Electric.
That is the only word that can describe the atmosphere at the New Ryan Field, and the ‘Cats came to play.
Penn State (3-2, 0-2 B1G) traveled to Evanston to take on Northwestern (3-1, 1-1 B1G) as the latter opened their shiny, brand-new stadium. And what a difference a true home makes.
For the Wildcats, Aidan Chiles offered a modest 93 yards on 10-for-14 passing, which was because he simply didn’t need to pass. NU’s run game
was the big story, finishing the night with a mental 413 yards on the ground. Their monstrous attack included Caleb Komolafe running for a monstrous 188 yards and one touchdown, Joe Himon II running for 162 yards and two touchdowns, Gavin Sawchuk running for 27 yards and Chiles adding 21 yards in his own right to go along with a rushing touchdown.
Northwestern kicker Jackson Kleather went 2-for-3 with his boot, including a 50-yard field goal, and was perfect 4-for-4 on extra points.
The relatively poor away team push was led by veteran signal caller Rocco Becht, who went 26-for-41 with one touchdown and two interceptions. Senior wideout Chase Sowell finished with 68 yards receiving on five targets and a touchdown. James Peoples led the Nittany Lions running back room with eight carries, but Carson Hansen outran him yards-wise with 19 to his 13, and scored a touchdown as well.
The inaugural coin toss was won by Penn State, who deferred to the second half. In return, NU got to go toward its Wildcat Wall student section to start the game.
Northwestern’s first drive started at the 25 after a Gavin Sawchuk fair catch. Chip Kelly’s offense churned immediately, alternating between checkdowns to Drew Wagner and 7+ yard runs by Caleb Komolafe. After three straight first downs, David Braun called timeout with 12:16 left in the first quarter.
Following the timeout, Chiles hit Alex Honig for a 5-yard checkdown. Sawchuk netted a first down with a short rush, but a missed deep ball and a 9-yard Tony Rojas sack forced the ‘Cats to kick. Jackson Kleather nailed a 50-yarder to give Northwestern a 3-0 lead with just under five minutes elapsed.
After a fair catch of their own, Rocco Becht and co. began with a huge gain, as the PSU quarterback hit Chase Sowell for 26 yards. James Peoples rushed for 5 yards before getting stuffed on second down. Jon Jon Stevens broke up the third-down pass, forcing a Nittany Lions punt.
NU’s second drive began with a 14-yard checkdown to Komolafe followed by a 9-yard rush from him. He then got caught in the backfield for a loss of two. On third-and-3, Chiles found Ricky Ahumaraeze for six yards and a first down.
A defensive holding penalty gifted Northwestern another set of downs at the NU 49. Joe Himon II exploded for 47 yards, then added two more on first-and-goal. Chiles snuck through the middle for a 2-yard touchdown, and Kleather’s extra point gave the ‘Cats a 10-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Penn State’s Zay Robinson yet again called for a fair catch. A short gain and incompletion pushed the Nittany Lions to third-and-8 right away. Becht completed a 9-yard pass to Andrew Rappleyea to escape that early scare, but ineffective playcalling from Matt Campbell halted the drive. Nathan Tiyce came in for his second punt of the game.
Four-straight Komolafe rushes were good for 23 yards, as the quarter came to a close with Northwestern still up 10-0.
Northwestern opened the quarter with the ball, but Chiles’ third-and-9 pass intended for Hayden Eligon II was broken up by Tony Rojas. Niko Dugandzic punted 38 yards to the PSU 20, fair caught by Zay Robinson.
Penn State’s drive started with a bang, or rather, a flag. Becht’s deep shot to Brett Eskildsen was broken up by Ore Adeyi, but pass interference gave the Nittany Lions an automatic first down at the PSU 35. The reprieve was short-lived: Becht went incomplete to Robinson, found Eskildsen for just 2 yards, and then was sacked for a loss of 7 by Braydon Brus. Nathan Tiyce punted 46 yards to the NU 24, fair caught by Drew Wagner.
Back on offense, Northwestern caught a break when Chiles’ deep ball intended for Robby Preckel was intercepted by Marcus Neal, but pass interference on Neal wiped it out, giving NU an automatic first down at the NU 39. The reprieve was immediately wasted: A weird handoff caused Gavin Sawchuk to fumble five yards back, with Josiah Zayas picking up the takeaway for Penn State at the NU 34.
The Nittany Lions took full advantage. Becht scrambled for 3, then James Peoples lost a yard but a NU facemask penalty moved the ball to the NU 17. Carson Hansen did the rest, rushing for 6, 3, and then 8 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. Ryan Barker’s PAT cut the Northwestern lead to 10-7 with 10:39 left in the half.
Northwestern answered right back. After a 24-yard Sawchuk kickoff return to the NU 25, Himon ripped off a 36-yard run to the PSU 39. Chiles found Wagner for 1 yard, and then Himon struck again, a 38-yard touchdown run up the middle. Kleather’s PAT affirmed the two-score lead at 17-7 with 9:21 remaining.
Penn State’s next drive stalled quickly: Becht completed 4 yards to Andrew Rappleyea, went incomplete deep to Chase Sowell, and hit Rappleyea again for just 3. Tiyce punted 42 yards to the NU 31, but a holding penalty on Amare Jordan backed NU up to its own 21.
The Wildcats then methodically mixed in a ton of names: Sawchuk for 8, Komolafe for 4 and 3, Chiles scrambling for 1, and a 5-yard completion to Griffin Wilde. But on fourth-and-1 from the NU 42, Braun opted to punt.
Penn State’s offense remained stuck in the mud. Peoples rushed for 5, Becht kept for no gain, and a deep shot to Sowell fell incomplete under pressure from J.J. Lewis. Tiyce’s punt was returned 11 yards by Wagner to the PSU 25, though offsetting penalties placed the ball at the PSU 35.
With 2:45 left, Northwestern went back to work. Komolafe muscled up the middle for 24 yards to the PSU 11, out of bounds, and the ‘Cats were in business with 2:00 remaining before halftime.
On the very next play, Himon rushed up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown. Kleather’s PAT was good, and Northwestern extended its lead to 24-7 with 1:55 remaining in the half.
The Nittany Lions got going quickly to try and breathe some life into their offense. Becht kept for 1 yard, then found Zay Robinson for 19 yards and a first down at the PSU 45. Becht hit Carson Hansen for 6 yards to the NU 49, but a personal foul on Malachi Goodman backed Penn State up 15 yards to the PSU 30.
Facing first-and-25, Becht completed an 11-yard pass to Benjamin Brahmer to the PSU 41. After a Penn State timeout with 1:01 left, Becht found Rappleyea for 13 yards to the NU 46, bringing up second-and-14 with the clock ticking under a minute.
After a Penn State timeout with 50 seconds left, Becht kept up the middle for 2 yards on third-and-1, moving the chains to the NU 44.
Becht then found Benjamin Brahmer for 12 yards to the NU 32. A quick 5-yard completion to Sowell moved it to the NU 27, and the Nittany Lions were knocking on the door with the clock winding down.
But the ‘Cats’ defense held firm. Becht went deep to Eskildsen and was broken up by Montae Pate, then targeted Robinson in the end zone and was denied by Adeyi. On fourth-and-5, Ryan Barker lined up for a 45-yard field goal into the Wildcat Wall and pushed it wide right.
Northwestern took over at its own 27 with 16 seconds left. Komolafe rushed up the middle for 8 yards to the NU 35, and the ‘Cats let the clock hit zero.
It was the dream first half for the Wildcats, unapologetically crushing the Nittany Lions 24-7, swamping them with 278 yards gained compared to Penn State’s mere 139. That statistical dominance was fueled by an insane 237 yards on the ground. While Chiles had a rushing touchdown and Komolafe was productive with 97 yards on 13 carries, they both were completely overshadowed by Himon. On just five carries, he had two touchdowns and 134 yards to his name. Doing the math, that equaled a mind-boggling 26.8 yards per carry, which certainly played a big part in fueling NU throughout halftime.
Penn State got the ball to start the second, and didn’t do much. Yes, Sowell may have started the drive with a 13-yard reception, but incompletions on second and third down forced the Nittany Lions’ SIXTH punt of the game.
On the ensuing Wildcat possession, the game script repeated with the ‘Cats gaining 13 yards this time on a Honig catch-and-run. Komolafe continued the rushing success with a 9-yard gain, and followed it up with a gritty 32-yard run through multiple Penn State tackle attempts.
Northwestern couldn’t do much after that, which set up a fourth-and-1 decision. Despite the rushing efficiency, Chiles attempted a pass to Preckel which fell incomplete, and the Wildcats turned it over on downs with five minutes off the third-quarter clock.
PSU’s next drive featured a 10-yard scramble, a 16-yard completion to Eskildsen, and a costly pass interference penalty by Pate. It didn’t matter, though, as two incompletions and a rush for no gain forced another Penn State punt.
The Wildcats started off their next drive going through Komolafe again, as he ran three straight times for 21 yards. Wagner wanted to get in on the fun, rushing for 9 yards before Northwestern called its first timeout of the half, still up 24-7 with 4:15 remaining in Q3.
Northwestern then felt the momentum slipping as it ended up with a third-and-13 opportunity at midfield. Chiles said no problem, as he pump-faked into a 15-yard scramble before rifling one deep to Griffin Wilde for 31 on the next play.
Komolafe then scored a 7-yard touchdown, or so he thought, as replay review marked him down at the one. He, too, said no problem, quieting the small contingent of Penn State fans by running up the middle for an easy score. With 1:13 to go in the quarter, Kleather kicked the PAT to put the Wildcats up 31-7.
Penn State converted a third-and-1 to end the quarter, but started the fourth the opposite way. A tipped pass ended up in the hands of Brus, the ‘Cats’ first takeaway of the game. The defense was serenaded by deafening “Oi!”s from the crowd, continuing that tradition in their new home.
Kleather missed a 49-yard field goal on the ensuing drive, so the score stayed 31-7 with 11:44 remaining.
Penn State did take advantage, finally putting together a productive drive. The first six plays of that sequence were all passing, before Peoples got rammed at the goal line for no gain, forcing fourth-and-3 at the NU 25. Becht converted the fourth-down chance, finding Sowell for eight.
It then looked like PSU would be gifted a goal-to-go opportunity as Marquet Dorsey Jr. committed pass interference, but luckily for the Wildcats, an illegal receiver downfield offset that penalty. That luck didn’t last long, as Becht found Sowell again in the left corner of the endzone for a 16-yard touchdown.
The 2-point conversion attempt fell short despite a wide-open receiver between the sticks, giving the Tigers a 31-13 lead with 7:53 remaining in the final quarter.
Kleather converted a 37-yard field goal to extend the ‘Cats lead to 34-13, and a Robert Fitzgerald pick sealed it.
Northwestern got off three kneels in victory formation, with Chiles running to the Wildcat Wall after the final one to hype up the crowd. The student section’s role was crucial, and NU will hope it continues through the rest of the season.
Following this win, the ‘Cats stay in Evanston to face Ball State for homecoming next Saturday, with kickoff at 11:30 p.m. CT.
