PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Penn State Football (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten) earned a 40-36 victory at Rutgers (5-7, 2-7 Big Ten) to become bowl eligible. The senior running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen led the squad to 300 total rushing yards for the first time in a conference game since 2018.
The Nittany Lions compiled 509 yards of total offense including 300 yards on the ground and 209 yards through the air. Penn State averaged 9.4 yards per play in the win.
Singleton became the Penn State all-time leader in rushing touchdowns with 45 and career total touchdowns with 55 career scores. He also achieved the program all-purpose yards record, totaling 5,586 throughout his four seasons and 183 in the contest. Allen became the 23rd Big Ten player to reach 4,000 career rushing yards with a career-high 226 in the contest. His 226 yards are the 12th-most in a game in program history. He also earned his fourth 100-yard rushing game in Big Ten play, becoming the first PSU player to do so since Miles Sanders in 2018.
Penn State’s 300 rushing yards on Saturday were its most in a game since 309 yards against Kent State in 2024 and most in a Big Ten game since 310 yards vs. Maryland in 2018.
Redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer completed 17-of-21 passes through the air including a 53-yard touchdown pass. Redshirt sophomore Andrew Rappleyea compiled 75 receiving yards on four catches, including the 53-yard touchdown catch. Redshirt senior Trebor Peña also tallied four catches on 36 yards.
The PSU defense totaled three sacks with redshirt senior Dominic DeLuca, junior linebacker Amare Campbell, senior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, redshirt sophomore defensive end Yvan Kemajou and redshirt defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam each having a hand in a sack. Campbell led the defense with 14 total tackles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Rutgers used five plays to convert its first score of the day on its opening drive, but the Nittany Lions responded quickly. Penn State kept its offense on the field on fourth-down at its own 47-yard line as Grunkemeyer connected with Rappleyea on a 53-yard touchdown pass with help from Koby Howard on a crucial block for his tight end.
An explosive 55-yard run for Allen quickly moved PSU into Rutgers territory later in the first quarter. Singleton finished off the drive with three rushes, including an 11-yard touchdown run for the all-time career touchdowns record at Penn State. The Nittany Lions widened their lead to 14-7 at the five-minute mark in the first stanza.
The Scarlet Knights tied the game up at 14 on their next offensive possession. Rutgers used seven plays to add points to the board following a two-yard touchdown run. The penalty that set the Penn State offense back to its 11-yard line following a 42-yard kick return from Singleton, did not deter the Nittany Lions from finding the end zone. Another 50-yard run from Singleton erased the penalty yardage and moved PSU to the RU 36-yard line. Allen finished off the sequence with a 15-yard rushing score to give the Nittany Lions a 21-14 advantage with 14:55 to play in the second quarter.
With 27 seconds remaining in the first half, the Scarlet Knights put together an 11-play drive that was capped off by a 21-yard reception to tie the score at 21-21.
Penn State moved quickly down the field using three key passing plays from Grunkemeyer to get the ball in field goal range. Barker was called upon to attempt a 32-yard kick which he converted with ease to give Penn State a 24-21 lead at halftime.
A long drive for the Nittany Lions to kick off the second half was finished off with a 29-yard field goal from Barker to extend their lead to 27-21. Rutgers had a response to recapture the lead with a 13-yard touchdown catch to finish off an eight-play drive for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers held a 28-27 edge at the 3:51 mark in the third quarter.
Allen’s third 20-plus-yard run of the day set Penn State at the Rutgers two-yard line following a 43-yard run for the senior running back. Singleton completed the drive with his second rushing touchdown of the day to give the Nittany Lions a 33-28 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Rutgers had a response yet again, adding another seven points to the board in the early minutes of the final period to create a three-point advantage. The home team withheld the momentum on the other side of the field, forcing Penn State to punt on its next drive. The Scarlet Knights advanced to the Penn State 32-yard line on their next offensive possession before committing the first turnover of the contest. Campbell scooped the ball from the ground off the fumble and took it to the end zone after a Rutgers fumble to reclaim the Penn State advantage at 40-36.
The home team had an opportunity to create another lead change following the Penn State defensive touchdown, but Tracy came up with a massive stop on the Rutgers’ fourth-down attempt to keep Penn State ahead.
With just under four minutes on the game clock, the Nittany Lions took their time maneuvering up the field. Allen’s second 50-plus-yard run of the game drove Penn State into Rutgers territory as time was running out in the contest. Grunkemeyer completed a three-yard toss to Rappleyea on fourth-down to allow the Nittany Lions to close out the game with a 40-36 victory.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and ticket information for the 2025 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com, or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.