PISCATAWAY, N.J. _ Penn State's offense didn't register many style points in the wind and rain Saturday night against Rutgers, but the defense more than made up for it in helping the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions to their seventh consecutive victory.
The Lions got a career-best four field goals from Tyler Davis, and Saquon Barkley rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game in the third quarter with an injury, in a 39-0 victory over the Scarlet Knights at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Penn State (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) kept its hopes alive for a berth in the Big Ten championship game in two weeks. The Nittany Lions need a victory at home next week over Michigan State, and Ohio State must defeat Michigan, in order for them to represent the Big Ten East in Indianapolis.
The Penn State defense limited the Scarlet Knights (2-9, 0-8), who lost their eighth straight game, to just 87 yards of total offense. Quarterback Giovanni Rescigno completed just 7 of 16 passes for 48 yards. Rutgers was shut out in Big Ten play for the fourth time this season.
The Lions finished with 549 total yards. They outgained Rutgers, 216-66, in the first half and drove into the red zone four times but led by only 9-0, thanks to three field goals from Davis. The Nittany Lions' best chance to score a touchdown came in the second quarter, but, on fourth-and-1 from the Rutgers 2, a bad snap blew up the play.
The Penn State offense regrouped at halftime and scored on its first three possessions of the third quarter. Rutgers received the second-half kickoff and punted, but Juwan Johnson blocked Michael Cintron's kick and the Lions were in business at the Scarlet Knights' 10. Barkley scored from a yard out.
A 19-yard pass from Trace McSorley to Barkley set up Davis' fourth field goal, a 32-yarder, a little less than six minutes later. It took Penn State just 3 minutes, 14 seconds to score again with McSorley's 22-yard pass to Chris Godwin setting up a 2-yard run by backup running back Andre Robinson.
The TD came three plays after Barkley, the leading rusher in the Big Ten, was tackled hard at the 5 and stayed down. There was no immediate word on his injury, but he never returned to the game.
Penn State scored twice in the fourth quarter, on McSorley's 27-yard pass to Mark Allen and a 12-yard run by backup quarterback Tommy Stevens. By this point, most of the announced crowd of 51,366 had left as rain, and later snow, fell, and Penn State fans represented the majority of those who remained.
The Lions got off to a terrible start when Miles Sanders muffed the opening kickoff, then kicked the football forward, where it was recovered by defensive back K.J. Gray at the Penn State 19. However, strong safety Malik Golden tackled Josh Hicks on first down for a 7-yard loss and the Scarlet Knights ended up missing a 45-yard field goal attempt.
The Lions got on the board on their second possession. An 18-yard run by Barkley moved the ball to the Rutgers 18, and three plays later Davis kicked a 32-yard field goal into the wind for a 3-0 lead.
Penn State drove to another field goal on its next march with the help of a 26-yard pass from McSorley to tight end Mike Gesicki on a fourth and 1 from midfield. The drive stalled at the 16 and Davis drilled a 34-yard field goal into the wind with 20 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Nittany Lions appeared ready to finally break into the end zone on their next drive. On consecutive plays, Barkley ran for 10 yards and McSorley fired completions of 15 yards to DeAndre Thompkins and 28 yards to DaeSean Hamilton to move the ball to the Rutgers 11.
Barkley carried on third down but wound up one yard short. Penn State went for it from the 2 on fourth down, but the snap eluded McSorley, who picked up the ball and hurled a pass that went over the end line.
The Lions did score once more before halftime, on Davis' season-long 41-yard field goal.
