Nittany Lions from Garden State savor win at Rutgers

For Penn State's players from New Jersey like Bill Belton, Brandon Bell, and Angelo Mangiro, coming back to the Garden State for one of the most historic games in the annals of Rutgers football and winning could not have been sweeter.

Belton (Winslow Township High) raced 5 yards for a touchdown thanks to a terrific block by Mangiro, a junior center from Roxbury, N.J., with 1 minute, 13 seconds to play Saturday to give the Nittany Lions a 13-10 victory over the Scarlet Knights in the teams' Big Ten opener at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.

Bell, a sophomore linebacker from Oakcrest High, had an interception in the fourth quarter, one of five thrown by Gary Nova.

In the end, "that team from Pennsylvania," as Rutgers coach Kyle Flood called Penn State during the week, spoiled the Big Ten debut of the Scarlet Knights, who led for more than 40 of the game's 60 minutes.

"It felt great," Mangiro said afterward. "It felt even better coming out with a win. I'm proud of where I'm from. I'm proud of my school and where my school is from. I couldn't be happier for the guys in our locker room who came here and got the W."

The offensive line of the Nittany Lions (3-0, 1-0) was overwhelmed at times by the Rutgers defensive front led by Darius Hamilton. The visitors rushed for just 64 yards, and quarterback Christian Hackenberg was sacked five times. But the unit did its part during its team's game-winning 80-yard drive.

Belton was particularly fired up after the game. Rutgers wide receiver Leonte Carroo called him out this week after reading a quote Belton made during Big Ten football media days in which Belton said he chose Penn State over other schools, including Rutgers, because he wanted to play "big-time football."

"I can't say how I feel," Belton said. "They were talking all week. We didn't do that. I think they approached it the wrong way. They made this game bigger than what it was. It was like the Super Bowl for them."

The Scarlet Knights (2-1, 0-1) dominated the second quarter and led by 10-0 at halftime but did very little offensively in the second half, when they had three first downs and 95 yards of total offense and ran just one snap in Penn State territory.

"It hurts. It should hurt," Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said. "But in life, I will not allow them to be defined by their losses. The clock's already ticking on next week and that doesn't mean you can just forget about this. But we'll come in tomorrow and we'll make the corrections."

Some Nittany Lions who aren't from New Jersey played huge roles in the victory. Hackenberg completed 25 of 44 passes for 309 yards. Geno Lewis began Penn State's winning drive by breaking a tackle and sprinting for 53 yards, and his 23-yard reception on third and 12 set up Belton's game-winner.

"It was a huge win," Penn State coach James Franklin said. "That's where the emotion came from. We approach every single game the same way. This win was no more important than the win we had last week over Akron."

Maybe. But Franklin's Jersey guys probably would beg to differ.

@joejulesinq