Nittany Lions stunned by Northwestern in third straight loss
QB Allar injured, done for the season
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UNIVERSITY PARK - Penn State is in a dark place.
The Nittany Lions were stunned by Northwestern, 22-21, Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
The loss was their third straight after a 3-0 start.
They sunk to 0-3 in the Big Ten and officially put an end to any College Football Playoff hopes.
In the last two minutes, after the Wildcats ran out the clock, a loud and clear chant of "Fire Franklin" rang out.
Penn State entered the game as a 22-point favorite and was coming off a 42-37 loss at UCLA last week -- as a 25-point favorite.
This was after beginning the season ranked No. 2 in the country by the Associated Press.
Down 21-16 with 10:45 left, Northwestern drove the field and went 75 yards on 11 plays with Caleb Komolafe punching in the go-ahead touchdown from 9 yards out with 4:51 remaining, silencing Beaver Stadium.
The Wildcats' 2-point conversion failed, keeping the Lions' deficit at 22-21.
PSU took over at its 25. Its first play, a pass to Nick Singleton, lost 3 yards and then Singleton caught a pass from Drew Allar for 9 yards. On third-and-4, Allar tried to run but was stopped at the 32 - a 5-yard loss -- and was shaken up on the play.
After the game, James Franklin confirmed that Allar is out for the season with what’s believed to be a broken ankle.
Backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer entered, dropped back and then was stopped after a 2-yard gain.
Northwestern took over at the Lions' 32.
After two short runs, Northwestern converted a third-and-3 on Komolafe's 5-yard run around the edge and was able to run out the clock, cueing "Fire Franklin" chants for the second straight home game.
Slow starts have been a problem all year for Penn State, and that trend continued.
Northwestern took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, but after Allar's interception in the end zone, the Lions eventually answered on Kaytron Allen's 11-yard touchdown run with 11:40 left in the first half to take a 7-3 lead.
The Wildcats regained the lead at 10-7 on a pretty 29-yard touchdown pass from Preston Stone to Griffin Wilde with 7:14 left before halftime.
State answered with a 59-yard drive that was capped by Singleton's 2-yard TD run on fourth down with 1:19 left in the half.
Northwestern, though, showed its poise - and Penn State didn't, committing two of its six first-half penalties. That helped the Wildcats drive the field, and Jack Olson 34-yard field goal to pull the 'Cats within 14-13.
The Lions made a costly mistake in the third quarter, and NW capitalized, recovering Devonte Ross' fumbled punt at the PSU 9.
Penn State's defense stiffened, however, and forced Northwestern to settle for Olson's 41-yard field goal, which gave the visitors a 16-14 at the outset of the fourth quarter.
Ross atoned when he took a short pass and blazed 67 yards through the NW defense to the Wildcats' 19. Allen gained 18 yards to the Northwestern 1, and Allar snuck for the TD and a 21-16 lead with 10:45 remaining.
The Lions' offense was limited to 13 first downs on the day.
The Nittany Lions visit Iowa for a 7 p.m. kickoff next Saturday. The game will be streamed on Peacock. Northwestern, which improved to 4-3, hosts Purdue at 3 p.m.