Arnav’s Analysis: Takeaways From Rutgers’ Heartbreaking 40-36 Loss To Penn State

Arnav’s Analysis: Takeaways From Rutgers’ Heartbreaking 40-36 Loss To Penn StateStory byArnav SarkarSun, November 30, 2025 at 8:24 PM UTC·11 min read

To tell you all the truth, I saw this result coming three weeks ago when I saw Penn State’s remaining schedule after they nearly shocked Indiana at home, but if you told me it would happen in this kind of heartbreaking fashion, I would not have believed it. I had hoped that Michigan State or Nebraska would take their morale away by knocking them out of bowl contention, but a large part of me wanted the Scarlet Knights and Nittany Lions to meet in a winner-take-all showdown to end the regular season.

After all, that is why we play and watch sports, for high-stakes moments like this. Win, and you make a bowl game; lose, you go home for the season. And this year appeared to be different, but sure enough, it ended the same as the past 17 times Rutgers played Penn State, with a loss to the hated Nittany Lions.

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But unlike many of those games, the Scarlet Knights were not only in the game, but they had a real chance to win it. The crowd could almost taste the victory, getting louder on every defensive third and fourth down and on every big offensive play, but Athan Kaliakmanis’ untimely fumble and an ensuing fourth-down stop ended the hope of a third consecutive bowl bid and what would have been a night to remember in Piscataway.

Here are my takeaways from Rutgers’ final game of the 2025 season, one that will be filled with what-ifs after the Scarlet Knights came oh-so-close multiple times to taking down a better team and getting their sixth win.

Rutgers’ Run Defense Shredded For Over 300 Rushing Yards

The story of the season has been how poor the Rutgers defense has been at times, particularly against the run, but the damage started in the pass, where the Scarlet Knights haven’t exactly been stellar either. After the Rutgers offense went down the field in just five plays for an opening touchdown, the Nittany Lions answered in four plays, capped off by a 53-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Grunkemeyer to a wide-open Andrew Rapplyea.

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From there, the Scarlet Knights continued to move the ball, but turned it over on downs, with Greg Schiano opting for a bizarre fake field goal, with Jai Patel falling way short on his attempt to evade Nittany Lion defenders in the open field. Penn State began its big day on the ground with a 55-yard rush from Kaytron Allen, with Nicholas Singleton taking the next three carries, including an 11-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven.

After Rutgers answered back, Singleton torched the Knights up the left sideline for a 53-yard gain, before Allen finished off the drive with a 16-yard run and a 15-yard touchdown run to put the Lions up 21-14. The game turned from an offensive shootout to a defensive struggle in the second quarter, with both teams trading punts twice before Kaliakmanis found Sheffield wide-open for the tying touchdown. However, Penn State went 56 yards down the field and scored a field goal in just 26 seconds to take a 24-21 halftime lead.

Penn State tacked on a field goal to go up 27-21, but after Rutgers retook the lead, it was another back-breaking run from Kaytron Allen that set up an easy touchdown from Nick Singleton. The defense came up with a big stop after Athan connected with Raymond for the go-ahead touchdown, giving the offense a prime opportunity to get some separation, but in a cruel twist of fate, Kaliakmanis literally dropped the ball and sapped all the momentum out of SHI Stadium.

Rutgers could not convert a fourth down on their next possession, and Allen had yet another 50-yard run to put Penn State deep into the Scarlet Knights’ territory. Terry Smith made the call to clinch the game on a fourth down, and the Nittany Lions converted, allowing them to kneel the ball down.

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Grunkemeyer had an efficient game, throwing 17-21 for 209 yards and a touchdown, with tight end Andrew Rappalyea by far the most productive receiver for Penn State. The Nittany Lions’ wide receiver transfers did not have much impact at all, but they did not need to with Allen rushing for a career-high 226 yards and a rushing touchdown, while Singleton had nine carries for 86 yards and two ground scores.

As a team, Penn State rushed for 301 yards on 32 carries, rushing for a blistering 9.4 yards per carry, with either back a true first down or home run threat every time they touched the ball. For a defense that had these problems against the likes of Ohio, Purdue, and Maryland, nobody should be surprised when one of the top running back tandems in the country sliced through the Knights on the ground all game long.

Another Offensive Field Day Marred By Untimely Mistakes

After Ohio State shut the Rutgers offense down, the Scarlet Knights roared back to life against Penn State, with Athan Kaliakmanis finding Antwan Raymond, KJ Duff, and Ian Strong for double-digit completions to set up Raymond’s 19-yard touchdown run to open the scoring for the afternoon.

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This game saw several offensive stars, but a notable one was Kenny Fletcher Jr., who caught a 25-yard pass up the right sideline on Rutgers’ second drive before hauling in a 39-yard pass up the left sideline one drive later, his longest catch of the season. Kirk Ciarocca was unafraid to use his tight end on the rollout passes that always have success, but also had Fletcher be used as an athletic pass-catcher downfield, providing another option for the Rutgers offense. Fletcher finished with four catches for 85 yards, a career-high in his final collegiate game.

Three weeks after Raymond’s 240-yard performance, the sophomore running back had 189 yards on 29 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per carry with a long of 22 yards, as well as his opening touchdown. But his greatest play of the day came on a wheel route, with Raymond getting wide open and bringing down a 46-yard touchdown from Kaliakmanis to give Rutgers a 36-33 lead.

KJ Duff had five catches for 127 yards, none bigger than the 42-yard grab that looked like Odell Beckham Jr.’s one-handed catch against the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. Time and time again, the big-play receiver made big plays when the offense needed it most, and coupled with Ian Strong and DT Sheffield, the Knights’ receiving core was the best the team has seen in a decade.

Finally, Athan Kaliakmanis was the engine that kept firing, creating all the big plays for the team’s arsenal of playmakers. He finished 16-22 with 338 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions in a near-perfect performance. Kalikamanis’ one mistake, however, doomed the Scarlet Knights, as Rutgers was driving down the field up 36-33 after the defense came up with a stop via a delay of game penalty on fourth down that forced Penn State to punt the football back to Rutgers.

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Antwan Raymond had successive carries of 12, 8, and 18 yards, followed by a three-yard gain to set up second-and-seven with the offensive line pushing Penn State’s defensive front backwards. Even the most skeptical and cautious Rutgers fans were starting to feel that their team was getting control of the game, but Kaliakmanis dropped the football, which was recovered by PSU linebacker Amare Campbell and returned 61 yards for the Lions’ touchdown.

Even after Duff’s improbable catch on the next drive, the Knights’ offense ran into a wall with Penn State snuffing out the Raymond runs. A tush push on third-and-two picked up a yard, while Kaliakmanis kept the ball on fourth-and-one, trying to get around the edge, but Zion Tracy was there to meet him for a one-yard loss instead.

But it is hard to blame Kaliakmanis for that one crucial mistake when he consistently delivered for Rutgers all year. He finished his Rutgers career with 5,820 passing yards and 35 touchdown passes, while throwing for 3,124 yards in 2025, becoming the third Scarlet Knight to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season. Ryan Hart surpassed the 3K mark in 2004, while Mike Teel did so in back-to-back seasons during 2007 and 2008.

With KJ Duff also crossing the 1,000-yard mark in this game and Antwan Raymond over 1,200 yards on the season after this game, this is the second season in program history that Rutgers has had a 3K yard passer, 1K yard rusher, and 1K yard receiver, joining the team’s record-setting 2007 season.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRutgers Turns The Page On A Turbulent 2025 Season

It is easy to blame Athan Kaliakmanis for his fumble or the offensive playcalling for not being able to keep the ensuing possession alive. But to blame the offense after the season that they have had means that you are missing the bigger focus. The team should not have to play a perfect offensive game just to have the chance to win.

The defense needed to be better, and although at some points towards the end of the year, they were, they did not play well enough consistently to get the job done. The same problems that plagued them in the nonconference continued to the end, with the run defense giving up 300 yards and allowing 9.4 yards per carry.

They also allowed a big pass play and gave up 9.4 yards per play to the Nittany Lions. When putting the entire season together, Rutgers allowed 7.9 yards per play in Big Ten play, which is the worst since 2000 and likely the worst all-time in the Big Ten. We have been saying it all season, but the defense needs an overhaul, starting from Robb Smith at defensive coordinator, to better position coaches, to installing a better scheme that fits the strengths of the players.

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Next year will see AJ Surace take over at quarterback, and many key seniors are leaving, starting with Athan Kaliakmanis and several offensive linemen, including Bryan Felter, Kwabena Asamoah, and Gus Zilinskas. Ian Strong may be declaring for the NFL Draft, and KJ Duff may or may not return to Rutgers next season. Antwan Raymond will likely be back for his junior year after being a Doak Walker National Semifinalist this season, but tight end Kenny Fletcher Jr. will also be graduating after playing his best game as a Rutgers player last night.

On defense, the Scarlet Knights will have to replace key transfers like Eric O’Neill and Bradley Weaver, who did not live up to expectations on the edge but became solid run-stuffers by the end of the year, particularly in O’Neill’s case. The secondary will lose Jett Elad after he won his eligibility battles to stay on the field for Rutgers, as well as Cam Miller, who became one of the team’s best cornerbacks after transferring in from Penn State. Defensive lineman Jordan Thompson and star linebacker Dariel Djabome will also be departing.

Even special teams will be hit, with longtime placekicker Jai Patel saying his farewell after setting program records, as well as long snapper Evan Ward and program and fan-favorite Timmy Ward, who overcame cancer and walked on to the team before recovering a blocked punt in the end zone against Michigan three seasons ago.

He also scooped up a blocked punt in the Pinstripe Bowl against Miami in 2023 to give Rutgers the lead in a 31-24 bowl win. Dino Kaliakmanis, who also played heavily on special teams and caught his first touchdown pass from AJ Surace against Norfolk State, will be graduating as well, as will reserve tight end Colin Weber.

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Rutgers will need to hit the portal hard once again, and while the offense will have a stable foundation, with several offensive linemen and other injured players, including Doug Blue-Eli and Darold DeNgohe, likely returning for 2026, the defense will need a complete overhaul. National Signing Day is coming up, so we are not far away from finding out who the next batch of Scarlet Knights will be.

This team will be remembered for its sensational offense, bringing life to a long-dormant phase of the ball, particularly in the passing game. It will also be remembered for failing to get the job when it mattered most, which is why the Scarlet Knights are one win shy of bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022.

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