Northwestern crushes Penn State 34-13 to christen new Ryan Field on historic night for football program

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CHICAGO — When it finally came time to open the gates to the new Ryan Field on Friday afternoon, Pat Ryan Sr. and his family stood on the grounds outside the concourse and cut a long purple ribbon.

Over the last five years, the Ryans largely funded and led construction of Northwestern’s $875 million stadium. When Ryan, the 89-year-old billionaire businessman, considered what it all meant on the verge of the opener against Penn State, he said “it shows the commitment to excellence” in the athletic department.

“The whole plan all along has been to strive for excellence in everything the university does,” Ryan said. “There was a point in time in history when I go back that they didn’t strive for excellence in athletics. That’s been reversed. Because a great university has to strive for excellence in everything it does. And this is a statement of that.”

All during the buildup to Friday night in Evanston, Ill., Northwestern leaders repeated that idea: The new Ryan Field shows that the university is serious about its football program. And then, after the fans streamed in to try the Chicago-themed food and test out the “premium” seats and fill the unique standing-only student section, the Northwestern football program showed it is serious too.

The Wildcats jumped to a 17-point first-half lead and piled up 413 rushing yards to crush Penn State 34-13.

Afterward, coach David Braun told a packed news conference room that included the Ryans that the night was “something that dreams are made of.”

“Running out of that tunnel, to that crowd and that student section, I don’t know how our guys did it,” Braun said. “I felt like I was in the best dream of my life, and for them to reshift and refocus was remarkable.”

The Wildcats (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten) had piqued interest before the game against the Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2), who dropped from No. 13 to out of the Associated Press rankings with a loss to Wisconsin last week. Northwestern unexpectedly walloped Colorado on Sept. 19 in the Martin Stadium finale. They were a few missed opportunities away from upsetting defending national champion Indiana last weekend.

And then they came out against the Nittany Lions and destroyed them in the running game.

Caleb Komolafe rushed for a career-high 188 yards on 25 carries. His 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter pushed Northwestern’s lead to 31-7.

Joseph Himon II rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. He had a 36-yard carry and a 38-yard touchdown on a second-quarter drive that pushed Northwestern ahead 17-7. On the score, he popped through a hole in the middle, then made a hard cut to the left sideline to speed away for the final 25 yards.

Meanwhile, a Northwestern defense that entered the night ranked No. 35 with 18 points allowed per game continued to dominate. Linebacker Braydon Brus had his first career interception to open the fourth quarter, and safety Robert Fitzgerald punctuated the win with a spectacular tumbling pick late in the fourth.

“Really just what it came down to was focusing on us,” Brus said. “We talk about that a lot. Just taking it one play at a time. Not letting the moment get bigger than it needs to be. Tonight was a big night getting to play in this stadium, brought a lot of awesome attention to us.”

Penn State’s only touchdown through 3 1/2 quarters, before a late score, came after a fumbled handoff between NU quarterback Aidan Chiles and running back Gavin Sawchuk. Penn State recovered it at the NU 34, and Carson Henson scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to cut the score to 10-7.

Northwestern responded with its three-play, 75-yard drive highlighted by Himon’s two runs.

For Komolafe, the best part about the night was rushing to the vibrant Northwestern student section at the end.

The “Wildcat Wall” — a standing-only area in the south end zone — was one of the more striking parts about the in-game experience. The students leaned over the railing in pregame warmups shouting at Penn State players, including at least one expletive-filled chant. They waved their arms and danced in the middle of blinking purple lights to the blaring music, including AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” as the players ran on the field for the first time.

They stayed even as the stadium began to empty with the unexpected blowout, there as the players came to celebrate with them.

“Obviously new stadium, everything we’re doing here, the students buying in is going to be a big part of our success going forward,” Brus said. “Seeing the turnout they had today, the juice they brought, the energy, the excitement, the noise, I think it definitely played a big role in our success. Getting to go over there and celebrating with them, it’s the students that make Northwestern.”

Northwestern announced a sellout of the 35,000-seat stadium, though there were some swaths of purple seats in the lower bowl that sat unfilled.

But it certainly was not like “a f—— library,” as a Colorado player called the temporary Martin Stadium on the lakefront. The Northwestern emcee, shown on the two end-zone video boards, made sure to reference the library comments to pump up the crowd.

Braun said he believes the stadium “has the opportunity to become the most deafening environment in the Big Ten, in the country.”

“If you weren’t here tonight, you’re missing out,” Braun said. “You have a chance to make a correction and buy tickets to Ball State.”

The festivities featured the Ryan family, including a video dedicated to the growth of the Northwestern athletic department and the influence of Ryan on it.

Ryan said it was a “great feeling” to celebrate the night with his wife Shirley Ryan and their three sons. He noted the “marvelous job” Pat Ryan Jr. did in leading the construction project. Rob Ryan helped with the design. Corbett Ryan, who has cerebral palsy, helped his mother ensure that it is what Shirley called “the most accessible stadium in the world.”

Sitting on the stadium grounds, greeting fans with a wave, is a statue of the eldest Ryan, who was in the Class of 1959, with a plaque that includes the quote: “The best things in my adult life all grew out of my time at Northwestern.”

Fans stopped to take their photo with it. Shirley said she likes it so much that “I would like to have a small edition of it to keep at our house because it is such a great Pat Ryan,” though Ryan wasn’t as enthusiastic about its presence.

“I didn’t want the statue, but I didn’t know about it,” he said. “I told our two older sons, ‘Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you ask me?’ ‘Because we knew you would say no.’ It’s embarrassing, but it’s up there.”

The success of Northwestern’s stadium project has led people to question what the Chicago Bears can take from it. Ryan is a Bears minority owner and recently met with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Illinois lawmakers about keeping the team in the state.

When Ryan was asked whether he learned anything from the Northwestern project that he could apply to the Bears, he answered, “I’m not going to touch that one.”

That one will have to wait. Friday night in Evanston belonged to Northwestern.

As Braun came off the field and into the tunnels beneath Ryan Field after the game, he ran into the Ryan family.

“I don’t know exactly what I said, but words can’t express my gratitude, our gratitude, our players’ gratitude to the entire family for everything that they’ve done,” Braun said. “We have redefined how we do football on Saturdays in Evanston, and it’s a credit to a lot of people, but it all starts with the Ryan family.”

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