Three takeaways from Penn State football’s stunning 22-21 loss vs. Northwestern
Penn State dropped its third consecutive game Saturday in a 22-21 stunner against Northwestern, a 20.5-point underdog, during homecoming at Beaver Stadium. As a result, the Nittany Lions’ hope at a College Football Playoff berth has essentially been extinguished.
With the loss, Penn State is now 3-3 (0-3 Big Ten), while Northwestern improved to 4-2 (2-1 Big Ten).
Here are three takeaways from the game against Northwestern.
This isn’t rock bottom, but it’s getting close
It’s hard to imagine things getting worse from here for Penn State after losing to Northwestern, but they still can. There are losses ahead, in all likelihood, to Iowa, Ohio State and Indiana, which would leave the Nittany Lions at 3-6 and 0-6 in Big Ten play. And at this point the team might not win until it plays Rutgers on Thanksgiving weekend to close out the year.
This type of record seemed unfathomable at the beginning of the season. The Nittany Lions were supposed to have, at most, one loss at this point. They were supposed to be heading into Iowa City next week with talk about a potential trap game before the matchup with Ohio State. But instead they will be the team trying to play spoiler the rest of the way, with no chance to make the College Football Playoff. Head coach James Franklin was under fire for how the team performed going into this week, and that noise is only going to get louder as things continue trending downward.
QB Drew Allar’s injury takes everything from bad to worse
It’s fair if fans have been disappointed with Allar’s performance this season. Many thought he was a shoo-in to be a first-round NFL draft pick. Instead, he couldn’t find any consistency through six games. And now, according to coach James Franklin, he’s out for the rest of the season after suffering a serious injury with less than four minutes left in the game.
Allar has struggled this year. But this Penn State team is not better without him.
Say what you will about Allar, but his backup — sophomore Ethan Grunkemeyer — has 13 career pass attempts. He’s unproven, inexperienced, and the Nittany Lions are about to face the heart of the schedule. Their next three opponents include Iowa, Ohio State and Indiana. Things just went from bad to worse.
Kaytron Allen is the clear RB1
Penn State gave the first nine carries to its best running back, as you’d expect — except that hasn’t been the case all season. Kaytron Allen was the best offensive player on the field against Northwestern, much as he has been all year, and Penn State treated him like it for the first time all season. His initial nine carries went for 59 yards and a touchdown, further proving he should be treated as the team’s primary running back.
He’s a better fit in offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s offense and is the more decisive runner, making him much more valuable in short-yardage situations. Despite that, running back Nick Singleton got the next seven carries, but only had 20 yards on those, although he did score a touchdown after the Nittany Lions tried to get him the ball on four straight plays within the 10-yard line. Singleton still has value to this team as a receiver and a big-play threat, but it’s abundantly clear that Allen is the better back right now.
This story was originally published October 11, 2025 at 6:54 PM.
