PSU vs Rutgers – Noon Saturday 11/18

By PSUGreg On November 19, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Marina 84 is a wonderful venue for social distancing. Inside are booths with their own TV and the outside patio has ten 50+ televisions. The patio offers a lot of seating and is protected from the sun and rain

PENN STATE WELCOMES RUTGERS ON SENIOR DAY
• OPENING KICK: Penn State takes on Rutgers in its final home game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for noon. The 2021 season is presented by PSECU. The Nittany Lions will celebrate Senior Day, presented by the Penn State Alumni Association.

• SERIES HISTORY: The Nittany Lions will meet Rutgers for the 32nd time in the series. Penn State has won each of the last 14 matchups and holds a 22-2 record at home. Last season, the Nittany Lions earned a 23-7 win in Piscataway. Keyvone Lee rushed for 95 yards and Devyn Ford scored on a 7-yard run, while Parker Washington caught a 29-yard touchdown. Penn State held the Scarlet Knights to 205 total yards.

• DOTSON’S DOMINANT YEAR: Jahan Dotson continues to put up impressive numbers in 2021. Dotson is the only Big Ten receiver ever to have at least 80 receptions, 990 yards and nine touchdowns in the first 10 games of a season. The Biletnikoff Award semifinalist’s 80 grabs are the third-most in a season at Penn State, while his 993 yards and nine touchdowns rank sixth. He paces the Big Ten in receptions, good for fourth nationally, while tying for second in receiving touchdowns and third in receiving yards.

• STOUT’S STRONG DAY: Jordan Stout had another strong performance against Michigan. He averaged 51.0 yards on four punts, including 55- and 58-yard punts, and dropped all four inside the 20. Stout hit three field goals, tying a career high for makes, with kicks of 42, 52 and 31 yards. His 52-yard field goal is his fifth 50+ yard field goal of his career. On a fake punt, Stout completed an 18-yard pass to Curtis Jacobs.

• TAKEAWAY STREAK: On a strip-sack by Arnold Ebiketie, recovered by Derrick Tangelo, against Michigan, Penn State extended its takeaway streak to 16-straight games, dating back to the Nebraska game in 2020. It is tied for the second-longest among FBS teams with Oklahoma and trails only Baylor (18). In those 16 games, Penn State has forced 24 total turnovers, including 15 interceptions and nine fumbles.

• THE OPPOSITION: Rutgers is 5-5 this season and 2-5 in conference play after a 38-3 win at Indiana. Isaih Pacheco rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns as Rutgers scored five times on the ground. Rutgers held the Hoosiers to 262 total yards, including 85 rushing. The Scarlet Knights forced four turnovers, including picks by Tyreem Powell and Max Melton. Drew Singleton led the defense with 10 tackles.

HEAD COACH GREG SCHIANO

• Greg Schiano returned as head coach at Rutgers in December 2019 and holds an 8-11 mark over the last two seasons.
• Schiano was previously head coach at Rutgers from 2001 to 2011, leading the Scarlet Knights to six winning seasons and five bowl wins. Rutgers went 11-2 in 2006 with Schiano earning four national coach of the year honors.
• Schiano left Rutgers to become head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
• Schiano returned to coaching in 2016-18 as Ohio State’s associate head coach, defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
• Schiano was a graduate assistant on the Penn State coaching staff in 1990 and served as secondary coach from 1991-95.

SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

• Rutgers is 5-5 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten this season. • The Scarlet Knights own wins over Temple (61-14), Syracuse (17- 7), Delaware (45-13), Illinois (20-14) and Indiana (38-3).
• Rutgers sits 11th in the Big Ten in scoring offense (23.0), 11th in total offense (326.6), 11th in passing offense (180.8) and ninth in rushing offense (145.8).
• QB Noah Vedral has completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 1,590 yards and seven touchdowns.
• RB Isaih Pacheco has rushed for 554 yards and five touchdowns, while WR Bo Melton has 48 catches for 523 yards and three touchdowns.
• The Scarlet Knights hold 11th in scoring defense (22.7), ninth in total defense (372.0), eighth in passing defense (218.0) and 11th in rushing defense (154.0).
• LB Olakunle Fatukasi ranks 13th in the country averaging 9.9 tackles per game and 17th averaging 5.3 solo tackles per contest. He has 89 total tackles with 11.0 for loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
• Christian Izien has 58 tackles, including nine for loss, and four pass breakups. Max Melton leads RU with three interceptions.
• P Adam Korsak is averaging 46.3 yards per punt, good for 13th in the country. • Aron Cruickshank has a punt return touchdown this season.

MICHIGAN NOTES

• Each of the last three matchups in the series have been decided by 10 or less points.
• On a 24-yard catch in the first quarter, WR Parker Washington became the 36th Penn State player to reach the 1,000 career receiving yards mark.
• LB Ellis Brooks’ 16 tackles were the most by a Penn State player since Brandon Bell recorded 18 against Michigan State on Nov. 26, 2016.
• K/P Jordan Stout hit a 52-yard field goal in the second quarter, his fifth career field goal of 50+ yards.
• Stout completed an 18-yard pass to LB Curtis Jacobs on a fake punt in the first quarter. It was his first career completion and attempt. Stout’s completion was the first by a Penn State punter since Chris Clauss completed a 6-yard pass vs. Maryland (played in Baltimore) on Nov. 7, 1987.
MILESTONE WATCH
• Sean Clifford is 692 yards shy of 8,000 career passing yards. … is 820 yards shy of 9,000 career total offense yards. … is 128 yards shy of 1,000 career rushing yards.
• Jahan Dotson is 432 yards shy of 3,000 career receiving yards.
• Keyvone Lee is 187 yards shy of 1,000 career rushing yards. • John Lovett is 20 yards shy of 2,000 career rushing yards.
• Jonathan Sutherland is 10 tackles shy of 100 career tackles.