Penn State exposed? Winners and losers from Northwestern's stunning rout - USA Today
EVANSTON, IL – Penn State never had to worry about blowing a lead Friday night.
The Nittany Lions spent the opening month of this new era without leaving Pennsylvania. Three soft nonconference wins offered little resistance, and even their Big Ten opener against Wisconsin ended with a blown 17-0 lead on Sept. 26.
One silver lining in Evanston? There was no lead to squander.
Penn State never led at Northwestern. It never found an answer for the Wildcats' bruising rushing attack. And for long stretches, the Nittany Lions looked like a program with plenty of construction left to do while 35,000 fans celebrated the grand opening of Northwestern's New Ryan Field.
The Wildcats' commanding 34-13 victory was only part of Penn State's misery.
Let's break down the rest with the winners and losers from Northwestern's third win in four games, including its second double-digit victory over a Power Four opponent after dismantling Deion Sanders' Colorado team, 41-7, on Sept. 19.
Aside from Baylor opening its new stadium along the Brazos River in 2014, major college football programs rarely build brand-new venues. They renovate. They downsize. They carve out premium seating and modern amenities atop foundations that, in many cases, have stood for a century.
Northwestern chose a different path.
Backed by the Ryan family, the Wildcats unveiled New Ryan Field on Friday night before an officially sold-out crowd. By kickoff, the cost of the project had climbed past $850 million.
Fans were welcomed with free pregame offerings from Chicago staples such as Gibson's Tavern and LuxBar before exploring an array of Windy City-inspired food options inside the stadium. The venue's value menu even featured $5 hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers for those ordering through the New Ryan Field app.
The festivities matched the occasion. A military flyover roared overhead before kickoff, while a field-sized American flag stretched from sideline to sideline during the national anthem.
Northwestern then gave the crowd exactly what it came to see.
The Wildcats opened the scoring with a field goal, added a touchdown and raced to a commanding 24-7 halftime lead, turning the debut of their new home into a celebration from the opening kick.
Fired by the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders a year ago, Kelly has looked like — alongside Florida’s Buster Faulkner — perhaps the best college offensive coordinator hire for the 2026 season.
A week after taking defending College Football Playoff champion Indiana to its limits on the road, Kelly’s offense gashed Penn State with a power running game and clever motions that made moot any need for Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles to throw the ball.
By halftime, Northwestern had uncorked 34 offensive snaps — and 25 of them had been runs that totaled 237 of its 278 first-half yardage.
The Wildcats had trampled Penn State’s defense for more than 350 yards a minute into the fourth quarter and averaged 9 yards per carry.
While their offensive linemen oftentimes cleared massive holes and Penn State’s secondary looked confused trying to find the ball, if not conflict-averse, the Wildcats duo of Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II stole the show on the ground.
They rushed for a combined 334 yards on 32 attempts as Northwestern constructed an insurmountable 31-7 lead deep into the fourth quarter.
First-year Penn State coach Matt Campbell built his reputation at Iowa State by consistently squeezing more out of less, winning with tough, opportunistic teams and just enough NFL-caliber playmakers to make the difference.
But Iowa State didn't win the Big 12 last season, or even reach the conference title game. Yet many of the key pieces from that roster now wear Penn State blue and white.
On Friday night, they looked overmatched.
The Nittany Lions' offense continues to be a major concern, repeatedly putting the defense in difficult positions by failing to sustain drives. Northwestern piled up more than 500 yards while facing just 11 third downs all game, a testament to how easily the Wildcats moved the chains.
By the fourth quarter, Penn State's defense looked exhausted. Northwestern dominated possession for 36 minutes and relentlessly pounded away on the ground, with four different rushers breaking off gains of at least 13 yards.
For a coach known for maximizing talent and competing above his weight class, Campbell's new team looked anything but scrappy.
Penn State failed to capitalize on seven tackles behind Northwestern’s line of scrimmage, not to mention the combined 21-tackle performances of Tony Rojas and Kooper Ebel.
The offense, as noted, failed to produce any rhythm. Rocco Becht couldn’t stretch the field throwing, though he did help elicit multiple defensive pass interference penalties against the Wildcats, and Becht threw for just a touch more than 200 yards, with one score and an interception.
All Penn State had to do was finish the job against Wisconsin and it would have entered this historic night unbeaten and brimming with momentum. The game also happened to fall on the anniversary of Northwestern's first contest at the original Ryan Field.
Instead, the Nittany Lions arrived carrying the baggage of a collapse and left with something worse.
Since leading Wisconsin 17-0 on Sept. 26, Penn State has been outscored 58-16 by the Badgers and Wildcats combined.
When the Big Ten schedule was released, a trip to David Braun's gritty Northwestern program probably wasn't one that raised alarm bells in Happy Valley. Now it has produced an official losing streak.
And the road ahead offers little relief.
Penn State heads into a crucial stretch with consecutive losses and mounting questions before hosting USC and then traveling to Michigan. What looked like an early opportunity to build momentum suddenly feels like a season veering off the tracks.
