A late field goal from the Wildcats (7-2, 3-2) ruined the Nittany Lions’ (7-3, 4-2) 21-point rally on Saturday afternoon in Evanston.
Key Plays: Jack Mitchell’s 35-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining gave Northwestern a 23-21 win.
Penn State wide receiver Geno Lewis recovered a mishandled snap and nailed a 32-yard pass to DaeSean Hamilton for a touchdown.
Recap: Both teams suffered a scoreless first quarter, and Penn State could only pick up 22 yards.
Northwestern starting quarterback Zach Oliver left the game in the first quarter after a sack by Carl Nassib. Oliver’s lower-body injury prevented him from returning to the game. Between that sack and one in the fourth quarter gave Nassib the 15.5 he needed to set a school record.
Three minutes into the second quarter, Christian Jones caught a 14-yard touchdown reception to put the Wildcats on the board. Northwestern would take a 13-0 lead just six minutes later after backup quarterback Zach Oliver rushed for one-yard touchdown.
Penn State finally scored with 2:18 remaining in the half. Saquon Barkley’s seven-yard rushing touchdown capped off a nine-play, 78-yard drive for the Lions.
Seconds later, however, Northwestern’s Solomon Vault recovered a bad kick and returned the ball for 96 yards for a touchdown with 2:04 remaining in the half, putting Northwestern up 20-7 to end the first 30 minutes of play.
Hamilton’s third quarter touchdown pulled Penn State within striking distance of Northwestern before Barkley scored his second touchdown of the afternoon with 12:22 remaining in the fourth to give the Lions a one-point edge that would last for most of the rest of the game.
Barkley ran for 120 yards and scored his seventh rushing touchdown, tying the freshman season record in the loss.
Penn State’s hopes were shattered when Mitchell took position with nine seconds left to play and sailed the 35-yard field goal through the goal posts.
Penn State’s offensive line struggled to keep quarterback Christian Hackenberg safe in the loss, giving up a pivotal sack in what looked like a return to the holey 2014 offense.
Next Week: The Nittany Lions will have a bye week on November 14, but will return to action against Michigan on November 21 in their last true home game of the season.
Photo Credit: GoPSUSports.com
