Penn State heads to Evanston on a short week Friday night looking to steady itself after a rough first Big Ten loss under Matt Campbell, while Northwestern tries to build on a start that has already shown some bite under David Braun.
The game is set for Friday at 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m.
CT, and tickets remain available for the matchup. Seats can be found on secondary markets Vivid Seats, StubHub and Viagogo, with the lowest prices listed as of Sept.
For Penn State, the trip marks its first out-of-state road game of the 2026 season, and it comes with some sting after a 24-20 home loss to Wisconsin on Saturday. The Nittany Lions were in control late, holding a 20-10 lead inside the final four minutes before Wisconsin flipped the game with two touchdown passes from Colton Joseph - an 11-yard strike to Eugene Hilton Jr. and a 72-yard score to Jacob Harris.
Penn State’s offense never fully found its rhythm. Rocco Becht and company managed only a short-field touchdown drive in the second quarter and finished with 233 total yards. Becht went 12 of 29 for 114 yards and an interception in his first Big Ten game.
The Nittany Lions enter the night at 3-1 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten play, while Northwestern is 2-1 and also 0-1 in the league.
Northwestern has already shown it can hang around against quality competition. Braun’s team opened with a 34-18 win over South Dakota State and a 41-7 rout of Colorado before falling 29-23 to No.
5 Indiana last Friday night. Even in defeat, the Wildcats kept the pressure on the Hoosiers and stayed within striking distance late.
Indiana led 12-0 at halftime, but Northwestern answered in the fourth quarter with an Aidan Chiles touchdown pass to Griffin Wilde and a 7-yard Chiles scoring run to cut the margin to 15-13 and then 22-20. Indiana responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 1-yard Josh Hoover touchdown run that effectively closed the door.
Northwestern was held to just 32 rushing yards, but Chiles kept the offense moving through the air. The Michigan State transfer completed 22 of 29 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns, and he has now scored on the ground four times in three games. The Wildcats averaged 9.8 yards per pass attempt on 30 throws, which helped keep them in the game despite the lopsided rushing total.
In Other News...
Penn State Veterans Called A Rare Meeting After That Wisconsin Collapse
The mood around Penn State has been pointedly serious since the 24-20 home loss to Wisconsin, and for good reason. Quarterback Rocco Becht and defensive tackle Keanu Williams said the team responded with a meeting aimed at sorting through what went wrong, resetting expectations and making sure the standard inside the locker room stayed intact after a frustrating finish.
Becht and Williams framed the conversation as an honest one, with players willing to own mistakes and speak plainly about where the performance slipped. The larger goal was less about dwelling on one bad night than tightening the group back together before the next stretch of games, with the veterans stressing unity, accountability and a shared push to get back on track. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Next Recruiting Push Centers On The Names Fans Need To Watch
The weeks after a loss are often when a staffs recruiting work becomes most visible, and Penn State wasted little time turning its attention to Happy Valley. Following the setback against Wisconsin, the program brought in a record number of football recruits under head coach Matt Campbell, giving current commits and a wide range of future targets a front-row view of the campus and the pitch around the Nittany Lions.
The visit list stretched across the 2027 and 2028 classes, with quarterback James Armstrong and edge rusher George Parkinson IV among the names drawing attention. Penn State is still pushing to add more pieces, especially at wide receiver and among in-state prospects in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, making this stretch a key one for the staff as it tries to build momentum beyond the visit weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Have A New Reason To Question Matt Campbell
Penn States Week 4 win over Wisconsin left plenty for the fan base to chew on, but one sequence stood out for how carefully Matt Campbell handled it. Faced with 4th-and-1 at his own 38-yard line, Campbell initially sent the offense out, then used a timeout before ultimately choosing to punt. It was the kind of in-game pivot that can look either calculated or cautious depending on how the rest of the afternoon plays out.
Campbell later acknowledged the uncertainty around the call, saying he was weighing Wisconsins defensive alignment and the possibility of drawing an offsides penalty. For Penn State supporters, the moment added another layer to the discussion about how aggressively the staff wants to manage close games, especially when field position and momentum are hanging in the balance. The punt itself ended the possession cleanly enough, but the process behind it is likely to linger a bit longer. [Read more 🡒]