STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Looking to rebound from last weekend's disappointing loss to Michigan, No. 12 Penn State returns to action Saturday when the Nittany Lions host Rutgers on Senior Day in Happy Valley.
The game will kick off at noon from Beaver Stadium. It will be televised on FS1.
Here's a preview of the game.
Rutgers (6-4) at No. 12 Penn State (8-2)
THE SERIES: Penn State and Rutgers are meeting for the 34th time. The Nittany Lions hold a commanding 31-2 advantage in the series, including a 17-2 record at Beaver Stadium. Penn State won 55-10 in New Jersey last season; that was the largest margin of victory in the history of the series.
The Scarlet Knights' only wins came in 1988 (21-16) and all the way back in 1918 (26-3).
ABOUT PENN STATE: Last week's 24-15 loss to Michigan prompted a week of changes in Happy Valley. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was fired after another disappointing performance from the Lions' offense, which managed 74 passing yards and 238 total yards in the loss. It was a similar to what Penn State generated in its other loss of the season, a 20-12 setback at Ohio State, when the Lions 240 total yards.
Running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider and tight ends coach Ty Howle will serve as interim offensive coordinators for the final two games, head coach James Franklin announced.
In last Saturday's defeat, Drew Allar threw his 21st touchdown pass of the season. His 21 touchdown passes are currently tied eighth in a season at Penn State with Tony Sacca (1991), Kerry Collins (1994) and Sean Clifford (2021).
Trace McSorley holds the Penn State season record with 29 passing touchdowns in 2016. In 2023, Allar is the only FBS quarterback with 20+ touchdown passes and less than two interceptions.
The Nittany Lions continue to make plays behind the line of scrimmage this season, sitting second in the nation in sacks per game (3.8), third in total sacks (38), fourth in tackles for loss per game (8.2) and fifth in total tackles for loss (82). A total of 24 Nittany Lions have made at least one tackle for loss this season, tied for most in the FBS, while a nation-leading 18 players have recorded at least one sack.
Adisa Isaac leads the defense with 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks this season, while ranking second in the Big Ten in tackles for loss and third in sacks.
ABOUT RUTGERS: The Scarlet Knights are 6-4 overall and 3-4 in Big Ten play after their 22-0 loss to Iowa last week. Rutgers managed just 127 total yards against the Hawkeyes.
Desmond Igbinosun, Deion Jennings and Mohamed Toure each posted 10 tackles, while Jennings contributed a tackle for loss. Max Melton recorded a tackle for loss and an interception.
The Knights are coached by Greg Schiano, who returned to the Rutgers sidelines in 2019 after leaving the program in 2011. Schiano is 18-26 in his return to New Jersey. His first stint at Rutgers spanned 10 seasons, from 2001 to 2011. He earned National Coach of the Year honors in 2006 when he led the Knights to an 11-2 record.
Rutgers ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (24.1 ppg), 11th in total offense (310.5 ypg), fourth in rushing offense (169.6) and 12th in passing offense (140.9).
QB Gavin Wimsatt has completed 48.2 percent of his passes for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns, while adding 409 rushing yards and seven scores. RB Kyle Monangai leads the Big Ten in total rushing yards (942) and rushing yards per game (94.2) while sitting third in yards per carry (5.2) and fourth in rushing touchdowns (7).
On defense, Rutgers ranks sixth in the Big Ten in scoring defense (18.3 ppg), fifth in total defense (294.4 ypg), fourth in passing defense (166.2) and seventh in rushing defense (128.2).
SENIOR DAY: Penn State's Senior Day, presented by The Penn State Alumni Association, will honor seniors who will take the field in Beaver Stadium for potentially the final time Saturday in a pregame ceremony, which will begin at 11:30 a.m.
Fans are encouraged to visit Game Day Central for all information as it relates to Penn State Football game day traffic, parking and information on the match up. Real time traffic, parking and gate information will be shared on the Beaver Stadium Twitter account (@beaver_stadium).
Beaver Stadium family-friendly entrance gates, located at Gate F and the ADA entrance, will open at 9:30 a.m., 2.5 hours before kickoff, while the rest of the gates will open at 10 a.m. Fans are strongly encouraged to arrive early to ease the entry process.