Penn State vs. Northwestern: Game Preview

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The Nittany Lions look to get back in the win column after a stunning loss to Wisconsin.

Penn State (3-1, 0-1) vs. Northwestern (2-1, 0-1)

Kickoff: 8 p.m., Ryan Field, Evanston, IL

The Betting Line: Penn State -3.5 (Fanduel)

TV: FOX, 8 p.m., Connor Onion (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), Alexa Landestoy (sideline)

Weather: A cool but comfortable day, with a high of 63 with temps dipping into the upper-50s in the evening with a small chance of rain.

COACHES:

Matt Campbell:

PENN STATE RECORD: 3-1, 1st Year

OVERALL RECORD: 110-71, 15th Year

VS. NORTHWESTERN: 0-0

David Braun:

NORTHWESTERN RECORD: 21-20, 4th Year

OVERALL RECORD: 21-20, 11th Year

VS. PENN STATE: 1-1

FUN FACTS

Penn State is 17-8-1 all-time in Friday games…Tony Rojas leads the nation in career interceptions for a linebacker after nabbing his sixth INT against Wisconsin….Chase Sowell surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards against the Badgers…Penn State is third in the nation in forcing three-and-outs, doing so on 40.8% of possessions…Penn State is 16-6 all-time against Northwestern, and 7-3 in Evanston…the Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten in passing defense, and rank fourth nationally.

NORTHWESTERN OFFENSE VS. PENN STATE DEFENSE

Former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles is in his first year at Northwestern, and seems to have found consistency in Chip Kelly’s offense. Chiles was a high-risk, high-reward player as a Spartan who could create explosive plays but also turnover the ball haphazardly. He has been much more efficient with Northwestern, completing 70% of his passes with six touchdowns and no interceptions. He does have the tendency to hold on to the ball at times, and has been sacked seven times in the first three games. Chiles also is not afraid to take off with the ball, or be used on designed runs. He currently leads the Wildcats with 30 rushing attempts.

Northwestern splits carries evenly between Gavin Sawchuk and Caleb Komolafe. Sawchuk has been the more reliably productive options, averaging 5.7 yards per carry compared to Komolafe’s 3.8. Wide receiver Griffin Wilde is Chiles’ main target, who could be in for an All-Big Ten season. He had one of his best games against the Nittany Lions in 2025, catching seven passes for 94 yards and a score. He currently is averaging 17.5 yards per catch and can make momentum-swinging plays downfield. The tight ends and running backs are also heavily involved in the passing game. Luke Dehnicke is a 6-6 target who is coming off his best game with a 140-yard day against Indiana.

Penn State’s defense has been nothing short of spectacular through three games, and if the Big Ten opener was any indication, they will need to carry the team. While the defense did allow two late scores to Wisconsin, they were not to blame for the loss considering they received almost no help from the offense that gave the Badgers possession after possession in their comeback bid. Penn State is allowing a Big Ten-best 126 yards per game through the air, and will receive their biggest test of the season thus far against Chiles.

PENN STATE OFFENSE VS. NORTHWESTERN DEFENSE

Penn State’s offense failed spectacularly in their first test against a competent defense. Rocco Becht saw his numbers take a nosedive after three outstanding performances to start the year. Becht completed just 12 of 29 attempts against the Badgers, with no touchdowns and also threw his first interception of the season. While the run game has improved over the last two weeks, they were unable to help carry the offense and keep the chains moving to close out the Badgers. While Carson Hansen has remained as the starter, he has seen his carries dip in favor of James Peoples and Quintin Martin, Jr. Peoples may have established himself as the primary back against Wisconsin, rushing for 67 yards on 14 carries and the only back with more than 2.8 yards per carry.

The Nittany Lions offensive line also struggled against Wisconsin, and will need to show they can handle a legitimate Big Ten defensive front. Center Brock Riker is playing through an injury and looks like it, while both tackles have been underwhelming.

Whether or not Penn State can run the ball on Friday will help foreshadow what to expect for the remainder of the season. Northwestern has been one of the worst teams against the run, giving up nearly 200 yards per game (128th nationally). While they have been giving up yards, they are much better at keeping teams out of the end zone. They are a true bend-but-don’t break defense, giving up just 18 points per game despite allowing 417 yards per contest.

Northwestern has an aggressive secondary that likes to play downhill outside of obvious passing downs. This could give Becht the opportunity to test them downfield – something he failed to do against Wisconsin without Koby Howard in the lineup.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Northwestern kicker Jackson Kleather is perfect on the year, connecting on all five field goals with a long of 42 yards. Punter Nikola Dugandzic is averaging just 36.1 yards per punt, but has a long of 72 yards.

Penn State return man Zay Robinson seems to be on the verge of breaking free for the first return touchdown of his career. Friday would be great timing for this to help silence a rowdy Wildcats crowd in a game that can easily be determined on a turnover or special teams play.

PREDICTION

Northwestern-23, Penn State-20

The vibes seem to be in Northwestern’s favor heading into this match-up. They are off to a strong start, and are coming off a “good loss” as they pushed defending national champions Indiana to the brink in a one-possession game. This will be their second consecutive Friday game, giving them an extra day of rest. The offense is coming together in Chip Kelly’s system, adding firepower to a team that has had consistently great defenses under David Braun. They return many players who helped defeat Penn State in 2025, and have the confidence they can do it again. There’s also the big one – Friday night will be the first game played at the new Ryan Field, and the Wildcats will be extra juiced to take down a blueblood in prime time to mark the occasion.

All those things do not necessarily add up to a Northwestern victory. However, Penn State’s offensive ineptitude in the only conference game of the season was so alarming that I will need to see that they can consistently move the ball against a top-half Big Ten defense. Perhaps the Nittany Lions had a great week of practice and can prove last week was an outlier. It could also turn out that the offense is quite limited. We will certainly have some answers by late Friday night.

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