It was a wet, dreary October afternoon in Happy Valley, and the play on the field matched the setting quite perfectly.
A sloppy game saw No. 11 Penn State knock off Northwestern 17-7, overcoming a host of turnovers and mistakes. Here are the biggest takeaways from Saturday’s game.
Turnovers galore amid Happy Valley showers
Coming into Saturday, coach James Franklin’s squad had done a great job of playing clean football. Penn State boasted a +8 turnover differential, and hadn’t turned it over at all since the season opener at Purdue.
On a rainy day at Beaver Stadium, neither offense could hang onto the football. There were eight total turnovers — five of them were Penn State errors.
Both Kaytron Allen and Keyvone Lee fumbled, Nick Singleton lost two fumbles, and Sean Clifford tossed an ugly interception.
The sloppy play went both ways, and it showed on the scoreboard. Neither team could capitalize on the other’s mishaps, as yards and points were at a premium.
Running game thrives with three-back rotation
Penn State’s running back rotation was interesting and a bit unpredictable against Northwestern. The run-blocking, however, was consistent and paved the way for a productive outing on the ground.
Nick Singleton showed great burst in the first half, but had his carries limited after two first-half fumbles.
Keyvone Lee, who didn’t play at all against Central Michigan, looked fresh and flashed good vision on his way to 40 yards.
Kaytron Allen took on ball-carrier duties in the second half after not getting a single touch in the first half. The freshman made the most out of it, getting 21 totes for 86 yards.
OC Mike Yurcich called a very run-heavy game, with 58 runs to 20 passes. The Nittany Lions averaged 3.8 yards per carry for 220 total rushing yards.
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Defense shines against Wildcats
DC Manny Diaz’s group was stout all afternoon, making life miserable for a run-first Wildcats team and for quarterback Ryan Hilinski.
One of the Big Ten’s most productive running backs, Evan Hull, couldn’t find much room against the Nittany Lion front seven. On 28 total rushes, Northwestern mustered just 31 yards.
Save for a 47-yard touchdown pass against blown coverage, Hilinski didn’t have the time nor the open receivers to push the ball downfield consistently.
The game ball certainly goes to the Penn State defense, which bailed out a sloppy offense on Saturday.
Singleton is dynamic, but ball security an issue
Freshman running back Nick Singleton was the bell-cow running back for Penn State in the first half. His 17 first half carries were more than he had in any full game this season. He collected 76 yards and an impressive goal line touchdown, averaging 4.5 yards a pop.
There was one big problem for the 5-star freshman, though: fumbles.
Singleton coughed up the football twice, with Northwestern recovering both. The first fumble was at the Wildcat 46-yard line, and the second was on Penn State’s 31-yard line.
The ball security issues kept Singleton off the field for most of the second half, getting just four more carries for 15 yards.
Injury report:
Sophomore WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith suffered an injury in Penn State’s first series. Lambert-Smith was rolled up on while run-blocking. He’d limp off, putting very light pressure on his right leg. He was later seen in a walking boot at the end of the game.
Sophomore LB Tyler Elsdon was shaken up on Northwestern's second series of the game, as he jogged off the field favoring his left wrist. Elsdon did return in the 2nd quarter and played the game out.
Redshirt freshman Kobe King went down with an injury in the 3rd quarter, walking off the field under his own power.
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