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The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are 0-6 against the Penn State Nittany Lions since September of 2015, but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. RU and Penn State will face off in a Big Ten battle at noon ET at Beaver Stadium. The Scarlet Knights should still be riding high after a victory, while Penn State will be looking to get back in the win column.
Everything came up roses for RU on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers last week as the team secured a 38-3 win. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point RU had established a 31-3 advantage. Their RB Isaih Pacheco looked sharp as he punched in two rushing touchdowns.
RU's defense was a force to be reckoned with, as it collected two interceptions and five fumbles. The picks came courtesy of DB Max Melton and LB Tyreem Powell.
The Nittany Lions suffered a bitter defeat last week, failing to capitalize on an early lead against the Michigan Wolverines. Penn State was within a late touchdown of stealing the victory, but they took the "L" against Michigan 21-17. No one had a standout game offensively for Penn State, but QB Sean Clifford led the way with one touchdown.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, which contributed nine. K Jordan Stout delivered a perfect 3-for-3 game.
RU have to know they'll be fighting an uphill battle given the 17 point spread they are up against. The odds have been favorable for them against the spread on the road this season, even if it's been tough sledding overall. They are 3-1 ATS in away games but only 4-4 all in all.
The Scarlet Knights' win brought them up to 5-5 while the Nittany Lions' loss pulled them down to 6-4. A pair of offensive stats to keep an eye on: RU is stumbling into the game with the 180th fewest passing yards per game in the nation, having accrued only 180.8 on average. Penn State has experienced some struggles of their own as they are 195th worst in the nation in rushing yards per game, with only 106.7 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
