Penn State moves to 5-0 in sloppy win over Northwestern
Penn State's defense shines in an ugly affair between the Nittany Lions and Northwestern Wildcats which included seven total turnovers.
University Park, Pa. - A rainy and chilly afternoon in University Park led to a sloppy affair on Saturday between Penn State and Northwestern.
While Penn State's offenses had their troubles in the rain throughout Saturday afternoon, the Nittany Lions' defense didn't seem to mind the weather. Manny Diaz's unit came out strong and stayed hot most of the afternoon. Through Northwestern's first five offensive drives on Saturday, the Penn State defense kept Northwestern to just 13 yards with four, three-and-outs, and one interception.
While the defense was off to a strong start, the offense struggled. After punting on their first drive after eight plays and 34 yards, the Nittany Lions would turn the ball over on each of their next two drives thanks to a Nick Singleton fumble and a Sean Clifford interception.
The offense's fourth drive of the game, however, would finally result in points. Penn State would find the endzone for the first time on Saturday afternoon late in the first quarter when Sean Clifford found Brenton Strange down the seam for a 20-yard touchdown, capping off a five-play, 60-yard drive that lasted just 1:44.
Northwestern would start finding some offensive success early in the second quarter. After being pinned deep in their own end by Barney Amour, Northwestern would find their way to midfield. However, a poor snap that was unable to be handled by quarterback Ryan Hilinksi found its way into the hands of Nick Tarburton, giving the Nittany Lions plus field position.
Clifford and the Nittany Lions offense wouldn't miss taking advantage of the defense's second turnover of the day, driving 45 yards on seven plays. The drive would be emphasized by freshman tailback, Nick Singleton, who would extend Penn State's lead to two scores as he used his strength and balance to force his way into the endzone to make it a 14-0 game. It was the former top-100 prospect's fifth rushing touchdown of the season.
Looking to go up potentially three scores before halftime, Penn State would get off to a solid start picking up 20 yards on three plays before Nick Singleton's second fumble of the day would give Northwestern the ball deep in Penn State territory.
The offense, however, would be bailed out by the Nittany Lions' defense once again, as Nick Tarburton would strip sack Ryan Hilinski with Curtis Jacobs recovering the fumble. Following Northwestern's own third turnover of the first half, the Nittany Lions would attempt just two runs before deciding to go into halftime up 14-0.
The slopiness would not go away for Penn State in the second half, as the Nittany Lions were in the midst of a long drive to start the third quarter, going 42 yards on 12 plays, Keyvone Lee would record his first fumble of the season, and the Nittany Lions' third of the game. Northwestern wasn't able to take advantage of the fumble, however, going three-and-out for the fifth time.
Northwestern's offense would finally break through late in the third quarter as Ryan Hilinski found a wide-open Jacob Gill for a 46-yard touchdown to cut Penn State's lead to 14-7.
The one-score lead wouldn't last for long as the Nittany Lions' offense would respond following the Wildcats' touchdown, driving into Northwestern territory before settling for a 38-yard field goal from Jake Pinegar to extend their lead to 17-7. After a tough day against Central Michigan last weekend, it was an uneventful day for the redshirt senior kicker, making each of his extra point attempts as well as the 38-yard attempt.
Northwestern's offense would put together a strong response of their own to Penn State's field goal, driving 74 yards on 10 plays but another fantastic red zone series by the Nittany Lions forced the Wildcats to turn the ball over on downs at the Nittany Lions' one-yard line.
Desperate to find some late success offensively, Northwestern's offense would go for it on 4th and 5 on the Nittany Lions' side of the field on their next possession. The Penn State offense, however, kept to being one-dimensional for most of the game whether due to whether or gameplan continued to sputter. The Nittany Lions were unable to convert on the strong field position before punting from their own 36-yard line.
After Penn State's defense forced another Northwestern punt, freshman running back Kaytron Allen would put the ball on the ground himself, the Nittany Lions' fourth fumble and fifth turnover of the game. The Wildcats' offense in a last desperate effort would go just eight yards on four plays, handing the ball back to the Nittany Lions. Penn State, ready to put the game away, made a 10-play, 23-yard drive last 5:30 to win 17-7.
While it was an ugly game throughout on Saturday afternoon, Penn State ultimately was still the better team throughout. The turnovers on offense are surely going to leave Franklin displeased with the game overall as they should but the Nittany Lion still find themselves 5-0 heading into their bye week.
The next time Penn State takes the field will be on October 15 in Ann Arbor as they take on a currently top-5 ranked Michigan Wolverines team. It will be the first of a tough three-game stretch for the Nittany Lions' which also includes Minnesota and Ohio State.
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