PSU at Piscataway Saturday Night

UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State looks to extend its six-game winning streak when it visits Rutgers Saturday night in High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, NJ. The game will kick-off at 8 p.m. on BTN.

Penn State will be playing its third primetime game in its last five outings, but its first on the road. It will also be the third consecutive night game against Rutgers.

The Nittany Lions enter the weekend locked in a three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten East Division standings at 6-1 with Ohio State and Michigan. Penn State is coming off its third double-digit comeback win of the season, rallying from 10 points down late in the third quarter at Indiana to win 45-31, outscoring the Hoosiers 31-7 down the stretch. Big Ten leading rusher Saquon Barkley found the end zone twice despite being bottled up much of the day, and quarterback Trace McSorley posted his third 300-plus passing yard game of the season and was responsible for three touchdowns.

The defense shined when it needed to the most, scooping up five fumbles and stopping a pair of crucial fourth downs with pass breakups by Brandon Smith and Kevin Givens.

Penn State’s trip to Piscataway will be just its fifth all-time, as many previous meetings were played at neutral sites. The Scarlet Knights will be looking to defeat the Nittany Lions for the first time at home after coming up short the last time Penn State visited in 2014, as the Lions prevailed, 13-10. Penn State will be the fourth current Top 10 team Rutgers has faced this season (Washington, Michigan, Ohio State).

In last season’s primetime tilt with Rutgers, Barkley enjoyed one of his first career breakout performances. Seeing significant action for just the second time in his career, he rushed for 195 yards.
Following the game, Penn State will turn its focus to Michigan State for the Land Grant Trophy game and the Senior Day finale in Beaver Stadium.

RUTGERS HEAD COACH CHRIS ASH
• Chris Ash is in his first season as the 30th head coach in the 147-year history of Rutgers football.
• Previously, Ash was an assistant coach at the collegiate level for nearly 20 years, spending the last five as a defensive coordinator.
• Most recently, he served at Ohio State (2014-15), helping the Buckeyes to a National Championship in his first season. In 2015, the Ohio State defense continued to make strides under Ash, ranking second in scoring defense nationally and ninth in total defense.
• He served in the same role at Arkansas in 2013 and Wisconsin from 2011-12. Other coaching stops included Drake, Iowa State and San Diego State.
• Ash and was a two-time letterwinner at defensive back at Drake, where he earned his undergraduate in 1996.
• He is one of three from that era of Drake football to become a FBS head coach, joining Dave Doeren (NC State) and Charlie Partridge (Florida Atlantic).

SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
• Rutgers enters the game with 2-8 overall record and an 0-7 record in Big Ten play. Both of Rutgers’ wins have come at home in High Point Solutions Stadium.
• Blessuan Austin is among the national (fourth) and conference (second) leaders in passes defended averaging 1.6 per game.
• Rutgers has transitioned to the spread offense in 2016 under offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer. He is the youngest play caller in the Power Five conferences at 28 years old.
• Running back Justin Goodwin ranks 12th in the Big Ten averaging 88.6 all-purpose yards per game, while fellow rusher Robert Martin ranks fifth in rush yards per carry averaging 5.21
• Quarterback Chris Laviano started the first seven games of the season, but Giovanni Rescigno has started the last three. Five different Knights have thrown a pass this season.
• Linebacker Trevor Morris ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 8.4 tackles per game.
• Rutgers’ red zone defense has seen success, ranking 16th in FBS and fifth in the Big Ten yielding scores on just 72.7 percent of opportunities.

WINNING WAYS
• Penn State’s win over Iowa guaranteed it its 12th consecutive winning season.
• Only six other FBS teams have posted winning records each of the last 12 years (Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Boise State, Oklahoma, USC and Florida State). LSU can also clinch 12 consecutive winning seasons this year.
• At 8-2, Penn State owns its best 10-game record since posting the same mark in 2011.
• The Nittany Lions have won six consecutive Big Ten games in the same season for the first time since 1994. Penn State won six-straight conference outings from 1998 to 1999 by winning the last game of 1998 and the first five of 1999.
• The six-game winning streak is longest overall winning streak since clicking off seven straight in 2011.
• The Nittany Lions are 6-1 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2011.
• Penn State has improved its regular season win total each season under Head Coach James
Franklin. The Nittany Lions went 6-6 in 2014, 7-5 in 2015 and are now 8-2 with two games remaining in 2016.

WINNING AGAINST A TOUGH SLATE
• The Nittany Lions’ 10 opponents have a combined record of 56-35. Seven have winning records.
• Of the eight teams Penn State has defeated, they have a combined 42 wins.

RETURN TO THE ROAD
• After spending seven of nine weeks at home (six games, one bye week), Penn State is playing its second consecutive road game to conclude a stretch in which three of four games have been on the road.
• After dropping its first two road games (Pitt, Michigan), PSU has won its last two (Purdue, Indiana).
• Penn State played six of its first nine games this season at home, winning all of them.
CFP TOP 10
• Penn State is ranked 8th in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
• It marks the highest Penn State has ever been ranked in the CFP.
• Penn State was ranked 12th in the CFP committee’s inaugural 2016 rankings (Nov. 1).
• It marked the first time since the CFP’s inception in 2014 that Penn State is ranked by the committee.
LIONS UNDER THE LIGHTS
• After playing two games at night in 2015, Penn State is playing at least three this season.
• The Iowa game was Penn State’s first nighttime regular season game in November since Nov. 14, 1987 at Pitt, and the game against Rutgers will be the latest regular season night game since Nov. 23, 1985 at Pitt.
• It will be the first time Penn State has played two primetime games in November.
• Penn State opened its primetime slate with its annual White Out game against Ohio State. It was the eighth primetime clash since 2005 and the fifth consecutive.
• Penn State rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter against then-No. 2 Ohio State for a victory.
• Most recently, Penn State defeated Iowa convincingly to improve its night game record to 44-29 overall and 12-10 at home. The Nittany Lions are 20-12 on the road, 1-1 at regular season neutral sites and 11-6 in bowl games.
• This year marks the ninth time since 2000 that Penn State will play multiple night games in the same season (Ohio State, Iowa, at Rutgers), and the 16th consecutive Penn State will play at least one regular season night game.
• The Lions’ night games over the past 15 seasons include: Ohio State, Iowa, Rutgers (2016); Ohio State and Rutgers (2015); Boston College (Pinstripe Bowl), Ohio State, Michigan and Rutgers (2014); Ohio State, Michigan and UCF (2013); Iowa and Ohio State (2012); Northwestern (2011); Alabama, Iowa and Michigan (2010); Iowa (2009); Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio State (2008); Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas A&M (2007), Michigan (2006), Illinois, Ohio State and Florida State (2005), Minnesota and Boston College (2004), Nebraska (2002 and `03), Miami (Fla.) (2001) and Indiana (2000).
• On Oct. 12, 2013, the Nittany Lions claimed the longest game in Big Ten history when they edged Michigan under the lights, 43-40, in front of a sellout Beaver Stadium crowd of 107,844 on Homecoming.

NITTANY LIONS FROM NEW JERSEY
A total of 19 Nittany Lions hail from New Jersey, making the Garden State the most represented state on the team, following Pennsylvania.
• CB Kyle Alston – Robbinsville/Robbinsville
• LB Brandon Bell – Mays Landing/Oakcrest
• WR Saeed Blacknall – Manalapan/Manalapan
• LB Manny Bowen – Barnegat/Barnegat
• LB Jason Cabinda – Flemington/Hunterdon Central
• WR Irvin Charles – Sicklerville/Paul VI
• T Will Fries – Cranford/Cranford
• TE/H Mike Gesicki – Manahawkin/Southern Regional
• G/C Steven Gonzalez – Union City/Union City
• K/P Chris Gulla – Toms River/Toms River North
• DT Immanuel Iyke – Hackettstown/Parsippany Hills
• WR Juwan Johnson – Glassboro/Glassboro
• C/G Wendy Laurent – Hamilton/The Hun School
• G/C Brendan Mahon – Randolph/Randolph
• RB Irvine Paye – Orange/West Orange
• CB John Reid – Mount Laurel/St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.)
• CB Troy Shorts – Sicklerville/Woodbury
• DE Garrett Sickels – Red Bank/Red Bank Regional
• DT Antoine White – Millville/Millville

PENN STATE-RUTGERS CONNECTIONS
• Penn State junior S Marcus Allen and Rutgers junior DB Damon Hayes played together at Dr. Henry A. Wise High School.
• Penn State sophomores G/C Ryan Bates and LB Jake Cooper and Rutgers senior TE Nick Arcidiacono played together at Archbishop Wood High School.
• Penn State sophomore WR Juwan Johnson and Rutgers sophomore LB Ronnie James played together at Glassboro High School.
• Penn State sophomore CB John Reid and Rutgers redshirt freshman QB Jack Clements played together at St. Joseph’s Prep.
• Penn State sophomore T/G Chasz Wright (2013) and Rutgers sophomore DB Blessuan Austin (2014) both attended Milford Academy for one season.
• Penn State offensive line coach Matt Limegrover worked with Rutgers special teams coordinator Vince Okruch at Northwestern University (1995-96). Limegrover was a graduate assistant and Okruch was the defensive line coach.
• Limegrover and Rutgers defensive coordinator Jay Niemann just missed each other at Northern Illinois. Limegrover departed as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach following the 2010 season, and Niemann arrived in 2011 to serve as the defensive coordinator.

TAKING CARE OF THE FOOTBALL
• Penn State has had three turnover free games this season: Minnesota, Purdue and Iowa. It is the first time the Nittany Lions have had three games without a turnover in the same season since 2012 (5 games).
• The Lions had an offensive turnover for the first time in three games at Indiana, yielding two interceptions.
• Penn State has not had a turnover in four of its last five games.
SECOND HALF SUCCESS
• Five of Penn State’s eight wins this season were one possession games at halftime with the Nittany Lions trailing on two occasions.
• The Nittany Lion offense ranks sixth in FBS in second half scoring (20.90) and third in fourth quarter scoring (12.80).
• Penn State is seventh in FBS in second half scoring differential (+10.70) and second in fourth quarter scoring differential (+7.30).
• Penn State has scored 128 points (12.8 per game) in the fourth quarter compared to 55 points (5.5 per game) in the first quarter. Penn State is averaging 8.5 and 8.1 points in the second and third quarters, respectively.
• Most recently, Penn State outscored Indiana 31-7 over the final 16:09 (24-7 in fourth quarter).
• On defense, Penn State has allowed a total of 37 third-quarter points through eight games this season, an average of 4.1 points in the third stanza.
• The Penn State defense allowed multiple scores in the third quarter for the first time all season at Indiana (TD, FG).
• Just 105 of the 261 points allowed by Penn State have been after halftime.
• Penn State has shut out two teams in the second half: Kent State and Maryland.
• Penn State outscored Purdue, 45-7 in the second half.
Courtesy of SportSource Analytics

HEATING UP
• Saquon Barkley has had more success in his last five games than in his first five games this season.
• In the last five, he has totaled 733 rushing yards on 114 carries with six touchdowns. That’s an average of 146.6 yards per game and 6.43 yards per carry. He totaled 380 yards on 86 carries in the first five games of the season, albeit with seven rushing touchdowns.
• Barkley continues to lead the Big Ten with 1,113 rushing yards and an average of 111.3 per game. The figures rank 15th and 20th in FBS, respectively.
• Barkley also leads the Big Ten with 142.1 all-purpose yards per game, which ranks 17th in FBS.
• With two rushing touchdowns at Indiana, Barkley now has 13, which are the most by a Penn State player since Larry Johnson had 20 in 2002. The figure ranks second in the Big Ten and ninth in the country.
• Barkley also has 15 overall touchdowns this season (13 rushing, 2 reception), which are the most for a Penn State player since Johnson had 23 in 2002. That figure leads the Big Ten and ranks ninth in FBS.
• Prior to the Indiana game, Barkley had one of the most productive four-game stretches in Penn State history.
• He totaled 675 rushing yards on 81 carries with four touchdowns. That’s an average of 168.8 yards per game and 8.3 yards per carry.
• The only other running backs to have a more successful four-game stretch in PSU history are: Larry Johnson (2002) – 109 carries, 1,073 yards, 10 touchdowns in 2002 (279, 188, 327, 279); John Cappelletti (1973) – 150 carries, 787 yards, 8 touchdowns (202, 220, 204, 161); Curt Warner (1981) – 98 carries, 716 yards, 5 touchdowns (238, 117, 105, 256).
• Barkley had 211 all-purpose yards (167 rush, 44 pass) against Iowa, his second-straight game with more than 200 all-purpose yards. The last Penn State player to have more than 200 all-purpose yards in back-to-back games was Johnson in 2002 (289 yards vs. Michigan State; 327 yards at Indiana).
• Barkley set career highs for rushing yards (207) and all-purpose yards (277; 207 rush, 70 rec.) against Purdue.
• Barkley’s 277 all-purpose yards against Purdue are a Penn State sophomore record and rank 14th in program history. They are also the most all-purpose yards for a Nittany Lion since Johnson had 289 all-purpose yards versus Michigan State in 2002.
• Barkley’s 207 rushing yards were the most by a Nittany Lion since Johnson had 279 against Michigan State in 2002.
• Barkley became the first Nittany Lion to rush for 200 yards in a game twice in the same season since 2002. Johnson had four 200-yard rushing yard games that season. He ran for 202 yards against Maryland just two games ago.
• Barkley’s 81-yard TD run was the longest by a Nittany Lion since Bill Belton ran for a 92-yard score against Illinois in 2002, and the ninth longest rush in program history. It was also the longest run of his career.

GETTING OUT OF THE GATE
• Penn State has scored a touchdown on its first drive of the game in the last three contests and four of the last five games.
• The Nittany Lions have not scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game in three consecutive games since at least 2002.
• The last time that Penn State has scored on its opening drive in at least four games in a season was in 2013, (vs. UCF, vs. Illinois, vs. Purdue, at Wisconsin).
• Penn State also scored a touchdown on its first drive of the second half against Purdue. The Nittany Lions had not scored a touchdown on their first drive of each half since 2013 against Wisconsin.

HIGH SCORING
• During its six-game winning streak, Penn State has averaged 39.8 points per game.
• Penn State has posted 40 points or more in three consecutive outings (Purdue, Iowa, Indiana) for the first time since 2008 (Oregon State, Temple, Syracuse).
• For the first time in program history, the Nittany Lions have scored 40 or more points in three-straight Big Ten Conference games.
• Penn State has scored 30 or more points in seven games this year, the most in a season since the 2009 squad did it eight times.
• The Nittany Lions have scored 148 points in their last three games, marking the highest three-game total since 2008 (166 – 66 vs. Coastal Carolina, 45 vs. Oregon State, 55 at Syracuse).
• The Nittany Lions have scored 148 points in their last three Big Ten games, marking the highest three-game total since 1994 (155 — 61 vs. Iowa, 31 at Michigan, 63 vs. Ohio State).
• The 24 points scored in the fourth quarter at Indiana and the third and fourth quarters at Purdue are the most by a Penn State team since scoring 28 in the second quarter against UMass in 2014.
• Penn State’s 62 points scored at Purdue are the most for the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten game since scoring 63 against Illinois 2005. It is the third-highest point total in a Big Ten game in program history.
• The 62 points scored against the Boilers are the most by a Penn State team in any game since topping Coastal Carolina, 66-10, in the season opener in 2008.
• Penn State’s 62 points set a record for an opponent at Purdue’s Ross-Ade Stadium, surpassing the 56 Ohio State scored in 2013. It also tied the most points any Purdue team has allowed anywhere, matching Wisconsin’s output from 2011.
• The Nittany Lions’ 45 points scored in the second half are the most by a Penn State team in a half since scoring 56 in the first frame against Illinois in 2005.
• Penn State’s 38-point win over Purdue is the largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game since the 39-0 win over Illinois last season.
• Penn State had 28 points off of turnovers against Purdue. Entering the day, the Nittany Lions had 20 points off of turnovers for the season. It was the most points scored off turnovers for Penn State since scoring 34 points off of five Temple turnovers in 2014.
• At Purdue, Penn State had five different players (Saquon Barkley, Chris Godwin, Andre Robinson, Miles Sanders, Mark Allen) score a touchdown in the same game for the first time since the Illinois game last season (Godwin, Geno Lewis, Christian Hackenberg, Barkley, Allen).
• Also at Purdue, the Nittany Lions had six drives of less than 2:00 for the first time since 2002 in a 61-7 win over Michigan State at Beaver Stadium. Penn State had six drives of less than 2:00 against the Spartans.
• The 39 points scored by Penn State against Pitt were the most in a loss in program history. The previous mark was 35 against Iowa in a 2002 overtime game.

OFFENSE COVERING GROUND
• Penn State has totaled more than 400 yards of offense in seven out of 10 games this season, its most since totaling seven in 2013.
• Penn State has three games this season with more than 500 yards of total offense, the most since 2012.
• PSU did not have a single three-and-out against Iowa, a feat not accomplished since 2015 against Purdue.
• Penn State had 599 yards of total offense against Iowa, the most since recording 661 yards at Rutgers in 1995. The 599 is also the highest total offense output by Penn State vs. a Big Ten team since 653 yards against Michigan State in 1994.
• The Nittany Lions’ 599 yards of total offense are the third-most by a Penn State team in a Big Ten game.
• The Nittany Lions had more than 500 yards of total offense in back-to-back games for the first time since surpassing 500 yards against Illinois and Eastern Illinois in 2009.
• Penn State’s 359 yards rushing were the most since rushing for 372 earlier this season against Maryland and the most allowed by the Hawkeyes since 2000.
• Penn State had 511 yards of total offense at Purdue.
• At the time, Penn State’s 524 yards of total offense against Maryland were the most since posting 574 against Eastern Michigan in 2013 and the most in a Big Ten game since having 546 yards against Indiana in 2012. It was the first game with 500 or more yards since the 2014 season opener vs. UCF (511).

COMEBACKS
• The Nittany Lions trailed by 10 points (24-14) in the third quarter at Indiana, but rallied to outscore the Hoosiers 31-7 over the final 16:09, making the third double-digit comeback of the season for Penn State (10 vs. Minnesota at halftime, 14 vs. Ohio State in 3rd quarter).
• Penn State has not had three double-digit comeback victories in the same season since at least 1970.
• The comeback trend started against Minnesota. Penn State trailed by 10 at halftime (13-3) and rallied to win 29-26 overtime.
• Against Ohio State Penn State trailed by 14 points entering the fourth quarter, but scored 17 to win.
• PSU won when trailing going into the fourth quarter by 14 points for the first time since at least 1967.
• The Nittany Lions trailed Michigan State by 13 points (37-24) in 1993 entering the fourth quarter. Penn State won the game, 38-37.
• It was the Nittany Lions’ biggest comeback win since erasing a 21-7 deficit to defeat Boston College in the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl.
• It was the biggest comeback win in a Big Ten game and at home since rallying from a 21-0 deficit in the second quarter for a 35-21 win over Northwestern on Nov. 6, 2010.

WHO NEEDS THIRD DOWN?
• Penn State has earned 83 first downs on second down, which ranks fifth-best in FBS at 42.56 percent.
• Of the 195 first downs PSU has gained this year, just 35 have come on third down plays, which is the second lowest percentage (17.95 percent) of any team in FBS.
• Additionally, just 18.63 percent of Penn State’s plays this year have been third down plays, which is the 15th-lowest percent in FBS.
• The Lions have converted 60.0 percent of their fourth downs to rank 35th in FBS and fourth in the Big Ten.
• The Nittany Lions converted a season-high 7-of-14 third down attempts against Iowa.
• Penn State went 0-for-4 on third down in the second half against Purdue, but still outscored the Boilermakers, 45-7.
Courtesy SportSource Analytics

McSORLEY CONNECTING
• Sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley is fourth in the Big Ten in passing yards with 2,390 in his first season as the starting quarterback.
• McSorley is the FBS leader in passing yards per completion, averaging 15.4 ypc.
• McSorley ranks fifth in the country with 27 completions for 30 or more yards.
• McSorley’s second quarter touchdown pass gives him a touchdown pass in 11 consecutive games. It is the longest streak since Matt McGloin had a 13-game streak starting with the last game of the 2011 season and ranging for the duration of the 2012 season.
• McSorley has thrown for 200 or more yards in seven of his 10 career starts.
• Despite throwing two interceptions against Indiana Penn State still ranks third in the Big Ten and 14th in FBS with just five passes intercepted all season. McSorley had not thrown an interception in his previous five games. By taking care of the football, Penn State ranks 14th in FBS and third in the Big Ten with just five interceptions.
• Penn State was one of 10 teams that did not have an FBS start at quarterback on its roster. The other teams were Arizona State, Arkansas, North Carolina, NC State, Rice, USC, Utah, UMass and Big Ten foe Wisconsin.

QUARTERBACK GROUND THREAT
• QB Trace McSorley has both a rushing and passing touchdown in five of the past six games.
• McSorley has six games with a passing and rushing touchdown this season. Only Louisville’s Lamar Jackson has more, totaling eight.
• McSorley’s six rushing touchdowns this season are the most by a Penn State quarterback since Daryll Clark had seven in 2009.
• McSorley’s 304 rushing yards this season are the most by a Penn State quarterback since Michael Robinson had 806 in 2005.
• Against Iowa, he rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. McSorley’s understudy Tommy Stevens rushed for 70 yards and his first career rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter against Iowa. He did it on five carries and had a career-best 45-yard rush late in the fourth.
• The last time that Penn State had two quarterbacks with rushing touchdowns in the same game was in 2009 against Eastern Illinois, when Daryll Clark and Kevin Newsome each had one rushing touchdown.
• After totaling just 32 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown in the first four games this season, McSorley rushed for 217 yards and three touchdowns over a three-game stretch including Minnesota, Maryland and Ohio State.
• McSorley is the first Penn State quarterback with three consecutive games with both a rushing touchdown and passing touchdown since Matt McGloin in 2012 (vs. Temple, at Illinois, vs. Northwestern).
• Against Ohio State, McSorley rushed a career-high 19 times, gaining 63 yards and a touchdown.
• Against Maryland, McSorley had a career-high 81 rushing yards on 18 attempts, the most rushing yards by a Penn State quarterback since Daryll Clark had 83 against Illinois in 2009. His previous high of 73 yards came the previous week vs. Minnesota.
• McSorley’s 73 rushing yards on only eight attempts against Minnesota led the team. The last Penn State quarterback to lead the team in rushing was Michael Robinson at Michigan State on Nov. 19, 2005. Robinson had 90 yards on 13 carries with one touchdown run against the Spartans.