Breathe.
Relax.
Penn State got itself into a shootout with Rutgers, but came out on top in a 40-36 win in Piscataway, N.J. Saturday afternoon.
It was a gritty performance that clinched bowl eligibility for a Penn State team that has now rattled off three wins in a row after a six-game losing skid during Big Ten play.
The win featured a lot of offense, defense only when it mattered most and some serious aggressiveness by Terry Smith. All of it was rewarded handsomely.
TESTICULAR FORTITUDE
If there is one thing Penn State can attribute to Smith since being named interim coach and it’s a new level of aggressiveness that is polar opposite of any approach by his predecessor.
Smith’s squad went for it on fourth down three times against the Scarlet Knights and was a perfect 3-for-3 including an insane 4th-and-2 from the 10-yard line with 56 seconds left.
Ethan Grunkemeyer found Andrew Rappleyea for a three-yard completion to seal the game and come away with the victory.
It was borderline insane, but it shows the level of belief Smith has for his players and has displayed throughout his time in charge and that speaks volumes considering Penn State was rarely aggressive in those situations previously.
RISE OF THE GRUNK
Each week Grunkeymeyer has continued to progress and get better, development that largely hasn’t been seen at the quarterback in quite some time. A lot of that can be contributed to the experience of Drew Allar, but his continued development has been helped by the reins being taken off him in the passing game.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Grunkemeyer was 17-for-21 for 208 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers including a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth down including a touchdown to Rappleyea to get the scoring started for Penn State.
He also executed a flawless 26-second drive to get Penn State into field goal range before halftime. The Penn State offense went 56 yards en route to Ryan Barker hitting a 31-yard field goal with a second left in the half.
Grunkemeyer has been aggressive down the field, but also not afraid to check it down either. It does help that the run game has become explosive again as well.
DYNAMIC DUO
Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton will go down as one of the best running back tandems in program history as well as two of the most unselfish players.
Since taking over, Smith has fed the ball to Allen as if the running back was starving and he has feasted. He eclipsed the 4,000-yard plateau for his career with his 226-yard, one touchdown performance against Rutgers.
Singleton was featured heavily in the run and pass game against the Scarlet Knights and did not disappoint. He finished with 86 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns including a 53-yard run. He also had two receptions for 23 yards.
Smith’s utilization of the two has worked wonders in the offense and shows how the Nittany Lions should have been using them for the entire season, not just the last few weeks.
BONUS: THAT’S AMARE!
Since transferring from North Carolina, Amare Campbell has become a force to be reckoned with at linebacker for Penn State. The Nittany Lions have benefitted greatly from Campbell in the absence of Tony Rojas, too.
Saturday’s win was another solid performance from Campbell who had 14 tackles and a scoop and score to give the Nittany Lions the lead for good. The touchdown was the exclamation point on a spectacular season in the blue and white for Campbell.
