Sept. 20, 2015
Penn State Football -- Postgame Notes
vs. Rutgers, September 19, 2015
TEAM
-Penn State improves to 11-12 in Big Ten openers and 15-8 in Big Ten home openers. Tonight's game was the opening contest of the Big Ten's 120th season.
-Penn State improves its record against Rutgers to 24-2, including 2-0 since Rutgers joined the Big Ten last season. The Nittany Lions are 14-2 against the Scarlet Knights at home.
-Penn State held Rutgers to just three points, the fewest allowed by the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten game since defeating Iowa, 13-3, in 2011.
- The three points by Rutgers are tied for the fewest allowed by Penn State in a Big Ten opener. The Nittany Lions beat Minnesota, 56-3, in the 1994 Big Ten opener.
- Both Saquon Barkley (195 yards) and Akeel Lynch (120) rushed for more than 100 yards tonight, marking the first time Penn State had at two 100-yard rushers since Lynch (108) and Bill Belton (108) passed the century mark against Eastern Michigan.
- This was the first Big Ten Conference game that Penn State had two 100-yard rushers since Evan Royster (134) and Silas Redd (131) topped the mark vs. Northwestern in 2010.
- The 330 yards rushing by Penn State were the most since the Nittany Lions ran for 338 at Illinois in 2009.
- The Nittany Lions have rushed for 200 or more yards in consecutive games for the first time since gaining 338 at Illinois and 285 vs. Eastern Illinois in 2009.
- Penn State's 471 yards of total offense (330 rushing, 141 passing) are the most since Penn State had 511 (57 rushing, 454 passing) in last year's season opener against UCF in the Croke Park Classic.
- Penn State held Rutgers to 43 net yards of rushing tonight, the fewest since giving up just 33 yards to Maryland last season.
- T Brendan Brosnan and QB Trace McSorley saw their first career action, bringing the total of freshmen who have played this season to 18 (13 redshirt; 5 true)
- Penn State's 21 points in the second quarter were the most in a quarter for the Nittany Lions since scoring 28 in the second quarter last season against Massachusetts.
- Penn State grabbed two interceptions, the most in a game since grabbing four last season vs. Temple.
- Penn State recorded nine tackles-for-loss tonight. The Nittany Lions came into the game tied for second in the nation with 11 TFL per game and now has 31 TFL in the first three games. Penn State also improved on its sacks per game average with five tonight, after averaging four per game in the first two contests.
- Penn State did not allow a sack for the second consecutive game.
- Penn State's first scoring drive took 6:02, the longest of the season in terms of time and the longest since a 6:59 FG drive last season vs. Temple.
- Penn State's 12-play scoring drive in the second quarter (first scoring drive of the quarter) tied for the longest of the season in terms of plays with a 12-play drive last week against Buffalo.
- Penn State's 90-yard drive for its second touchdown was the longest of the season for the Nittany Lions. It was the longest drive for Penn State since last season, when the Lions had a 92-yard drive at Indiana, all on a 92-yard run by Bill Belton. It is the longest drive of more than one play since Penn State had a 91-yard drive against Indiana in 2012.
PLAYERS
OFFENSE
-True freshman RB Saquon Barkley had a career-high 195 yards and his second consecutive 100-yard game.
- The 195 yards rushing by Barkley marked the most rushing yards in a game by a Nittany Lion since Bill Belton gained 201 yards vs. Illinois in 2013.
- Barkley's 195 rushing yards are the most by a Penn State true freshman since Eric McCoo had 206 against Michigan State in 1998.
- RB Akeel Lynch finished the game with 120 yards, his fifth career 100-yard game, and his first since last year at Illinois.
- The 75-yard touchdown run by Lynch was the longest rush by a Nittany Lion since Bill Belton had a 92-yard touchdown last season at Indiana. The 75-yard burst also was a career-long for Lynch.
- Lynch now has 1,280 rushing yards in his career, good for 32nd place at Penn State. He trails Gary Brown (1,321 yards) for 31st place.
- QB Christian Hackenberg had 144 yards of total offense tonight (141 passing, 3 rushing), giving him 6,090 for his career and moving him into third place at Penn State, passing Tony Sacca (6,000 yards). He trails Daryll Clark (6,361 yards) for second place.
- The 48-yard pass from Christian Hackenberg to WR DaeSean Hamilton in the second quarter was the longest pass of the season for Penn State. The previous long was a 38-yard pass from Hackenberg to Chris Godwin last week against Buffalo.
- Sophomore WR DaeSean Hamilton had five catches tonight, giving him 91 for his career, ranking him 15th on Penn State's career list. He trails Freddie Scott (93 catches) for 14th place.
- Redshirt freshman WR DeAndre Thompkins' second quarter rushing touchdown was the first of his career.
- With WR DeAndre Thompkins' rushing touchdown tonight and WR Brandon Polk's last week, Penn State has now had two wide receivers with rushing touchdowns in the same season for the first time since 2008 when Derrick Williams and Chaz Powell both had rushing touchdowns.
- Two Penn Staters hailing from New Jersey started on offense tonight: C Angelo Mangiro and RT Brendan Mahon.
DEFENSE
- Sophomore CB Grant Haley grabbed the second interception of his career late in the second quarter. His first was last season against Temple.
- True freshman CB John Reid's interception in the third quarter was the first of his career.
- Reid's fourth quarter fumble recovery was also the first of his career.
- Sophomore safety Troy Apke forced the first fumble of his career in the fourth quarter.
- DE Carl Nassib had 1.5 tackles-for-loss tonight to bring his season total to 7.0. He also had sack, giving him five for the season.
- DT Parker Cothren recorded the first sack of his career tonight.
- Sophomore safety Marcus Allen tied a career high with 11 tackles. He previously had 11 on two occasions with the last time occurring against Maryland last season.
- Redshirt freshman LB Troy Reeder notched a career high eight tackles in just his second career start.
- Redshirt freshman DT Antoine White had a career-high three tackles, including 0.5 sacks.
- Four Penn Staters hailing from New Jersey started on defense: DT Austin Johnson, DE Garrett Sickels, LB Brandon Bell and LB Jason Cabinda.
SPECIAL TEAMS
- Starting Penn State punter Chris Gulla hails from New Jersey, giving the Nittany Lions seven starters tonight from the Garden State.
OTHER
-Penn State returns to action next Saturday against San Diego State in the first meeting between the schools. The game will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. and will air on BTN.