The Northwestern Wildcats have enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they must head out on the road. Northwestern and the Penn State Nittany Lions will face off in a Big Ten battle at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Penn State will be strutting in after a win while the Wildcats will be stumbling in from a defeat.
It was all tied up 7-7 at halftime, but Northwestern was not quite the Miami (OH) RedHawks' equal in the second half when they met last week. Northwestern fell just short of Miami (OH) by a score of 17-14. One thing working slightly against Northwestern was the run-of-the-mill game of their most targeted running back, RB Evan Hull, who rushed for 62 yards on 21 carries.
Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions strolled past the Central Michigan Chippewas with points to spare last week, taking the matchup 33-14. Penn State QB Sean Clifford was slinging it as he passed for three TDs and 217 yards on 34 attempts in addition to punching in one rushing touchdown.
Penn State's defense was a presence as well, as it collected two interceptions and two fumbles. The picks came courtesy of CB Zakee Wheatley and CB Johnny Dixon.
Northwestern is the clear underdog, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. They have failed bettors playing the spread in their past two games, so buyers beware.
Northwestern is now 1-3 while Penn State sits at 4-0. Two offensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: The Wildcats rank 20th in the nation when it comes to passing yards per game, with 304.8 on average. The Nittany Lions have displayed some offensive firepower of their own as they enter the contest with 21 overall offensive touchdowns, good for 17th best in the nation.