McSorley sets all-time Penn State TD mark in 35-6 win vs. Rutgers
STATE COLLEGE, PA. » Trace McSorley accounted for 258 total yards and three touchdowns as No. 16 Penn State beat Rutgers 35-6 on Saturday.
McSorley became Penn State’s all-time touchdown leader with 68, overtaking Daryll Clark’s record of 65 with one rushing and two passing scores, and the Nittany Lions scored 35 unanswered points after going down 6-0 in the first quarter.
Saquon Barkley ran for two touchdowns and DaeSean Hamilton and Mike Gesicki each caught one for Penn State (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten). Barkley, a Heisman Trophy candidate, ran for just 35 yards on 14 carries.
Rutgers (4-6, 3-4) got a pair of field goals from Andrew Harte, including one from 33 yards after the Scarlet Knights recovered the opening kickoff. He added a 25-yarder to give Rutgers a 6-0 lead with 11:16 to play in the first quarter, but Rutgers’ momentum ended there.
The Scarlet Knights didn’t get a first down in the second half until their final drive, which ended in a turnover on downs.
Robert Martin led Rutgers with 71 yards on 11 carries. Giovanni Rescigno completed 7 of 20 passes for 43 yards for the Scarlet Knights.
THE TAKEAWAY
RUTGERS » The Scarlet Knights let a rare chance to win back-to-back games slip away after a solid first half. They’re built to pound the ball and Rescigno showed off some scrambling ability to give Rutgers its best shot. PENN STATE » Three games ago, Penn State was sitting at No. 2 and had a clear path to the playoff with a bona fide Heisman Trophy front-runner in Barkley leading the offense. With two losses and one shaky start later, Penn State can’t get Barkley going on the ground, and his Heisman chances are becoming slimmer.