Penn State won its third straight game Saturday afternoon, clinching bowl eligibility with a 40-36 win over Rutgers on the road. It was a surprisingly high-scoring affair that saw the Nittany Lions fall behind in the fourth quarter, before rallying on both sides of the ball to get the win.
Here is the report card for Penn State following the win against the Scarlet Knights.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementQuarterback: B+
Nov 29, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (17) celebrates after a touchdown pass during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesEthan Grunkemeyer has made his claim to be Penn State's quarterback of the future, turning in his best performance of the season. Grunkemeyer looked confident and in control, throwing for 209 yards and one touchdown while completing 81% of his passes. Like in the Nebraska and Michigan State games, Penn State primarily ran the ball against Rutgers, but Grunkemeyer looked excellent on play actions, including a 53-yard touchdown and the fourth-down conversion to seal the game.
As an aside, it was great to see the young quarterback show some emotion during the game. After a fourth-down conversion was called back for a delay of game, Grunkemeyer was visibly frustrated but used the energy to fire up his defense as he walked down the sideline. That's the type of leadership and heart Penn State loves to see from a quarterback.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRunning Backs: A+
Nov 29, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) carries the ball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesWhat a regular-season finale for Penn State's senior running backs. Kaytron Allen set a career high with 226 yards and one touchdown, while Nicholas Singleton had 109 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, which broke the program's all-time rushing and scrimmage touchdown records, respectively. The offensive line also deserves a ton of credit for opening rushing lanes for them. The Nittany Lions' commitment to running the football over the last few weeks has actually made them more explosive offensively, though it helps when you have a pair of elite backs like Allen and Singleton.
Receivers and Tight Ends: B
Nov 29, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Andrew Rappleyea (87) scores on touchdown reception during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesIt was a great game for tight end Andrew Rappleyea, who made two huge plays in the game. First, he had a 53-yard touchdown rumble (with a nice block by Koby Howard to spring him) and then he caught the game-sealing pass on a fourth-and-1. He and Luke Reynolds (two catches for 11 yards) look to be a great tight-end tandem for the team moving forward.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAt receiver, Trebor Peña, Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross had some nice chunk catches. The receivers still aren't the focal point of the offense like many hoped they'd be, but the passing game does appear more effective than it did early in the season. The threat of a running game has created better downfield passing looks, and the receivers have done a nice job with those opportunities.
Defense: D
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 ImagesFor all the praise defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has received the past two weeks, his unit took a big step back against Rutgers. Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 338 yards and four total touchdowns, while running back Antwan Raymond rumbled for 189 yards on the ground. The secondary gave up several long passes, including some back-breaking third-down conversions, and the unit as a whole didn't tackle well.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe defense did make some plays in the end, namely Amare Campbell's scoop and score touchdown and a big fourth-and-1 stop on Rutgers' ensuing drive. Still, this was a bad regular-season finale for Knowles' crew that could come up when the program's next head coach is deciding on his defensive coordinator.
Special Teams: A
Nov 22, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions kicker Ryan Barker (94) is congratulated after kicking a field goal during the second quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn ImagesPenn State's special teams under coordinator Justin Lustig have been a consistent bright spot for the team, and that continued against Rutgers. Ryan Barker hit two field goals from 29 and 31 yards, respectively, while Gabe Nwosu downed two of his three punts inside the Rutgers 20-yard line. Also credit is due to the field goal block unit for snuffing out the Scarlet Knights' fake field goal attempt in the first quarter.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCoaching: B
Nov 22, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith is congratulated by athletic director Pat Kraft following the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn ImagesThere aren't too many notes from a head coaching perspective. Again, it was a tough day for Jim Knowles and the defense, though the group was able to rally for some key plays late. Offensively, Andy Kotelnicki has done a nice job calling plays to capitalize on his best players, Singleton and Allen. The four-minute drill at the end of the game was a thing of beauty. I also liked the aggression to let Grunkemeyer air it out on the last drive of the first half to get into field goal range. That's a situation where previous Penn State teams may have just kneeled the ball and gone to half, but Terry Smith coached aggressively, and it paid off.
Overall: C+
Nov 29, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) celebrates after a touchdown run during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesThis game was a mixed bag. On one hand, the offense looked great and has gotten back to a Penn State style of football with its run-first approach. There's also been clear progress from Grunkemeyer at quarterback, and he's one of the most important players for the team to keep next season. On the other hand, the defense struggled against a normally mediocre Rutgers offense and was a lucky fumble away from costing the team this game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen all is said and done, though, Penn State rallied to win its last three games and punch its ticket to a bowl game, and that's pretty impressive considering where this team was just three weeks ago.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Grading Penn State's performance vs. Rutgers
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