Penn State’s College Football Playoff hopes are now virtually nonexistent, and it’s all because of the Northwestern Wildcats.
In a hectic Saturday of upsets, Northwestern (4-2, 2-1 B1G) shocked the college
football world today, stealing a 22-21 win over Penn State (3-3, 0-3 B1G) in Happy Valley. The victory marks NU’s first over the Nittany Lions since 2015.
Preston Stone finished the game passing 17-for-26 with a modest 163 yards and a touchdown pass. Griffin Wilde continued to serve as Stone’s favorite target through the air in perhaps his strongest performance to date. The junior had seven receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown grab early in the game. Running back Joseph Himon II also recorded 38 yards through the air.
Himon II and Caleb Komolafe led a dominant ground game for the ‘Cats. Himon II ran for 65 yards on 13 attempts, averaging five yards per carry. Meanwhile, Komolafe led the ground game with 72 yards on 19 attempts, along with a touchdown.
The NU defense was not flashy, but it was effective. Mac Uihlein led defenders with 10 total tackles, and Braden Turner followed with seven. Additionally, Ore Adeyi recorded an interception, while freshman running back Dashun Reeder recovered a fumble.
Penn State won the toss and deferred to Northwestern. NU avoided an early third down scare after Penn State was called offsides, but back-to-back incompletions by Stone intended for Drew Wagner forced a fourth down. Luke Akers’ punt was promptly blocked, and PSU recovered the ball at Northwestern’s 31-yard line.
Penn State started its first drive strongly on the ground, with Kaytron Allen leading the Nittany Lions inside the 10-yard line. But the very next play, Adeyi intercepted Allar’s pass in the end zone, taking the ball all the way back to the 33-yard line for Northwestern’s first interception by a defensive back this season, providing a huge momentum swing.
Adeyi’s interception sparked the ‘Cats on the other side of the ball, who found a rhythm in their second drive. Himon II was productive on the ground, and Stone completed three straight passes for a combined 30 yards to advance to Penn State’s 22-yard line. A facemask by Alonzo Ford Jr. committed against Himon II advanced NU to the 9-yard line, but the offense stalled from there. After a 12-play drive, Jack Olsen connected on a 32-yard field goal to give the ‘Cats a 3-0 edge with less than three minutes in the opening quarter.
After Allen broke open for a 10-yard rush, NU’s defense forced a third down. But Allar connected with Devonte Ross on an off-target 20-yard pass to move to the Northwestern 46-yard line as time expired in the first quarter.
Penn State quite literally hit the ground running in the second quarter. Several shorter runs by Allen and a 10-yard scramble by Allar put Penn State at the 20-yard line. Allen gained nine more yards on his next carry, before finding an open hole up the middle and taking it into the end zone with ease. Ryan Barker’s extra point attempt was good, and Penn State took a 7-3 lead.
Komolafe kicked off NU’s next drive with a pair of six-yard runs, and a personal foul on Dejuan Lane moved the ‘Cats to the PSU 42-yard line. A few plays later, faced with a third-and-7, Stone connected on a screen pass to Himon II to move the offense into field goal range. But thoughts about a potential field goal evaporated the very next play, as Stone found Wilde in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown pass. Northwestern regained the lead, 10-7, with 7:14 to go in the half.
A long kick return set up the Nittany Lions at their 38-yard line, but Allar’s offense stalled out. After Josh Fussell broke up the third down pass, Northwestern looked primed to receive the ball back. But Wagner muffed the punt return, and Liam Clifford landed on top of it to give PSU the ball right back at Northwestern’s 26-yard line.
With the ball back in their hands, the Nittany Lions continued to find success on the ground, with a series of carries by Allar and Nick Singleton bringing the offense within four yards of a score. After Allar missed him on a pass, Singleton rushed for two more yards heading into the two-minute timeout.
Dealing with a third-and-2 situation coming out of the timeout, Penn State gave the ball right back to Singleton. But Northwestern’s defense was ready this time, stopping him right where he started and forcing a 4th & 2 at the two-yard line. The PSU offense stayed out for fourth down and once again trusted Singleton, who found an opening on the left side this time and took it to the house. Penn State reclaimed a 14-10 lead with 1:19 to go before halftime.
NU struggled at the start of its next drive, but a facemask penalty called on Zuriah Fisher gave the ‘Cats a break and a free 15 yards. A couple of plays later, a 16-yard screen pass to Himon II moved the offense into field goal range. Fisher was then penalized again, this time for a late hit on Stone that left him visibly shaken, and Northwestern reached the 17-yard line. After a pair of incomplete passes and a short rush by Stone, Olsen kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired. Northwestern trailed 14-13 entering the halftime break.
Stone finished the opening half 9-for-15 with 101 yards and a touchdown. Komolafe led the way on the ground with 25 yards, followed closely by Himon II with 22. Wilde was NU’s leading receiver with 42 yards, while Himon II added 36 out of the backfield. The ‘Cats narrowly outgained Penn State on offense 148-137, and the defense recorded an interception.
For Penn State, Allar went 6-for-9 with just 35 passing yards. Allen led the Nittany Lions’ dominant ground game with 59 yards and a score. Allar contributed 21 yards of his own, and Singleton added 20 yards and another touchdown rush.
Penn State and Northwestern traded unsuccessful drives to kick off the second half. The Nittany Lions seemed to find a bit of a rhythm on their second drive, with Allar throwing for a pair of first downs, but the ‘Cats defense forced another punt to get Stone and the offense back on the field.
Facing an early third down scare, Stone found Wilde up the middle for a 12-yard pass and a first down. After another first down, the drive quickly stalled, forcing yet another Luke Akers punt. But Northwestern was revived by a Devonte Ross muffed punt return for the Nittany Lions, as freshman Reeder recovered the ball at the 9-yard line for the ‘Cats. Komolafe then gained a yard on the ground as time expired in the third quarter, with Northwestern staging a late-game push and in prime position to retake the lead with just 15 minutes to go.
After an incomplete pass and a sack for a 15-yard loss, Northwestern faced fourth down. Jack Olsen connected on a 41-yard field goal, his third and longest of the day, to give the ‘Cats the 16-14 advantage in what had become a back-and-forth battle coming down to the wire.
Northwestern pinned Penn State back at their own 9-yard line and forced a quick 3rd-and-5. But a short pass by Allar to Ross quickly turned lethal when Ross turned on the burners and took the ball 67 yards downfield. Allen followed up that big play with one of his own in the form of a 19-yard run that was originally ruled a score before being called back. The ruling wound up inconsequential, as two plays later, the Penn State offensive line pushed Allar past the goal line for a score. With 10:45 remaining, the Nittany Lions took a 21-16 lead.
Now in attack mode, the ‘Cats faced a 3rd-and-8 early in their next drive, but Stone found Wilde up the middle for a 16-yard gain. Stone connected with Wilde twice more on passes of 12 yards and 11 yards, respectively, bringing Northwestern to the Penn State 20-yard line. Komolafe followed that up with a 9-yard rush, and his 2-yard rush the following play set up a Northwestern 1st-and-goal.
With Komolafe on a roll, Stone trusted him with the ball once more, and he did not disappoint. The redshirt sophomore burst up the middle for a 9-yard score to silence the crowd and swing the pendulum back in NU’s direction. After the two-point conversion attempt failed, Northwestern finished the drive holding a delicate 22-21 lead with just under five minutes to go.
With PSU back on offense, Allar quickly completed a screen to Singleton. But Braden Turner was ready, tackling Singleton behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 3. After completing the second down pass, Allar injured his foot on third down trying to scramble and exited the game. On fourth down, backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer attempted to scramble up the middle as Allar had done the previous play, but Aidan Hubbard and Najee Story wrapped him up before he could even pass the line of scrimmage.
With just three minutes to play, Northwestern began its drive at Penn State’s 32-yard line. Looking to ice the game away, Komolafe recorded a pair of short runs to set up a 3rd-and-3 heading into the two-minute timeout.
Coming out of the two-minute timeout, facing a crucial 3rd-and-3, Stone handed the ball to Komolafe. Once again, Komolafe delivered in a huge moment, rushing to the right for 5 yards to secure the first down. Komolafe gained another yard the next play, at which point James Franklin called Penn State’s first timeout.
Following the timeout, it was Himon II’s turn. The redshirt junior took it 17 yards before sliding down at the 1-yard line to force the Nittany Lions to call their second timeout. With 1:10 to play, Stone took a knee, forcing PSU to burn its final timeout. From there, Stone was able to kneel the clock out, securing an improbable 22-21 victory over the preseason No. 2 team in the nation as 21.5-point underdogs.
Now victors of three straight, the ‘Cats will look for their fifth win of the season next week, when they host Purdue in Evanston. Penn State, who has now lost three straight, will search for answers before playing at Iowa next week.
