PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Kaytron Allen ran for a career-high 226 yards and a touchdown as Penn State beat Rutgers for the 18th straight time, 40-36, on Saturday to become bowl eligible after a tumultuous season.
The Nittany Lions (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten) retook the lead for good when linebacker Amare Campbell raced 61-yards with a fumble with 7 minutes, 27 seconds to play. Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis lost the ball without being touched.
Rutgers (5-7, 2-7 Big Ten) had moved ahead 36-33 early in the fourth quarter on a 46-yard TD pass from Kaliakmanis to Antwan Raymond.
Raymond ran for 189 yards, and Kaliakmanis passed for 338 yards and three TDs.
There were four lead changes in the second half.
Rutgers turned the ball over on downs with 3:55 to go when Kaliakmanis lost a yard on fourth-and-1 on the Penn State 27-yard-line on a read-option play.
“One of the things we learned tonight was how to end the game on our terms,” said Penn State interim coach Terry Smith. “The defense struggled all night. It was not pretty, but they figured out a way. That’s football.
“We ended the game on our terms.”
Rutgers lost three of its last four games, giving up at least 35 points in all of them.
“ ‘Tough loss’ probably undersells it a little bit,” said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. “I feel really, really bad for the players down there in that locker room. They are hurting. Sometimes you don’t feel like you deserve this or deserve that. It’s not about deserving. It’s about, what are you going to do next? And that’s what I’m faced with, and certainly that’s what a locker room full of players and coaches are faced with.”
Campbell led Penn State with 14 tackles.
“He (Campbell) deserves a lot of credit, and he plays really hard,” Smith said. “He is very productive, solid and consistent. I don’t know what we would do without him. He is a stable piece in the middle for us. Just a tremendous effort tonight.”
Penn State hasn’t missed a bowl game since 2020 when the non-College Football Playoff bowl games were canceled because of the covid-19 pandemic.
After losing to Notre Dame in the semifinals of the CFP last season, the expectations for Penn State were high. The Nittany Lions began the season ranked No. 2 and were led by quarterback Drew Allar, who was headed for a Heisman-caliber season before a season-ending leg injury in Week 6 against Northwestern.
The following day, coach James Franklin was fired after Penn State lost its first three Big Ten games, including back-to-back games in which the Nittany Lions were favored by 20-plus points.
Penn State would lose six straight before turning its season around by winning its last three games.
Penn State hasn’t made a decision on its next coach, but Smith remains confident in the job he did turning around the Nittany Lions’ season.
“It meant a lot to me,” he said. “It taught me that I know I can truly do this job, and it taught me patience. It taught me the role of one of the biggest jobs in college football. It taught me that I have a special bond with people and my players.”
Nicholas Singleton broke ties with Saquon Barkley to claim the school career rushing TD record with his 44th and 45th, career total touchdowns at 55 and all-purpose yards with 5,586.
Penn State now awaits its bowl destination.
