Inside the Northwestern Drive That Ended Penn State's Playoff Hopes

Needing a fourth-quarter defensive stop, the Nittany Lions instead gave up a 75-yard touchdown drive to the Wildcats.

Northwestern Wildcats running back Caleb Komolafe (5) runs for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles won a national championship with Ohio State 266 days ago. But on Saturday, his chances of making the College Football Playoff, let alone returning to the title game, ended in the fourth quarter of Penn State’s 22-21 loss to Northwestern. 

The Wildcats went on an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, as quarterback Preston Stone completed four straight passes and running back Caleb Komolafe scored on a 9-yard run that initially appeared to be bottled at the line of scrimmage. The drive was the latest in a two-game stretch for a Penn State defense that has looked incapable of generating a key stop, particularly against the run. 

“Probably the answer that you don’t want, that I need to watch the tape,” Penn State coach James Franklin said Saturday night when asked to evaluate the team’s run defense. “But at the end of the day, the stats and the results are what they are, and it’s my responsibility to get it fixed. And we will get to work tomorrow, and probably even tonight. Again, it’s totally on me, and we will do everything we can to get it fixed.

Penn State has dropped three consecutive games for the first time since 2021, when it lost to Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State. While the offense managed a season-low 274 total yards against Northwestern, its fourth-quarter touchdown gave the Nittany Lions a 21-16 lead with 10:15 to play. 

On the drive, receiver Devonte Ross generated the team’s most explosive play of the Big Ten season, a 67-yard catch-and-run that led to quarterback Drew Allar’s fourth-down sneak for a touchdown. Penn State’s defense needed a key stop, but Northwestern responded with a scoring drive of 5:54 minutes that essentially ended the Nittany Lions’ season.  

“Coaches were saying we had to get a stop and get the ball out,” Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton said. “[The offense] gave us an opportunity to win the game, but it didn’t happen.”

Evaluating where Penn State went wrong

WILDCATS IN FRONT ‼️

Caleb Komolafe finds his way into the end zone for @NUFBFamily 💥 pic.twitter.com/geJFMTts6J

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 11, 2025

Northwestern entered the game averaging 196 yards rushing per game, and Penn State actually held the Wildcats to 119 and 2.8 per carry. But on its decisive scoring drive, Northwestern rushed six times for 34 yards. 

The Wildcats faced third down only once on the series, which Stone converted with a 16-yard completion. Penn State’s defense had the advantage, but Stone completed the pass up the middle to Griffin Wilde while facing pressure. Penn State cornerback Kenny Woseley Jr. was a half step behind Wilde and couldn’t bring him down right away. 

Wilde caught two more passes on the drive, good for 12 and 11 yards respectively. He led the Wildcats in receiving with 94 yards on seven receptions. 

Northwestern largely stayed ahead of the sticks on that drive, and Penn State didn’t have an answer. The Wildcats were 5-for-12 on third down for the game and converted five first downs on that scoring series.

“Even when momentum swung, nobody panicked,” Northwestern coach David Braun said. “We’ve talked all year about handling adversity, and today our guys did exactly that. We left some opportunities out there, sure, but the defense made big stops, and we kept finding ways to respond. That’s the sign of a team that’s growing together.”

Plagued by mistakes

Northwestern Wildcats running back Caleb Komolafe (5) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, Penn State showed the opposite. Penn State’s defense was flagged for several costly penalties, notably in the first half, that helped the Wildcats on scoring drives. Of Penn State’s six first-half penalties for a season-high 71 yards, five were on the defense. Penn State’s defense was flagged for several costly errors that helped the Wildcats advance down the field. 

“That’s the biggest thing, we killed ourselves,” Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant said. “We had a lot of costly penalties in the game. We shot ourselves in the foot with that stuff, so we had to clean our stuff up. We made too many mistakes.”

Missed tackles continued to be an issue, notably on Komolafe’s touchdown run. The running back gained 72 yards on 16 carries.

“We were up at halftime,” Dennis-Sutton said. “We have to win the game, brother. I don’t know. It’s tough for me to see the whole thing without looking at the film. We obviously have to stop the runs, whatever they were doing. We can’t let them get past us. That’s on the whole defense.”

How Penn State’s defense approached the Northwestern game

Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Preston Stone (8) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Before the game. Penn State safety King Mack said that he and other defensive backs began attending defensive staff meetings in hopes of getting more clarification regarding what Knowles expected from them. Linebacker Dom DeLuca said after the loss to UCLA that players needed to ask more questions to eliminate confusion and errors come game time. 

While Mack didn’t say this defense was necessarily “complicated,” he did say it was contingent on everyone doing their job. Against UCLA, Penn State allowed a season-high 269 rushing yards, 128 to quarterback Nico Iamaleava. And while they rushed for 119, the Wildcats still exploited the team’s defensive weakness. 

Penn State ranks 15th in the Big Ten in rushing defense (144.3 yards per game). Penn State allowed 101.9 per game last season.

Durant said that, as far as the defensive line was concerned, things were simplified, and he thought he played faster. Franklin spoke at length during the week about how the group wasn’t as playing as fast or confident as his defenses had in the past, which didn’t seem to change against the Wildcats. 

“We didn’t expect to lose to Oregon or the week after [at UCLA] and this week, so we got to just find a way to correct this,” Durant said. 

Penn State was in a must-win situation Saturday against the Wildcats, who also knew how to take advantage of the added pressure looming over Beaver Stadium. 

“We were facing a football team with its back against the wall, maybe even questioning who they are,” Braun said. “We knew they’d come out hungry at home, ready to fight. Our guys responded to that challenge. We knew Penn State had talent, but we also believed they could be attacked.”

What now? 

Penn State Nittany Lions players stant for the alma mater following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Franklin and the players didn’t have clear answers about what happens next. They say at this point they’re playing for pride. But for players like Durant and Dani-Dennis Sutton, this is their last season. How much will they care about the remaining six regular-season games when preparing for the combine ultimately might be more important? 

Those players chose to return in hopes of making the national championship, but that unraveled right in front of them Saturday. Franklin announced that Allar is out for the remainder of the season, another costly blow to the team.

“Anytime you lose it’s tough, but especially losing consecutive [games], it’s like what’s going on?” Dennis-Sutton said. “I don’t have a clear answer to fix it.”

Added Durant, “The bleeding will continue as long as you allow it, but you’ve got to be critical about yourself. Everybody has mistakes. I made mistakes. You’ve got to be critical about yourself. Don’t just look at the good; look for the bad, find ways to improve from this.”