Rutgers QB AJ Surace's status unclear for Penn State after playing on three broken ribs
Rutgers doesn't know who will start at quarterback at Penn State. AJ Surace has three broken ribs, Sean Ashenfelder is hurt and Lonergan remains out.
Rutgers heads to Penn State on Saturday without knowing who will play quarterback. AJ Surace played through three broken ribs in the 31-0 home loss to Nebraska. Sean Ashenfelder, who had started in Surace's place, was injured early in that game. Coach Greg Schiano said he had no update on either player and wasn't sure whether they would play in the final two games, the Asbury Park Press reported. Lonergan, the other quarterback in the mix, has missed the last three games with an injury.
Surace was listed as a game-time decision against Nebraska and was supposed to play only in an emergency. That emergency came in the second quarter. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Ashenfelder was knocked out of the game on a sack. It was his first college start, and he had been the third-string quarterback. Surace finished 4 of 12 for 24 yards and threw two interceptions. Rotowire, citing NJ.com, projects the junior as likely questionable for Penn State.
In his postgame news conference, transcribed by The Knight Report, Schiano praised Surace's toughness. He said doctors cleared Surace and that the team would never put a player at further risk. He also said Surace couldn't do everything in practice that week.
What it means for Rutgers
The Rutgers offense was already shorthanded. Star receiver KJ Duff is out for the season, and right guard Kobe Asamoah also missed the Nebraska game. Against the Cornhuskers, Rutgers managed 143 total yards, 101 of them on the ground. The Daily Targum noted that the loss dropped Rutgers to 2-8 for the first time since 2019.
The quarterback injuries have come during a skid. Rutgers has lost five straight since beating Maryland 37-30. It scored 10 points at Wisconsin, 21 against Michigan and none against Nebraska. Neither Surace, still recovering from the rib fractures, nor Ashenfelder, coming off his own injury, is a sure thing to take the first snap at Beaver Stadium.
Center Terrence Salami said his respect for Surace had only grown. Schiano said the team would keep looking for answers with two games left, at Penn State and at home against Michigan State. "Right now the margin of error is very, very thin," he told the Asbury Park Press.
What the market says
As of Sunday, Penn State is a 92% favorite in the consensus across the board for the Week 12 game. Sportsbooks have the Nittany Lions at 92% and the prediction markets have them at 91%, so the two groups are nearly level. Penn State is favored by 21.5 points, and the total is 49.5.
The moneyline prices for Rutgers vary more. FanDuel has the best price on the Scarlet Knights at +1100, Kalshi is at +1074 and Polymarket is at +963. On the Penn State side, Kalshi has the best price at -1428, and Polymarket is at -1649. FanDuel has the best spread price on both sides at -110, with Rutgers getting 21.5 points. On the total, FanDuel has the over at -105 and the under at -115. All of these numbers are as of Sunday and will move as the Rutgers quarterback picture becomes clearer before Saturday's kickoff on FS1.
