Penn State, Northwestern clash set for ESPN airing
Unbeaten Penn State will host Northwestern on Saturday in its resumption of Big Ten play at 3:30 p.m. Announced Sunday morning, the clash will be televised on ESPN.
This will be Penn State’s first game to be aired on ESPN since the 2019 Cotton Bowl. The Nittany Lions topped Memphis, 53-39, in Arlington, Texas.
Penn State is coming off a 33-14 win over Central Michigan at Beaver Stadium on Saturday to improve to 4-0 on the 2022 season. That mark includes a 1-0 start in Big Ten play, having topped Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., to open the campaign on Sept. 1.
Northwestern, meanwhile, is in dire straights under the direction of longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald. After beating Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland to open the season, 31-28, the Wildcats have been in a tailspin since. Beginning with a loss to Duke on Sept. 10, Northwestern also dropped a 31-24 decision to Southern Illinois.
And, most recently, they also fell to Miami of Ohio late on Saturday night. The loss was Northwestern’s third consecutive at Ryan Field. It was Miami of Ohio’s first win against a Big Ten opponent since 2003.
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Penn State’s next steps
Through the nonconference portion of the schedule, Penn State is returning to Big Ten play with its own questions. Enjoying the fruits of a win against the Chippewas over the weekend, even head coach James Franklin said the nature of the Nittany Lions’ victory left an odd feeling for the program.
“A lot to be proud of and a big reason why we’re 1-0 today. But, there are things that we have to get cleaned up and corrected,” Franklin said. “Overall, we’re happy to be 1-0, we’ll enjoy it for the night. We need to get better next week, starting on Sunday. This film will be really important to watch and evaluate and critique, but again, I’m pleased and happy to be 1-0 and well go from there.”
Penn State is 14-5 overall all-time against Northwestern. The Nittany Lions have a 7-2 mark at Beaver Stadium against the Wildcats. The two teams have not met since 2017, which resulted in a 31-7 win for Penn State on the road.
