Northwestern opened its new Ryan Field with a statement, and Penn State spent the night trying to recover.
The Wildcats leaned on a punishing ground game from the start and rolled to a 34-13 win Friday night, handing the Nittany Lions a rough Big Ten opener in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern piled up 415 rushing yards, including 237 before halftime, against a Penn State defense that had entered the game allowing 113.3 rushing yards per contest.
Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II were the engines. Komolafe ran for 188 yards, Himon added 155, and the two became the first pair to top 100 rushing yards against Penn State since Michigan’s Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum did it in 2022.
Northwestern set the tone immediately. Jackson Kleather drilled a 50-yard field goal on the opening possession, then the Wildcats followed with an 88-yard march for the first touchdown of the night. Himon ripped off a 47-yard run to the Penn State 4, and Aidan Chiles finished it with a 2-yard keeper to make it 10-0 with 5:07 left in the first quarter.
Penn State briefly answered after Gavin Sawchuk coughed up a fumble and Josiah Zayas recovered at the Northwestern 34. The Nittany Lions turned that into points with a six-play drive, getting a touchdown run from Carson Hansen and a Ryan Barker extra point to cut the lead to 10-7 with 10:39 left in the half.
That was as close as Penn State would get.
Northwestern needed only three plays to respond. Himon broke free for 36 yards to start the possession, then burst up the middle for a 38-yard touchdown that pushed the lead back to 17-7. The Wildcats’ defense kept Penn State from turning the takeaway into a real run, forcing consecutive punts.
Before halftime, Northwestern struck again. Starting at its own 35, the Wildcats got a 24-yard run from Komolafe, then Himon punched in another touchdown from the Penn State 11 to send Northwestern into the break up 24-7. Penn State had a chance to salvage something late in the half, but Barker pushed a 45-yard field goal wide right with 12 seconds left.
The second half didn’t offer much relief for the Nittany Lions. Northwestern kept leaning on the run, and Himon opened the Wildcats’ first possession of the third quarter with a 32-yard burst that nearly set up another score. Penn State forced a fourth down, but Northwestern went for a pass and Chiles’ throw fell incomplete.
Penn State tried to build off that stop, reaching the Northwestern 43, but the drive stalled and a kick catch interference penalty on the ensuing punt gave the Wildcats another boost. Northwestern then moved the chains when Chiles scrambled for 15 yards on a key third down, followed by a 31-yard catch by Griffin Wilde that set up first-and-goal. Komolafe’s first attempt at the end zone was wiped away when replay showed his elbow down at the 1, but he scored on the next snap to make it 31-7.
Penn State’s offense never found much rhythm. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Rocco Becht launched a desperation pass to Chase Sowell that was picked off by Northwestern safety Braydon Brus.
The Nittany Lions did finally put together a long drive in the middle of the fourth, going 10 plays for 68 yards. Becht hit Sowell for a 16-yard touchdown, and Sowell finished with 68 receiving yards and that score. Penn State went for two and missed, leaving the deficit at 18 points.
Northwestern then bled the clock on a late drive to close it out.
The 415 rushing yards Penn State allowed were its most since the 2022 Michigan game, when the Wolverines ran for 418. The loss also marked the first time since 2014-15 that Northwestern has beaten Penn State in back-to-back meetings.
Penn State is now 3-2 and still winless in Big Ten play, having dropped eight of its last 11 conference games. The Nittany Lions return home next week to host USC in the annual White Out at Beaver Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:30 PM Eastern on NBC.
In Other News...
Penn State Suddenly Has Bigger Problems Than One Bad Loss
The loss to Northwestern in Week 5 was jarring enough on its own, but the bigger issue for Penn State is how exposed the team looked in the process. Allowing 34 points and more than 500 total yards is the kind of outing that forces a deeper look, especially with the Nittany Lions already off to an 0-2 start in Big Ten play. What had been framed as a bad result quickly turned into a broader warning sign about where this team is headed.
A lot of the attention now falls on the offense and defense alike, with Rocco Bechts play under scrutiny and the defensive line under Ikaika Malloe drawing questions after another difficult showing. Even Matt Campbells overall coaching has come under review, which says plenty about how wide the concern has become. One loss can be shrugged off in September, but Penn State now has a pattern, and the pressure is building fast. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Northwestern Prep Just Took A Surprising Turn
Northwesterns injury report added a wrinkle to a Penn State matchup that was already going to be shaped by personnel more than pageantry. The Wildcats will be without tight end Luke Dehnicke and defensive back Braden Turner, while defensive back Damon Walters and receiver Hayden Eligon are listed as game-time decisions. The most notable update there is Eligon, who is expected to play, giving Northwestern at least some help as it tries to sort through the weeks uncertainty.
Penn State has its own absences to manage, with defensive end Max Granville out for the season and receiver Koby Howard sidelined for an extended stretch. So while the focus often falls on who is available for the opponent, this one is a reminder that the Nittany Lions are still working through their own depth questions as they head into the game. Availability across both sidelines could end up mattering as much as anything schematic on Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Loss Had One Stretch That Changed Everything
Penn States latest setback in Big Ten play came with a familiar frustration, but the game swung in a way that was impossible to ignore. Northwestern leaned on its running game and controlled the pace from the outset, punctuating its command with a 75-yard touchdown drive early in the second quarter that helped turn the afternoon in its favor.
For Penn State, the 34-13 loss marked a second conference defeat and left the Nittany Lions searching for answers after another uneven showing. Chase Sowell provided one of the brighter spots on offense, while Tony Rojas stood out on defense, but those individual efforts were not enough to offset Northwesterns physical edge or the broader struggles that defined the game. [Read more 🡒]