Penn State Players of the Game vs Northwestern

No. 11 Penn State outlasted Northwestern 17-7 in the wind and rain of Happy Valley on Saturday.

It was certainly the ugliest game that the Nittany Lions have played this season, but there were players who stood out against the Wildcats.

Here are the top players from Saturday's game:

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Committing five turnovers, Penn State's offense had its sloppiest outing this year. Each of the top three running backs lost fumbles, while quarterback Sean Clifford posted an uneven 10-of-20 performance with a touchdown and an interception.

One group that will avoid the criticism this week is the big maulers up front, who stonewalled the Wildcats all day.

The line did not allow a single sack on Clifford and paved the way for 236 rushing yards, averaging 3.8 yards a pop.

Through five games, Penn State quarterbacks have only been sacked seven times — which is on pace to be far less than the 34 sacks allowed in 2021.

With Hunter Nourzad back in the fold, the offensive line should be fully healthy ahead of its toughest challenge yet: Michigan in two weeks.

Sixth-year S Ji'Ayir Brown was flying around the muddy field on Saturday, making plays in the box and as a deep safety.

Brown had a season-high six tackles, one tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, as well as an interception.

Brown returned that interception 30 yards downfield, which would eventually lead to Penn State's first touchdown of the game.

An honorable mention for this spot is DE Nick Tarburton, who collected a crucial strip sack to end a Northwestern drive that was inside the Penn State 30-yard line.

For the second-straight week, Barney Amor was the best specialist out there, and arguably, the best Nittany Lion on the field.

The sixth-year punter continued his dominant play, downing four of his five punts inside the 20-yard line.

On a day where the blue and white offense struggled to move the ball, Amor played a huge part in swinging the field position and backing up Northwestern's attack.

On 23 punts this season, 14 have landed inside the 20 — a 60% inside-the-20 rate.