UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — No. RV/22 Penn State (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) fell to Northwestern (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) by a score of 22-21 at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions utilized a balanced offensive attack to total 274 yards. In the air, senior quarterback Drew Allar went 13-of-20 for 137 yards. His top target was senior wide receiver Devonte Ross who caught seven balls for 115 yards.
Penn State’s rushing attack, led by senior running back Kaytron Allen, compiled 137 yards with Allen totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Senior running back Nicholas Singleton contributed 20 yards and a touchdown of his own. Allar tacked on 25 yards on the ground and a one-yard rushing touchdown.
The Penn State defense held Northwestern to 2.8 yards per carry on 42 attempts. On third down, the Wildcats were 5-of-12.
Redshirt senior safety Zakee Wheatley tallied nine tackles to lead the defense. Senior defensive tackle Zane Durant recorded eight stops and a sack. Linebacker Dominic DeLuca, a fellow redshirt senior, made seven stops throughout the game while redshirt junior linebacker Keon Wylie, making his first start, set a new career high in tackles with six.
The Nittany Lions’ special teams unit tallied two explosive plays in the first half. On Northwestern’s opening drive, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton blocked a punt, his second in as many games, giving the Nittany Lions three on the season. It is Penn State’s first time since 2019 with three or more blocked punts in a season.
In the second quarter, redshirt junior cornerback Audavion Collins recovered a muffed punt inside Northwestern territory. The turnover resulted in a two-yard rushing touchdown for Singleton.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Nittany Lions allowed the Wildcats to advance the ball just 15 yards before making a stop on third down, forcing the punt unit to take the field on the first drive. For the second consecutive game, Dennis-Sutton got in front of the punt, allowing the offense to take over on the opposing 33 yard line. Despite the advantage, an interception in the endzone plagued the offense. Northwestern took over on the 33-yard line following the return. The Wildcats entered the redzone for the first time in the contest on the ensuing drive, but the PSU defense managed to hold Northwestern to just three points, holding off the offense on third down.
Penn State began its next possession at its one-yard line following an unsportsmanlike conduct pentalty. A handful of rushing plays drove the Nittany Lions to the endzone for their first set of points. Allen finished the job with an 11-yard rush to complete a 12-play drive spanning over 87-yards, making the score 7-3 with 11:40 on the second quarter clock.
The Wildcats responded in quick fashion, adding their first touchdown of the afternoon using just eight plays. Northwestern completed a 29-yard pass to the endzone to recapture the lead at a margin of 10-7. After a quick trip to the pitch for the offense, the Penn State punt unit made its first appearance of the game. Gabe Nwosu sent his punt 35 yards where the Northwestern player called for a fair catch. After the Wildcat muffed the catch, Collins recovered the ball, allowing the offense to take over at the opposing 26-yard line. Penn State took advantage of the opportunity, adding another seven points to its total following a two-yard rush for Singleton on fourth down. The Nittany Lions pulled ahead 14-10 with just over a minute to play in the first half.
Northwestern had the final opportunity of the stanza but the PSU defense held the Wildcats to three points after a 34-yard field goal to make the score 14-13 at the half.
A series of punts for each team encompassed the first four drives of the stanza. The Nittany Lions offense started the half on the field but was forced to punt after six plays. Nwosu’s punt traveled 54 yards and was downed by Tyler Holzworth at the Northwestern one-yard line. The Wildcats were unable to move the ball past their own 21-yard line, resulting in another punt. PSU’s offense did not return to the field for long before Nwosu made his third punting appearance of the game. The next Wildcats possession followed suit with another punt, but the offense was called back to the field following a fumble on the punt, setting the Northwestern offense in motion at the Penn State nine-yard line as the game entered the fourth quarter.
With a score of 14-13 in favor of Penn State, the Wildcats were unable to advance the ball on third down. Fisher came up with a sack for a loss of 15 yards, forcing Northwestern to knock another kick through the uprights. The Wildcats owned a 16-14 advantage with just over 14 minutes remaining in the contest.
An explosive 67-yard reception from Allar to Ross set a fire in the Nittany Lions offense. A 19-yard rush for Allen set the line of scrimmage just short of the endzone but Allar completed the drive with his first rushing touchdown of the season. Penn State held a 21-16 edge over Northwestern at the 10:50 mark in the final stanza.
Northwestern was able to add six points to its total using a touchdown on the ground. The Wildcats two-point conversion attempted was silenced, solidifying a 22-21 edge for Northwestern with under five minutes to play in the contest.
The Nittany Lions were not able to score, resulting in a turnover on downs with three minutes on the clock. The Wildcats had one more opportunity down the stretch which they utilized to run the clock, finalizing a 22-21 win for Northwestern.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and ticket information for the 2025 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com, or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.