Rutgers Football closes season with tough loss to Penn State
Rutgers Football ended its season in heartbreaking fashion after falling to Penn State 40-36 at SHI Stadium.
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CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
Rutgers was wearing Penn State down halfway through the fourth quarter with rushes from Antwan Raymond, but Athan Kaliakmanis had a crucial fumble that the Nittany Lions scooped up and took back for a 61-yard touchdown to take a 40-36 lead with 7:27 left.
The Scarlet Knights nearly responded following a 42-yard one-handed grab from KJ Duff on 3rd-and-13, but Penn State’s defense stepped up and stopped them on 4th-and-1 to take over at the Nittany Lions’ 28-yard line with 3:50 remaining.
Penn State lined up to go for it on 4th-and-1 from its own 23-yard line with 11:43 remaining, and would have had it if not for a delay of game that backed the Nittany Lions up and forced them to punt.
Raymond recorded his second receiving touchdown of the season as Kaliakmanis hit him for a 46-yarder that gave the Scarlet Knights a 36-33 lead with 13:33 remaining following a two-point conversion catch from Duff.
Raymond led Rutgers’ offense with 29 carries for 189 yards and one touchdown to go along with two catches for 62 yards.
Rutgers took a 28-27 lead on its opening drive of the second half with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Kaliakmanis to Duff. Kaliakmanis also hit Duff for a 33-yarder earlier in the drive on 3rd-and-12 that set Rutgers up at Penn State’s 44-yard line.
Duff finished with five catches for 127 yards and one touchdown, while Kenny Fletcher had four receptions for 85 yards.
Kaliakmanis went 16-for-22 for 338 yards and three touchdowns.
Penn State took back the lead with a one-yard touchdown from Nicholas Singleton, capping off a six-play, 83-yard drive. The Nittany Lions’ two-point attempt was no good, so it led 33-28 with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.
Kaytron Allen pioneered Penn State’s offense to the tune of 22 carries for 226 yards and one touchdown, while Singleton had nine attempts for 86 yards and two scores.
Ethan Grunkemeyer went 17-for-21 for 209 yards and one touchdown, and completed four passes to Andrew Rappleyea for 75 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown on 4th-and-1 that tied the game at seven with 9:46 left in the first quarter
Despite giving up a 29-yard field goal coming out of halftime, Rutgers’ defense stepped up with a stop on 3rd-and-3 to keep its deficit to 27-21 with 8:53 remaining in the third quarter.
A SEE-SAW OPENING HALF
After a wild opening quarter that saw the sides combine for 401 yards, things settled down in the second with Rutgers tying it up at 21 following a 21-yard touchdown pass from Kaliakmanis to DT Sheffield with 27 seconds remaining.
Penn State answered with a five-play, 56-yard drive that resulted in a 31-yard field goal from Ryan Barker to send the Nittany Lions into halftime up 24-21.
Raymond was Rutgers’ engine in the opening half with 16 carries for 103 yards and one touchdown. He also recorded one catch for 16 yards.
Kaliakmanis went 9-for-13 for 176 yards and one touchdown, including two passes to Fletcher for 64 yards.
Allen led Penn State’s offense in the first half with 10 rushes for 107 yards and one touchdown, while Singleton had five carries for 81 yards and a score.
Grunkemeyer went 8-for-11 for 134 yards and one touchdown, including two passes to Rappleyea for 67 yards.
Penn State took a 21-14 lead five seconds into the second quarter with a 15-yard rushing touchdown from Allen.
After opening the game with a five-play, 75-yard drive that saw Raymond scamper into the end zone from 19 yards out, Rutgers got into the red zone on their second possession and attempted some trickery with a fake field goal to Jai Patel. Patel was stopped short of the first down, and Penn State made them pay with an 11-yard touchdown run from Singleton that gave them a 14-7 lead with 5:11 remaining in the first quarter.
The Scarlet Knights responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a two-yard touchdown run from Kaliakmanis to tie the game at 14 with 1:30 left in the first quarter.
The Scarlet Knights performed well in the passing game in the opening quarter, with Kaliakmanis going 7-for-10 for 142 yards, but their rushing defense struggled, allowing 152 yards.
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