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Penn State head coach Terry Smith recaps 40-36 win over Rutgers

Mug-Shot 4x4by: Ryan Snyder20 hours agoRyanSnyderOn3

Penn State will end up playing a 13th game after becoming bowl eligible during a high-scoring, 40-36 win Saturday afternoon against Rutgers. With both teams combining for over 1,000 yards of offense, it wasn’t the best of showings for either defense.

The Nittany Lion secondary allowed Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to total 338 yards passing with three scores. Wide receiver KJ Duff, in particular, had a dominant showing, totaling five receptions for 127 yards and a score. He also had one of the best catches of the college football season to give Rutgers a chance at the win.

However, when they had to step up, the Nittany Lion defense did just that, forcing a turnover on downs at Penn State’s 28-yard line with just 3:32 left in the game. That came only a few plays after an even bigger moment by PSU’s defense when linebacker Amare Campbell scooped up a fumble by Kaliakmanis and returned it 61 yards for a score.

Highs & Lows: Penn State pushes past Rutgers in season-ending slugfest, 40-36

“He’s a heck of a football player. He deserves a lot of credit,” said head coach Terry Smith after the game. “…Just a tremendous effort tonight. What a play that we really needed. We needed a jolt, and he gave it to us.”

Offensively, Penn State picked up right where it left off last week, totaling 300 yards rushing. Kaytron Allen officially surpassed 4,000 career rushing yards with another stellar performance, finishing with 226 yards on 22 carries (10.3 yards per rush) and one touchdown. Nick Singleton added two touchdowns to become the school’s all-time leader in touchdowns. He’s also now the school’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards.

“It’s rare that two guys share the ball for four years. Sometimes, Saquon Barkley overlapped with Miles Sanders, but they didn’t really share. These guys literally shared for four years, and really, both of them, reaped the rewards of sharing. It speaks volumes to both of their character.

“One of them could’ve transferred. One of them could’ve went somewhere and been the guy. For them to stay with us speaks volumes about Penn State itself.”