Penn State’s defense rules the day, controls Northwestern, 41-13
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Penn State can thank its defense for Saturday's 41-13 win over Northwestern.
The Nittany Lions sputtered offensively, both its running and passing games, but the defense kept control of the Wildcats throughout the day before 25,064 at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill.
Ranked No. 6 by the Associated Press entering the game, the Lions improved to 5-0 on the season.
They sacked Northwestern quarterback Ben Bryant five times and knocked him out of the game in the fourth quarter.
Penn State's defense racked up 12 tackles for loss — nine in the first half alone - and held Northwestern (2-3) to just 45 yards rushing.
The Lions limited Iowa to 76 total yards in a 31-0 shutout last week.
Saturday, they checked Northwestern to 175 total yards and were especially stingy on third and fourth downs, limiting the Wildcats to 5-of-15 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down.
Offensively, Drew Allar completed 18-of-33 for 189 yards and a short touchdown pass to Nick Singleton.
Singleton was the top ground gainer with 80 yards on 21 carries and a TD. He also led the Nits' pass catchers with six catches for 39 yards.
Kaytron Allen, Singleton's running mate at tailback, was injured early in the game and did not return.
Backup quarterback Beau Pribula entered late in the fourth quarter and threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Trey Potts, who scored on a 13-yard run in the first half to tie the game at 10 after Northwestern took leads of 3-0 and 10-3.
Penn State got off to a slow start when Singleton fumbled the opening kickoff at the 11, but the Nits' defense held and forced a short field goal.
The Lions are idle next Saturday before hosting Massachusetts for homecoming at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 14.
Northwestern, which fell to 2-3, hosts Howard next week.
For a complete recap of the game, check out Penn State Extra in Monday's print edition.