Here are 3 takeaways from Penn State’s 41-13 road win over Northwestern
Penn State went into Evanston, Illinois, and left with a victory Saturday afternoon, defeating the Northwestern Wildcats 41-13 in a game that was deadlocked at halftime.
Here are three takeaways from the Nittany Lions’ victory.
Dysfunction holds offense back early
It is one thing for an offense to slow down because the quarterback misses a few throws or the running backs miss the hole. But it’s a whole different level of issue when the mistakes are caused by mental errors or a lack of cohesion. That seemed to be more of an issue in the first half for the Nittany Lions, with quarterback Drew Allar and his receivers not being on the same page on multiple occasions. The first was a throw to KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the second quarter, when Allar threw the ball to the outside and his receiver broke inside, resulting in a throw wide of the mark. The second was on a pass from the quarterback to Dante Cephas, where Allar threw a ball that seemed to anticipate a comeback route but instead his receiver was blocking his man downfield.
Those types of mistakes point to a group that isn’t playing together and needs to make adjustments. Yes, the Nittany Lions got away with it against Northwestern, but that won’t fly against the likes of Ohio State and Michigan.
Penn State pass rush is one of the best in country
For all of the bad that came out of Saturday’s game, there was still one major positive to take away. Penn State’s pass rush is one of the best — if not the best — in the country. The Northwestern offensive line and quarterback Ben Bryant were in a bad place most of the game, with the former getting consistently beaten at the line of scrimmage and the latter paying the price repeatedly by getting hit.
Bryant eventually started feeling pressure that wasn’t there. That’s when a defensive line is in complete control and can do whatever it wants against an opponent. Naturally, that’s what the Nittany Lions did for the majority of the game, allowing the offense to make the mistakes that it did without the team ever truly losing control of the outcome.
WR Harrison Wallace III’s absence looms large
Penn State’s offensive struggles are going to be the headline, but there’s a chance they could go away once a key piece returns. Harrison Wallace III did not start once again and has not played meaningful snaps since the Delaware game and has been listed as questionable for the last three contests. He had the look of one of Allar’s most reliable targets before he started missing playing time. It’s possible that Allar and the rest of the offense will start humming again once the Nittany Lions get one of their top two receivers back. He was one of the clear standouts at the position, alongside Lambert-Smith, heading into the season and figured to have a major role in what was supposed to be a much better passing offense this season.
This story was originally published September 30, 2023 at 3:19 PM.
