The Penn State Football Report Card After a Tense Win Over Rutgers

The Nittany Lions won their third straight game to get to .500 and become bowl eligible.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) scores a rushing touchdown during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

PISCATAWAY, N.J. | Penn State played its best offensive game and worst defensive game of the season Saturday against Rutgers, which fumbled away a win. The Nittany Lions high-wired their way to a 40-36 victory over the Scarlet Knights, becoming bowl-eligible in the process.

Wherever it plays in the postseason, Penn State won't want to bring that version of its defense, which interim head coach Terry Smith said "played terribly." He wasn't wrong. To the report card.

RELATED: After a win over Rutgers, Penn State waits anxiously on its future

OFFENSE: A-

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) celebrates after a touchdown run during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Penn State rolled up a season-high 509 yards of offense with a run game that consistently uprooted Rutgers. Kaytron Allen was unstoppable (226 yards rushing), Nicholas Singleton broke three of Saquon Barkley's career records and Ethan Grunkemeyer completed 81 percent of his passes.

But maybe all that gets neutralized if offensive coordinator Andy Kotelncki doesn't call a deftly timed play-action throw to Andrew Rappleyea to convert a late fourth down. This hasn't been the best season of Kotelnicki's career, but he stripped out much of his excess the past few weeks, leaning on Allen's power, Singleton's speed, Grunkemeyer's play-action accuracy and a line that reached its potential.

Rappleyea really has bloomed as a playmaker the past two weeks and opened Penn State's scoring with a 53-yard touchdown catch. The Nittany Lions were superb on first down (11.5 yards per play), lousy great on third down (1-for-8) and perfect on fourth down (3-for-3). Afterward, Smith called Grunkemeyer Penn State's "future at the positon," seeking to make him an attractive player to the next coaching staff.

DEFENSE: D

WHAT A CATCH FROM @RFootball'S KJ DUFF 🤯

📺: BTN pic.twitter.com/w8HTKGStrj

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 29, 2025

Rutgers' KJ Duff made the second catch of the season against Penn State, one that should have led to a go-ahead touchdown and perhaps a win. But when it needed a stop, Penn State's defense got it on 4th-and-goal from cornerback Zion Tracy and linebacker Amare Campbell, who combined to bring down quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis for a one-yard loss

"We repped that exact play in practice," Campbell said, "so when we got to the game, we just executed it."

Campbell was Penn State's defensive savior, making 14 tackles (five solo), sharing a sack and being rewarded with the most fortuitous scoop-and-score touchdown when Kaliakmanis simply dropped the football. But beyond that, Rutgers put it to Penn State's defense.

The Scarlet Knights' 36 points were their most in 35 games against Penn State. Their 533 yards were the most against Penn State since the 2023 Peach Bowl vs. Ole Miss. Penn State's tackling lapsed, its man coverage gave up slant after slant and the defense allowed a shocking eight plays of 20+ yards. Only Campbell and that fourth-down stop prevented Knowles' defense from failing this game.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C

Penn State Nittany Lions kicker Ryan Barker (94) makes a field goal against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Sloppy game in terms of special teams penalties. A holding call brought back Singleton's 42-yard kickoff return in the second half, and Penn State also committed penalties on a kickoff and punt. Punter Gabe Nwosu had a solid game, and Singleton would have had more return yards if not for the penalty.

COACHING: B-

Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith looks on during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Knowles won't win any prizes for this performance, though Kotelnicki deserves credit for his management of the run game and two fourth-down calls. One produced a long Rappleyea touchdown, the other a short Rappleyea catch that ended the game.

Ultimately, though, Smith gets praise from bringing Penn State back from the brink, not only in this game but also in the season's second half. If that was his last game as Penn State's interim head coach, it was a memorable finish.

OVERALL: C+

Penn State played a big, fun, flawed, messy game against Rutgers, which had a juicy chance to beat the Nittany Lions for the first time since 1988. The Nittany Lions never materialized the precise, clinical team that was supposed to contend for a national championship. But if they had shown some of this resilience earlier this season (specifically Oct. 4 at UCLA), perhaps the season takes a different loop and doesn't end in a coaching search.

What happens next for Penn State? Stay on top of all the Nittany Lions news by subscribing to the Penn State on SI Daily Digest. The newsletter is your free daily window into Penn State sports.