4 Storylines I'm Watching Closely When Penn State Visits Northwestern in Week 5

Matt Campbell lost his first game as Penn State’s head coach last Saturday, but the schedule doesn’t leave the Nittany Lions time to dwell on that result.

Penn State will play Northwestern at 8 p.m. Friday at Ryan Field, marking the opening of the Wildcats’ new Ryan Field. The Nittany Lions failed their first test against an opponent at their level, but the Northwestern game gives them an opportunity for corrections.

Here are the four main storylines we’ll be watching while Penn State searches for its first win over a power-conference team.

How aggressive will Campbell be?

"We left it to chance," Penn State coach Matt Campbell said Tuesday when asked about potential pass interference on Wisconsin's game-winning touchdown.

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In explaining what went wrong against Wisconsin, Campbell said he coached like he didn’t want to “screw it up.” Penn State led 17-0 in the second quarter, but the Badgers stormed back to score the last 14 points in a 24-20 victory.

The Nittany Lions had opportunities to play more aggressively, such as when they punted on fourth-and-1 at the start of the fourth quarter or ran the ball on a third-and-12 despite already being in field-goal range. Campbell kept repeating that he didn’t want to “screw it up.”

"It felt like there were probably times in the football game where we were leaning into the flow of the game to make sure we didn't screw it up early in the football game rather than maybe attacking in some areas that we could have done a better job," Campbell said Tuesday. "That starts on the head football coach, and [I've] got to do a great job there."

Playing conservatively didn’t work out, as Wisconsin scored two late touchdowns to secure the upset victory. It will be interesting to see how Campbell and Penn State respond if they face similar situations against Northwestern and if they change their approach.

Can Rocco Becht bounce back?

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht (3) looks to throw a pass against the Wisconsin Badgers at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Quarterback Rocco Becht had his worst game at Penn State against Wisconsin. He completed 41 percent of his passes for 114 yards and an interception as the offense never really got into a rhythm.

It was not only an unproductive day but also Becht’s first time facing a Big Ten defense this season. Becht had the fourth-best efficiency rating across college football through the first three weeks of the season at 227.5. He dropped to No. 28 with a rating of 169.2 following Week 4.

Northwestern is allowing 218 passing yards per game on average this season. Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover completed 19 of 29 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown during the Hoosiers’ 29-23 win over the Wildcats last weekend.

It will be important for Becht to bounce back against Northwestern, as Penn State won’t be facing teams like Marshall, Temple and Buffalo, all of which sit outside the top 90 in ESPN’s SP+ rankings, in the coming weeks.

Will Brett Eskildsen make big plays?

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Brett Eskildsen has a pass broken up by Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Javan Robinson. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Receiver Koby Howard will remain on the sideline against Northwestern due to an injury. Without Howard, Penn State failed to generate big plays in the passing game vs. Wisconsin, with the longest gain coming on a 22-yard catch by receiver Chase Sowell.

Notably, receiver Brett Eskildsen had zero catches on six targets. The Nittany Lions tried to throw a deep pass to him in the fourth quarter, but Eskildsen couldn’t haul it in, which could’ve helped stop the Badgers’ comeback.

Sowell was the only receiver to catch a pass against Wisconsin, so Penn State will likely try to get Eskildsen more involved against Northwestern. With his deep-threat potential, Eskildsen would help fill the void left by Howard, who’s averaging 28.7 yards per catch this season.

What will the running back rotation look like?

Penn State Nittany Lions running back James Peoples (1) runs with the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State used running backs Carson Hansen, James Peoples, Quinton Martin Jr. and Cam Wallace during the first quarter against Wisconsin. Offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said the Nittany Lions would hope to find a rhythm with one of them, but they haven’t yet.

Even Campbell said he’d “love to see somebody emerge” in the running back room. In other words, if Penn State does try to tighten up the running back rotation, Peoples could be in line for more touches this week. He was the most productive of the group against the Badgers, rushing for 67 yards on 14 carries.

“I think James played a good football game in the game on Saturday,” Campbell said. “I think he's starting to really play some consistent football, continuing to grow into the player that he can be and we need him to be.”

Penn State visits Northwestern for an 8 p.m. kickoff Friday at the new Ryan Field. FOX will televise.

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