PISCATAWAY -- Penn State coach James Franklin had roughly 15 minutes of an open microphone Saturday night to show some respect for the Rutgers football program that has just forced his team to claw its way to an ugly 13-10 victory.

He could have acknowledged that the Scarlet Knights defense made his quarterback -- a sophomore who already has NFL scouts drooling -- look ordinary.

He could have lauded Rutgers coach Kyle Flood for having his team ready for the biggest game in the program's history -- its Big Ten debut.

He could have let the media know what he knew: That without a reckless quarterback throwing five interceptions to victimize a heroic defense, Rutgers (and not Penn State) would be undefeated this morning.

He could have said what Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said: "They made one more play than we did. My hat is off to them. James has got a good football team, and like I said, they made one more play than we did."

Franklin, who talks and talks and talks, could have said any of that, but he didn't.

Instead, he schmoozed the media and thanked them for covering the game -- even though they got paid to show up and probably received a mileage allowance for the gas and tolls. When he was done, he wished the beat writers a good night. Then, he doubled back to tell them to drive home safely.

Yes, the guy who has turned postgame press conferences into one big neck rub from the Pennsylvania and national media knows all about public relations, so it's reasonable to assume that if he had wanted to give Rutgers an atta-boy and a pat on the fanny, he would have. But he didn't.

There was not a word of "Wow, we were in a dogfight tonight."

Which likely translated to "Hey, Rutgers, drive home safely."

And when running back Bill Belton had the chance to give Rutgers a nod after he and RU receiver Leonte Carroo had engaged in a little trash talk about whether Rutgers was big time or not, Belton said this about Carroo: "This is what he asked for and he got it."

So, for all the verbal back-and-forth that passed between the two teams before, during and after the game, Rutgers should know this: The coach from that school in Pennsylvania doesn't respect them, and his players don't, either.

The Nittany Lions are still looking down their snouts at the RU program that, for decades, has envied them. (See: the hiring of Dick Andersen.) And now that Penn State has had its NCAA sanctions lifted and can qualify for a bowl this season, the Nittany Lions have even less of a reason to be humble.

So, when center Angelo Mangiro was asked about Rutgers in the postgame press conference, he chuckled and boasted that many of his New Jersey friends had texted him to say they secretly were rooting for him and Penn State.

Mangiro, who is from Roxbury, knows that is the ultimate insult to a program that long has been sensitive to fleeing homegrown talent, like him, and has struggled to carve out a football fan base amid the Jerseyans who didn't go to Notre Dame or Penn State or some other school.

Here's what he was saying: Dudes, your program is so bush that even the fans you think are your fans really aren't your fans. They're ours.

When linebacker Brandon Bell, who is from Mays Landing, was asked what he thought of High Point Solutions Stadium, which held a record 53,774, he laughed.

"It's nice," he said as if he were describing a blind date who had not shot at a second date, "but compared to Beaver Stadium ..."

He threw up his palms and then waved his hands as he searched for the right words.

The questioner followed up: But compared to Beaver Stadium .... what?

"Compared to Beaver Stadium ..."

He rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean," he said.

Oh, yeah, we know: It's minor-league.

Bell also chuckled at the Rutgers fans attempts to act intimidating by surrounding the Penn State bus when it arrived. Dozens greeted the Nittany Lions with jeers, chants and middle fingers. How did that feel?

"Like I was home," Bell said.

He also had heard about the "Wanted" poster some Rutgers tailgaters had created with all of Penn State's New Jersey players listed. That made him laugh, too.

"I'll take that and hang that in my room," he said, mocking them.

And before Penn State hopped on its bus, Belton, a Jersey guy from Sicklerville who scored the winning TD, was hinting that Rutgers was "Little League."

"At the end of the day a loss is a loss," Belton said. "There are no moral victories in college football. That’s kind of like Little League stuff. You can tell that to kids, but as a man, a loss is a loss."

Yes, a loss is a loss. And to Penn State, even though they nearly were sent home with a Scarlet welt on their big-time football egos, Rutgers is still ... well, Rutgers.

Kevin Manahan may be reached at kmanahan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevinCManahan. Find NJ.com on Facebook.