Don’t let Penn State football get hot, folks.

The Nittany Lions picked up their second straight win Saturday afternoon with a decisive 23-7 win over Rutgers. Solid rushing performances from Keyvone Lee, Devyn Ford, and even Will Levis helped Penn State cruise past the Scarlet Knights with a big help from the offensive line.

Penn State ran the ball 57 times against Rutgers, while it only attempted 22 passes. That’s the most amount of times the Nittany Lions ran the ball this season and by far the least amount of passes. They rushed the ball five more times than their previous most and threw the ball seven less times than their previous least.

James Franklin said after the game that the rainy and windy weather played a role in these play-calling decisions. This was especially evident on the plays where Will Levis was in at quarterback.

“We gotta mix some passes in there, there’s no doubt about it,” Franklin said. “The weather was significant today, it affected both offenses…we have to mix some pass in there as well with Will in the game to make sure that they respect it.”

Levis, who rushed 17 times and failed to throw a single pass, was a microcosm of Penn State’s overall offensive scheme. But despite the shortcomings and redundancy in Levis’ “Falcon package,” the run-heavy offense worked well against Rutgers.

Lee led the way for Penn State with 17 carries for 95 yards. He didn’t get the start over Devyn Ford Saturday, but he looked a lot like the Nittany Lions’ RB1 throughout the game. His ability to fall forward and churn his legs as a true freshman is great now and even better for the future.

Ford returned from a two-week absence due to injuries and family reasons and mostly picked up where he left off. His 11 carries for 65 yards put him atop of Penn State’s yards-per-carry column, with 5.9 on the day. He also had Penn State’s only rushing touchdown.

Welcome back to the end zone, Devyn Ford pic.twitter.com/FY2krIA6vs

— Onward State (@OnwardState) December 5, 2020

Despite Penn State’s consistent run calls, the offense was still effective when Rutgers was likely anticipating a ground play. Offensive lineman Will Fries said he knows those types of downs are won in the trenches, and the Nittany Lions’ front group takes pride in that success.

“We really embrace those [situations], we work on it a lot and,” Fries said after the game. “That’s mentality. We know it’s on us, we want to get those downs, you know, continue the drive.”

The offensive line has been playing very well recently, and that continued in Piscataway. This group, who had previously gave up five sacks against Ohio State and Iowa and seven against Maryland, only allowed two today.

The offensive line’s recent success has come in both the passing and ground game. The line combined with tight ends like Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson to open up big holes for the Penn State’s rushers, who have now had back-to-back impressive performances.

Devyn Ford has seen the development as well, and partially attributes it to the mentality of the guys in the trenches. The line’s success leads to Penn State’s success on the ground.

“They’re just playing harder, just like I told you: It’s mentality,” Ford said. “It starts with the line all the time…it starts in the trenches. If you don’t get those two [offensive and defensive] parts going, you know it’s going to be a long game.”

Penn State had 248 total rushing yards on the day, which is now the third time it’s had 245 or more yards. With the Nittany Lions’ first, second, and temporarily third-string running backs out, they’ve performed well above expectations.

Penn State will try to keep the train rolling next week when it returns home to host Michigan State and vye for the coveted Land-Grant Trophy.