STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) —
Kaytron Allen ran for two touchdowns, Alex Felkins kicked a pair of field goals and No. 12 Penn State pulled away from Rutgers after quarterback Drew Allar left with an apparent injury for a 27-6 victory on Saturday.
Allen finished a 15-play, scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and added another short, bruising scoring run up the middle early in the fourth to seal Penn State’s 17th-straight win over Rutgers.
Jai Patel booted a pair of first-half field goals, including a 35-yarder to cap Rutgers’ opening possession, but Penn State’s defense shut the Scarlet Knights (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) out the rest of the way.
The Nittany Lions (9-2, 6-2) forced three turnovers including a strip sack and fumble recovery by Chop Robinson late in the third quarter that helped set up Allen’s second touchdown run.
Penn State needed to lean on its running game with starting quarterback Drew Allar on the sideline.
The sophomore suffered an apparent injury on Penn State’s opening possession of the second half after taking a hard shoulder-to-shoulder hit from Rutgers defensive back Flip Dixon. Allar threw a high incomplete pass to the sideline on the next play, then exited in apparent pain.
Allar completed 6 of 13 passes for 79 yards and was seen flexing his right arm and shoulder on the sideline. He didn’t return.
Beau Pribula was effective immediately in relief of Allar. The dual-threat backup added 71 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, including a 39-yard scamper on his first rush.
Gavin Wimsatt completed 10 of 16 passes for 130 yards. He was intercepted by safety Kevin Winston on the Scarlet Knights’ penultimate possession when the .
THE TAKEAWAY
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights played tough but squandered too many chances to take control of the game early. Their three turnovers resulted in 17 points for Penn State.
Penn State: A week after offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was fired, the Nittany Lions still had trouble getting into a rhythm on offense. Allen’s tough running helped them move the chains when they needed to and Pribula gave Penn State a boost with his legs.
UP NEXT
Rutgers: Hosts Maryland on Saturday.
Penn State: Visits Michigan State on Friday.
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