 533 total yards and five scores across 10 drives. But it was not enough to counter another pathetic performance from one of the worst defenses in modern Big Ten history.

Rutgers was carved up on the ground, conceding 301 rushing yards on 32 carries, gaining 9.4 yards per carry as Penn State’s elite running backs set program marks. It gave up six scores on 10 drives, including three touchdowns on the first three drives. It came up with a couple of timely stops, but not nearly enough to win a game against a team as talented as Penn State.

Ultimately, like it did against Iowa and Minnesota earlier this season, the Scarlet Knights crumbled down the stretch of a winnable game against a better opponent.

Here are five thoughts from Rutgers-Penn State

1. KALIAKMANIS’ ELITE GAME SPOILED BY BRUTAL FINISH

The quarterback became the third player in program history to throw for 3,000 yards in a single season, joining greats Mike Teel and Ryan Hart. The statline of his final appearance at SHI Stadium: 338 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions on 16-of-22 passing.

But while he put Rutgers in position to pull off the upset, what will be remembered from his performance is the baffling fumble that gifted the Nittany Lions the go-ahead touchdown.

2. OFFENSIVE WEAPONS DELIVER

Duff finished with 127 yards and a touchdown on five catches, becoming the seventh 1,000-yard receiver in program history in the process. His 42-yard catch on the penultimate drive of the game was one of the greatest plays in program history.

Raymond gained 189 yards and scored a touchdown on 29 carries, forcing at least a dozen missed tackles and racking up tons of yards after contact. At times, he carried the Rutgers offense on his back.

In his final career game at SHI Stadium, Fletcher finished off with a bang. He set a career-long in his first two receptions, the second being a 39 yarder that set up Rutgers’ second touchdown of the day.

3. DEFENSE DOES NOT MAKE IMPACT

The Scarlet Knights allowed Penn State to move the ball at will, and it was unable to make a game-changing play to counteract Penn State’s down-to-down dominance. Rutgers finished with one sack and zero takeaways, failing to give its offense extra possessions and a chance to create some breathing room.

4. RUTGERS FANS, TAKE A BOW

While there was plenty of white in the crowd, as has been the case during every other Penn State game in Piscataway during the Big Ten era, there were more Rutgers fans in the packed stands. The fanbase did its part in showing up for the biggest home game in recent memory, and as much as the stadium soundboard tried to drown them out, the “F--- Penn State” chants from the packed student section came through loud and clear.

5. BONUS ROUND

Here are some other thoughts from SHI Stadium, around the Big Ten and the rest of college football.

A. Schiano rolled the dice for the first time this season on the second drive of the game, attempting a fake field goal as his team faced a fourth-and-8 from the Penn State 22-yard line. Kicker Jai Patel beat the first defender he saw, but was tackled at the line of scrimmage, well short of the line to gain.

In a game — and a season — where its defense was getting gashed consistently, Rutgers needed to be aggressive to keep up. But this felt a bit too aggressive, a bit too early and a bit too careless.

The failed play was part of a poor performance from the special teams, which conceded 90 yards on five kickoff returns (18 yards per return).

B. After winning a last-second court battle to remain eligible to play during the week, safety Jett Elad made the legal fight worth it. He had his best half as a Scarlet Knight to start, making four touchdown-saving tackles in the open field. He finished with a team-high nine tackles.

C. It was a rough week for former Rutgers assistants:

— Joe Harasymiak’s first season as an FBS coach went as poorly as possible, with UMass finishing with an 0-12 record after a 45-14 home loss to Bowling Green on Tuesday. The Minutemen were outscored by 330 points across 12 games — including a home loss to FCS Bryant, which finished 3-9 — making for an average margin of defeat of 27.5 points.

— Andrew Aurich’s Harvard suffered a second straight loss, falling 52-7 at Villanova in the first round of the FCS playoffs. After starting the season 9-0, the Crimson lost to rival Yale in a de facto Ivy League title game and in the playoffs in back-to-back weeks.

— Fran Brown’s Syracuse finished in last place in the ACC after losing to Boston College, which entered the game 0-7 in conference play. The Orange lost their final eight games of the year after losing starting quarterback Steve Angeli, a former Bergen Catholic standout, for the year to injury.

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