Penn State just suffered one of its most humiliating defeats in recent memory, taking a brutal 34-13 loss to unranked Northwestern at the brand new Ryan Field. This wasn’t some nail-biter that slipped away, either. It was a straight-up demolition, with the Wildcats in control for basically the entire game.
The “Bounce-Back” That Became a Beatdown
Coming off a tough home loss to Wisconsin in Week 4, this road trip to Evanston looked like the perfect chance for Matt Campbell’s Nittany Lions to right the ship. Instead, Northwestern jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back. By the fourth quarter, it was a staggering 31-7. Yeah, they cruised to a 21-point victory. Seriously, when does Penn State get blown out like this by an unranked team? It’s rare in the 21st century. We’re talking about the third-largest loss to an unranked opponent since 2000, and the largest road loss against an unranked team since 2003. This was the first time they’ve lost by 20 points as a favorite since 2014! This kind of performance is usually reserved for the probation era after the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Not exactly the vibe Campbell was going for in his first year, you know?
Dominated in the Trenches, Wasting a Gifted Schedule
The Nittany Lions’ defense held Northwestern to just 93 passing yards, but that’s like saying you contained a fire while the entire house burned down. The Wildcats didn’t need to throw; they ran all over Penn State, racking up an insane 413 rushing yards at an average of 7.5 yards per attempt. On the flip side, James Peoples and the Nittany Lions’ ground game got absolutely nowhere. We’re talking 48 yards on 22 attempts, with a long run of only 10 yards. Northwestern just played keep-away all night, possessing the ball for 36:05 compared to Penn State’s mere 23:55. This is the fourth-most rushing yards allowed in program history! This isn’t just a bad loss; it’s a complete squandering of what was supposed to be a favorable schedule. When the Big Ten schedules first dropped, people were penciling Penn State in for nine wins and even a College Football Playoff dark horse spot. They avoided Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon, with conference road games against Northwestern, Michigan, Washington, and Maryland. With Campbell bringing Rocco Becht and a big chunk of the Iowa State roster, Penn State was supposed to do some serious damage. What happened to that?
Matt Campbell’s rebuild clearly has a long, long way to go if this is how they’re starting a “soft” schedule. It’s time to figure out what’s next because the Nittany Lions just wasted a golden opportunity and proved that those early season expectations were way off.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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