Preview: Penn State travels to Northwestern

Tagged under: Penn State, Pennsylvania Colleges

Jacob Steinberg | September 30, 2026

The Penn State Nittany Lions travel on a short week to play against the Northwestern Wildcats in the New Ryan Field.

Both teams are coming off of loses- Penn State in heart breaking fashion losing 24-20 and Northwestern losing to Indian 29-23 in a near upset.

Coming in for Matt Campbell’s group, a ton of questions still surround the Nittany Lions offense.

Last week, they used four different backs, still looking to find a lead running back. Against Wisconsin, James Peoples led the team in carries in yards, with 14 carries and 67 rushing yards.

Quinton Martin Jr., Carson Hansen, and Cam Wallace all got in on the action. The three combined for 12 carries for 29-yards. When asked about the decision moving forward, Campbell said:

I think that continues to be a unique challenge for us a little bit. I’ll be honest with you, I think we’re trying to find somebody to grab a stranglehold of this and kind of be the front-runner.

Another area of concern is on the receiving core. Without leading receiver Kobe Howard, the Penn State wideout group looked a little lackluster.

Only four receivers were targeted, only three had a catch. The leading receiver was Chase Sowell for 60-yards, followed by Benjamin Brahmer. Brett Eskildsen, Zay Robinson, and Andrew Rappleyea need to be incorporated more often if Penn State wants to take down Northwestern.

For Northwestern, they are coming off a near upset against number currently ranked 6-Indiana. After allowing 12 unanswered points in the first half, the Wildcats were able to bring the score within two at the start of the fourth. Both teams rotated between four touchdowns in the fourth, putting Indiana over the edge, 29-23.

In that contest, the Wildcats had 325 total yards of offense, 293-passing and only 32-rushing.

Penn State only gives 113-rushing yards per game, meaning it is going to be difficult for Northwestern to get anything going on the ground.

Additionally, Penn State has the best third-down defense in the country. They are only allowing an 18.52% conversion rate. Offensively for the Wildcats, they convert on 40.91% of third-downs.

Penn State’s defense should have the advantage over Northwestern’s offense, especially on the ground.

However, Northwestern has been perfect in the red zone this season, while Penn State has yet to get a stop defensively in that part of the field.

While Penn State should have the tilt on third-downs, Northwestern looks to be the more dominant red zone team.

Another thing to note is how non-aggressive both teams have been. Northwestern have only attempted two fourth-down conversions through the first four weeks. Conversely, Penn State has settled for field goals and field possession rather than attempting to go for it on fourth-downs. Campbell on those decisions:

We’re going to try to make sure we pin these guys back, give our defense an opportunity to play great defense, and get the ball back.

All-time, Penn State is 16-6 against Northwestern dating back to 1993.

The two squared up last season, with Northwestern upsetting Penn State in a thriller, 22-21.

Both teams have different identities, players, and goals heading into this week five matchup.

There is no such thing as a “must-win’ in week five, however if Penn State wants to be a playoff team, this seems like a must-win game.

Matt Campbell will be looked at under a magnifying glass, his every decision being criticized. And that is because this team had standards coming into the season. But after an upset loss at home to Wisconsin, this team is looking to bounce back in a big way.

…It comes back to this theme: Everything rises and falls with leadership. To me, it’s take accountability. We understand that it’s a 12-game season guaranteed to us, and the reality is you have to, whether you win or you lose, you have to continue to be able to grow forward.

Matt Campbell will bring this group together and make them fight for this victory.

Northwestern will not go down without a fight.

But it is up to Penn State to stop the losing momentum and get back on track. They are trying to return home with a win before taking on USC for the white-out game.