Big Ten play continues in Week 5 as Penn State gets set to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. This will be the matchup with the most familiarity for the Nittany Lions so far this season, as these two teams just faced each other last season.
Another unique aspect of this matchup is that it’ll be the first game Penn State plays this year against a team they aren’t on a winning streak against. The program had overwhelming success against Northwestern overall, but it lost a 22-21 nail biter last October.
While there are a ton of transfers on this Nittany Lions roster, there are still some leftovers from last season that remember the agony of the defeat. For that reason, the returning players could play big roles in the game against the Wildcats on Friday.
Penn State and Northwestern have played each other 22 times in total, with the former winning 16 of those contests. Although the Blue and White lost the last matchup, they still had a couple players who shined through the darkness.
Running back Kaytron Allen rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Devonte Ross caught seven balls for 115 yards. Oddly, he was the only player on the team with more than 10 recovering yards, accounting for about 85% of Penn State’s passing yards on the day.
Head coach Matt Campbell will keep in mind how deflating of a loss his team suffered in the last meeting with Northwestern, even if he wasn’t around for the game. The Nittany Lions will not want to have another deflating loss to one of their rivals in the conference.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State looking for redemption against Northwestern
