Penn State Football Card After a Withering Night at Northwestern

The Nittany Lions gave Northwestern plenty to celebrate on opening night at New Ryan Field.

Northwestern Wildcats running back Caleb Komolafe (5) runs the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

EVANSTON, Illinois | Penn State coach Matt Campbell tipped his cap to Northwestern on Friday night and then tapped into his own frustration after a 34-13 loss to the Wildcats.

"I want to give Northwestern a ton of credit, because they played the game and the style of game that, obviously, we would like to play," Campbell said. "And they really beat us where it was really hard to find the rhythm on both sides of the football. They controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball."

We learned some surprising things about Penn State (3-2) on Friday, including just how uncompetitive its run defense could be. Though we're starting the Penn State football report card as usual with offense. the defense gets the bulk of the critique here.

Penn State offensive grade: D

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Zay Robinson (2) can't catch up with a pass against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Nittany Lions (3-2) suggested that, after their loss to Wisconsin, the offensive problems were correctable through film study and better execution. But they didn't account for a glaring lack of physicality against Northwestern.

The Wildcats (3-1) pushed around Penn State's line, vetoed the run game and bore down on quarterback Rocco Becht. The Nittany Lions ran for a ridiculous 48 yards, averaging 2.2 per carry, and didn't get a carry longer 8 yards from a back. James Peoples (eight carries, 13 yards) started in place of Carson Hansen, to no avail.

Becht had a second consecutive bad night throwing the ball, with numbers that didn't accurately reflect his outing. Becht (26-for-41, 243 yards, two interceptions) once again made the game so difficult for his receivers with high and wide throws. He targeted Chase Sowell 12 times, connecting with him for five receptions.

On passing attempts of 15+ yards, Becht was 2-for-9. His real weak spot was the left side, where he went 0-for-3, missing an open Zay Robinson long for a possible touchdown. Campbell said he didn't consider replacing Becht with redshirt freshman Alex Manske, but the option had merit.

This was Becht's second straight wildly inconsistent game. His run game certainly didn't help, and neither did some protection issues that led to hurried throws, but Becht's sample size is growing against Big Ten competition, and not positively.

Penn State defensive grade: F

Northwestern Wildcats running back Caleb Komolafe (5) runs the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Northwestern's 413 rushing yards were the most any team has produced against an FBS opponent this season. Penn State being that opponent suddenly called into question a defensive operation that overwhelmed its non-conference schedule but has played five straight questionable quarters.

Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who hired Penn State's D'Anton Lynn as his defensive coordinator at UCLA, certainly won this round. His line ably blocked up the misdirection run game, and backs Caleb Komolafe (188 yards rushing) and Joseph Himon II (162) took it from there.

They dodged or bounced off Penn State's attempted tackles (linebacker Kooper Ebel had a rough night) and ran through the secondary. Northwestern generated 13 explosive plays, seven of 20+ yards. Its offense averaged an unfathomable 9.1 yards on first down. The Wildcats gained 310 of their 506 total yards on first down.

Kudos again to linebacker Tony Rojas (3.5 tackles for loss), but he could do only so much. Campbell said afterward that his team was neither tough nor physical enough. That was particularly true on defense for the first time this season.

Special teams grade: C-

Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun leads his team onto the field against the Penn State Nittany Lions at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Special teams were the least of Penn State's problems but still weren't very good. Punter Nathan Tiyce continues to be erratic, hitting a 60-yarder but averaging 38 yards on his other six attempts.

Ryan Barker missed his second field goal of the season, Penn State committed a kick-catch interference on a punt to the Northwestern 6-yard line and ran an amateurish 2-point conversion late in the game. And since Northwestern punted only twice, Zay Robinson didn't get a chance to make an aggressive return.

Penn State coaching grade: D

“There’s somehow, some way that I didn’t get this team prepared to play the physical brand of football that we need to play,” Penn State coach Matt Campbell said after his team’s 34-13 loss to Northwestern. pic.twitter.com/EArG6OwxVS

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) October 3, 2026

Kelly schooled Lynn, and his quarterbacks coach (Jerry Neuheisel) danced on the sideline for the second straight year against Penn State. Neuheisel, of course, was UCLA's interim offensive coordinator for last year's fiasco at the Rose Bowl.

Campbell flatly stated his inability to get the Nittany Lions ready for a physical game during a short week of practice. Capping it all: Penn State was called twice for sideline interference, the second of which negated a Northwestern penalty on a punt return.

Penn State overall grade: D

Northwestern Wildcats running back Joseph Himon II (6) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the half quarter at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State simmered over the lost series of plays that led to a blown 17-point lead against Wisconsin. The team insisted that short-week road game was exactly the tonic it needed to cleanse the taste of that loss. Didn't work.

Instead, Penn State dug itself a deeper hole by playing an uninspired game against Northwestern and forcing some hard choices before USC visits Beaver Stadium for the White Out on Oct. 10.

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