Penn State Routed by Northwestern in Road Loss

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Penn State has fallen to 0-2 in Big Ten play after getting dominated by Northwestern 34-13 on Friday night.

Penn State never stood a chance from the start. The grand opening of the new Ryan Field energized the home crowd, and the Nittany Lions never seemed to get going.

Caleb Komolafe was Northwestern’s leading rusher with 188 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. But Joseph Himon II was the home run-hitter, rushing for a career-best 162 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns.

As a team, the Wildcats ran rampant, totaling 413 rushing yards (7.5 per carry) and four touchdowns.

Penn State will host No. 18 USC in the annual White-Out game next Saturday.

Penn State Routed by Northwestern

New Stadium Too Big for Penn State

Northwestern rode the momentum of an electric pregame entrance to an early 3-0 lead. The Wildcats’ rushing attack made a statement, totaling 29 yards on six carries on the opening drive. They rushed for just 32 yards all game against Indiana last week.

Caleb Bacon forced Penn State’s seventh sack of the season, setting up Jackson Kleather’s 50-yard field goal.

Rocco Becht got the passing game going early with a 26-yard completion to Chase Sowell. In last week’s loss to Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions had only 114 passing yards.

But it didn’t last. The offense proceeded to gain five yards in the next three plays and sent Nathan Tiyce to pin Northwestern back at its own 12-yard line. Becht finished with 243 yards on 26-of-41 passing, a touchdown and two interceptions.

A 47-yard rush from Himon sent the Wildcats inside Penn State’s 5-yard line. Aidan Chiles then powered through the line for a 2-yard rushing score for a 10-0 lead.

Penn State was unable to answer for a second consecutive drive. Becht was able to hit Andrew Rappleyea to convert a third-and-8, but wound up punting four plays later.

Himon Takes Over

Freshman corner Josiah Zayas got his second turnover in consecutive games when Chiles and Gavin Sawchuk fumbled a handoff exchange. Zayas had a pick-six last week against Wisconsin.

Penn State took over on the Wildcats’ 34-yard line and found the end zone five plays later on an 8-yard outside run by Carson Hansen.

Northwestern made it a 10-point game again when Himon broke off a 36-yard run, then a 38-yard touchdown, for the 17-7 lead.

A three-and-out gave Northwestern the ball back, and it resulted in Himon’s second touchdown of the night. This one went for 11 yards on a two-play drive after a short Penn State punt.

Becht and the offense put together a drive, completing his first five passes for 60 yards, but two incompletions later, Ryan Barker missed a 45-yard field goal to keep it 24-7 at halftime.

Northwestern Burries Penn State

Penn State’s offense came out of halftime with no answers. Becht completed a 13-yard pass to Sowell, but the drive stalled yet again.

Northwestern looked to extend the lead when a big 32-yard carry from Caleb Komolafe helped the Wildcats reach the Penn State 17-yard line. But Northwestern, which had 279 rushing yards at that point, decided to pass on a fourth-and-1 and turned it over on downs.

As with most of the game, Penn State couldn’t capitalize. A pass interference penalty and a 16-yard connection to Brett Eskildsen pushed the ball to the Northwestern 43-yard line, but Becht missed a wide-open Zay Robinson, and the Nittany Lions punted.

Northwestern then put together another successful scoring drive. Komolafe punched it from 1-yard out after an 11-play, 79-yard series.

Northwestern Wins Back-to-Back vs. Penn State

A missed field goal attempt by Northwestern gave Penn State a very small breath of life. Penn State’s offense went with tempo, and again, Becht went 7-for-8, 67 yards and a 16-yard touchdown to Sowell.

Kleather made up for his previous miss and nailed a 37-yard attempt to make it a 34-13 lead. Becht then threw his second pick of the night to seal any chance of a miraculous comeback.

The Last Word

Things have gone from bad to worse for Penn State after last week’s 24-20 loss to Wisconsin. Since 2016, Matt Campbell is now 2-9 in his next conference game following the season’s first loss.

There were also three times during Campbell’s tenure at Iowa State that the first loss of the season turned into a losing streak. With No. 18 USC and a road trip to Michigan ahead, Penn State could be in the midst of a growing losing streak.

The loss has effectively eliminated Penn State from playoff contention, and bowl eligibility is in question at this point.

Main Image: David Banks-Imagn Images

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