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By Neil Rudel
nrudel@altoonamirror.com
Following are the highlights and lowlights from Penn State's 55-10 victory over Rutgers on Saturday at SHI Stadium:
Play of the game: Curtis Jacobs sacked Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, whose fumble was returned 70 yards by Ji'Ayir Brown for a touchdown that put the Nittany Lions up 35-10 with 14:06 left in the third quarter. If the game wasn't over by then (and it was), this was an exclamation mark.
Offensive player of the game: Kaytron Allen rushed for 117 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown.
Defensive player of the game: Curtis Jacobs racked up five tackles, including two for loss, and forced a fumble. He also broke up a pass.
Most telling statistic: The Lions' defense made 15 tackles for loss.
Hidden statistic: Of the Nits' 237 yards rushing, 175 came in the second half.
Most deceiving statistic: Penn State only converted four of 16 third downs.
Best run: Allen carried almost the entire Rutgers defense in plowing for an 8-yard touchdown that bumped the PSU lead to 45-10.
Best pass: Sean Clifford threaded a 25-yard slant to Harrison Wallace in the second quarter.
Worst pass: Wimsatt underthrew the sideline and was picked off by Johnny Dixon in the second quarter.
Best catch: Rutgers' Aron Cruikshank was nearly falling down but still pulled in a fourth-quarter punt.
Catch it, will ya: Wallace missed a ball from Drew Allar in the fourth quarter.
Best return: Nick Singleton hit another gear on a 100-yard kickoff return in the first quarter that gave the Lions a 7-3 lead.
Hold it, won't ya: Singleton fumbled in the second quarter.
Best block(s): Tank Smith led Allar's short TD run in the fourth quarter and Nick Tarburton helped clear Singleton's kickoff return.
Best tackle: For the second straight week, Jake Pinegar made a solid stop after a long kickoff return. This time, it saved a touchdown following Cruikshank's 66-yard return in the first quarter.
Best hit: Marquis Wilson jarred a fumble out of Johnny Langan that Kobe King scooped and returned 14 yards for a touchdown, giving the Nits a 14-10 lead.
Best kick: Barney Amor uncorked a 58-yard punt in the second quarter that checked up at the Rutgers 3.
Worst kick(s): Amor chunked one 25 yards in the first quarter to the RU 43. Rutgers' Jude McAtamney missed from 41 with PSU up 14-10 in the second quarter.
Best call: On third-and-1 from the Knights' 10, the Lions motioned right, and Clifford threw back to tight end Tyler Warren for a TD and a 21-10 lead with 6:11 left in the first half.
Worst penalty: Coziah Izzard's personal foul during Dixon's interception return wiped out a Pick-6 in the second quarter.
Best effort: Rutgers punted Adam Korsak, who holds the NCAA record for most career punts (339) and yardage (14,876), averaged 43.0 yards on 12 punts.
Unsung hero: Mitchell Tinsley led State receivers with five catches for 63 yards and also handled the punt return role in Parker Washington's absence.
Best gesture: Penn State wore decals on its helmets in tribute to the three University of Virginia players killed last weekend.