Penn State roared to a 5-0 start and was in the thick of the College Football Playoff race.

Fast forward to Nov. 20, and the Nittany Lions have lost four of their last five games and is reeling just to finish .500.

So, the question is: What happened?

Sean Clifford’s injury in the Iowa game might have been the straw that stirred the drink, but it’s obvious the Nittany Lions had some issues that either the coaching staff was doing a good job of masking, or they just weren’t exposed until the dog days of the Big Ten schedule when teams start to get a little worn down.

The problem, and this isn’t news to anyone who watches Penn State regularly, is in the trenches on both sides of the football.

An offensive line that was expected to be one of the most talented under head coach James Franklin has not been good, and was absolutely dominated last week to the tune of giving up seven sacks and averaging just 2.6 yards per carry on the ground against Michigan.

The Nittany Lions have been dreadful in the run game all season long, ranking dead last in the Big Ten in rushing offense, averaging just 106 rushing yards per game. If you can’t at least be serviceable with your rushing offense in the Big Ten, you’re going to struggle, and that point has certainly been proven this season.

Defensively, Penn State’s front has been severely inconsistent. Losing starting defensive tackle PJ Mustipher for the season against Iowa, who was playing lights out and shooting up NFL draft boards, set the defensive line back. But with the talent on the Nittany Lions roster, it shouldn’t have for all intents and purposes just made them absolutely porous against any team that can somewhat run the football.

Over the last few weeks, Penn State has given up 357 rushing yards to Illinois; 152 rushing yards to Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson; and 156 rushing yards to Michigan’s Hassan Haskins.

It’s obvious that players just aren’t being developed in these areas, especially in backup roles. When starters go down, it’s definitely going to set units back, there’s no doubt about that. But with the caliber of recruiting classes that Coach Franklin has been able to bring in since being in State College, there shouldn’t be such a monumental drop from player one to player three or player four, especially on the offensive and defensive line.

Penn State will take on Rutgers this afternoon (Noon ET, BTN) as they will meet for the 32nd time. The Nittany Lions have won each of the last 14 matchups, and they hold a 22-2 record at home. Last season, Penn State earned a 23-7 win in Piscataway.

There is little doubt what the Scarlet Knights are going to be looking to do in this one, which is pound the football. Rutgers rushed for 218 yards and five rushing touchdowns, with Isaih Pacheco being responsible for 79 of those rushing yards and two rushing scores in a 38-3 win over Indiana a week ago.

Scarlet Knights quarterback Noah Vedral shouldn’t be an issue for the Nittany Lions defense if it has figured out some of its issues from last week where shallow crossing routes gave the unit fits against the Wolverines.

If Penn State is better in defending the run this week, then it should be just fine and it should be able to generate a few takeaways.

A strip-sack by Arnold Ebiketie, recovered by Derrick Tangelo, against Michigan helped the Nittany Lions extended their takeaway streak to 16-straight games, dating back to the Nebraska game in 2020. Penn State is tied for the second-longest among FBS teams with Oklahoma, and trails only Baylor (18).

In those 16 games, the Nittany Lions have forced 24 total turnovers, including 15 interceptions and nine fumbles.

Rutgers is allowing 154 rushing yards per game, which ranks 73rd in the country, so if there is a week to get the run game going, maybe this is it? But honestly don’t count on it. Clifford didn’t play great last week, although, he was under constant pressure.

Clifford possesses a skill set that you would think would help him escape the pocket, keep his eyes down the field and make accurate throws, but unfortunately for Penn State, his play has also been inconsistent this season.

Someone else besides Jahan Dotson needs to step up this week, but what a season he is having as he continues to put up impressive numbers in 2021. Dotson is the only Big Ten receiver ever to have at least 80 receptions, 990 yards and nine touchdowns in the first 10 games of a season.

The Biletnikoff Award semifinalist’s 80 grabs are the third-most in a season at Penn State, while his 993 yards and nine touchdowns rank sixth. He paces the Big Ten in receptions, good for fourth nationally, while tying for second in receiving touchdowns and third in receiving yards.

The bottom line this week – the Nittany Lions need to be more consistent in the trenches, and Clifford needs to make plays in the passing game consistently and hit open receivers in stride, so they can make plays after the catch.

My pick is Penn State 27, Rutgers 13.