Instant Reaction: Penn State wins ugly vs. Northwestern to go 5-0
There was absolutely nothing pretty about Penn State’s performance against Northwestern on the offensive side of the football. Fortunately, with the exception of one play with blown pass coverage in the third quarter, the Penn State defense answered the call in a 17-7 victory against Northwestern on Saturday afternoon in a soggy Beaver Stadium. Weather conditions did neither team any favors as the offenses combined for seven turnovers in the game, three of them forced by the Penn State defense.
Penn State put the first points on the scoreboard with a Sean Clifford 20-yard pass to tight end Brenton Strange in the first quarter. It was the fourth touchdown catch of the year by Strange, who leads the Nittany Lions in touchdown receptions at the start of October.
Penn State extended its lead to 14-0 in the second quarter with a strong effort near the goal line by freshman Nick Singleton. Singleton’s touchdown was his fifth of the season, but he had a rough afternoon with two lost fumbles against the Northwestern defense.
Northwestern managed to get a touchdown in the third quarter when Jacob Gill found open space down the left sideline as the Penn State defense got caught up in a rare breakdown in coverage. Wildcats quarterback Ryan Hilinski didn’t have an opportunity that wide open all game long outside of that play, and he capitalized on it.
Penn State did respond on the ensuing drive with a Jake Pinegar field goal from 38 yards out.
Even in victory, Penn State head coach James Franklin will have plenty to address with his team after this game. With three monster games coming up after the bye week, Penn State will have to clean up a few things on offense after this latest showing. With four turnovers and some bad penalties, Franklin won’t be celebrating this win for too long.
Penn State will get a week off next weekend. The next game for the Nittany Lions is another big road test in two weeks at Michigan. The Wolverines took care of business this weekend at Iowa, setting the stage for what could potentially be a top 10 matchup.
Northwestern will return home next weekend to take on Wisconsin. The Badgers were squashed at home on Saturday by Illinois, coached by former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema.
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