McSorley, defense lead Penn State to 35-6 win over Rutgers
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – On a day when most of the 107,531 in attendance at Beaver Stadium wanted to cheer their team on to stay warm Saturday in near-freezing temperatures, Penn State started out sluggish, as if the Nittany Lions’ two gut-wrenching losses the previous two weeks still were on their minds.
A short opening kickoff that bounced away from Saquon Barkley was recovered by Rutgers. The Nittany Lions were shut out in the opening quarter for the first time all season. Less than four minutes into the second period, the visitors held a 6-0 lead and a 107-24 advantage in total yards.
But the 17th-ranked Lions bounced back from their frustrating afternoons at Ohio State and at Michigan State, thanks to quarterback Trace McSorley and a defense that slammed the door on the Scarlet Knights from that point on, and they cruised to a 35-6 Big Ten victory.
“I wouldn’t say there was a hangover, we just weren’t in a groove,” McSorley said after passing for two touchdowns and running for a third to give him 68 career total touchdowns responsible for, a program record. “We didn’t start fast. We were a little shell-shocked. I said, ‘Let’s get past that, let’s start playing ball, let’s play confident, let’s play loose.’ ”
Wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton agreed there was no hangover, that it was a matter of the Nittany Lions (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten)…
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