Penn State uses big second half to cruise by Northwestern 41-13: Recap

Evanston, Ill. — Penn State is ready for its fifth game of the season. The No. 6 Nittany Lions visit Northwestern (2-2) for a Big Ten crossover tilt at Ryan Field. A big crowd is likely. But, there should be plenty of blue and white in the stands to help the visitors feel more at home in what will otherwise be a quieter environment than it is used to.

“These guys are 2-0 win at home,” Lions coach James Franklin said Wednesday. “You look at Northwestern, they’ve typically had good home records. Why? Because it can be challenging to play there. They’re used to the environment. Other people may not be. It’s going to be very different than what we played in last week. So just being transparent and honest. Are we internally motivated? Are we externally motivated? But, for me to act like it’s not a factor, it is. You got to get prepared for it.

“We haven’t had any music. Even our [Penn State practice] period 20, we usually play the Phil Collins [song In The Air Tonight], and it’s usually blaring. They were asking me to turn it up today. And I said, No. It’s just little things like that. But at the end of the day, it’s going to be about us executing our jobs and our assignments and playing the game for each other, playing the game for our love for the game of football and for our teammates, and playing up to our standard no matter the circumstances.”

Follow Penn State-Northwestern as it unfolds all game long with score updates, stats, and the latest information from Evanston below. NOTE: This page does not update automatically. So, please refresh it often to see the latest news, notes, score, and more.

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Fourth quarter updates

3:13 — Penn State 41, Northwestern 13 after Beau Pribula hit Trey Potts for six. That’s the final score.

3:04 — Touchdown, Penn State: Nick Singleton plows into the end zone to give the Lions a 34-13 lead with 4:07 to play.

2:56 — Penn State takes over at the Northwestern 40 leading 27-13 with 9:10 to play.

2:47 — Penn State goes three and out again. James Franklin wanted defensive pass interference but didn’t get it. It is 27-13 PSU over Northwestern with 10:35 left.

2:41 — Jack Olsen’s 28-yard field goal is good. Penn State leads Northwestern 27-13 with 12:01 left in the fourth quarter.

Third quarter Penn State-Northwestern updates

2:32 — End of three: Penn State 27, Northwestern 10. The Wildcats have the ball at the PSU 28 with a fresh set of downs to start the fourth quarter.

2:25 — Touchdown, Penn State: Drew Allar hits Nicholas Singleton for an easy score. The Lions now own a 28-10 lead over Northwestern with 1:24 to play in the third quarter.

2:18 — Penn State sends a bunch of pressure on third down and it leads to a Northwestern incompletion. The Lions will get the ball back leading 20-10 with 5:08 left in the third quarter. Northwestern tried a fake punt. Penn State stopped it. The Lions take over at the Wildcats 34.

2:13 — Alex Felkins’ 47-yard field goal is good. Penn State 20, Northwestern 10 with 6:03 left in the third quarter.

2:08 — Northwestern went for a sneak on 4th and 1 at its own 31, and Penn State stacked the Wildcats up. Manny Diaz with a big ole fist pump as the Lions take over possession at the NW 31.

1:59 — Touchdown, Penn State: Drew Allar sneaks in from a yard out. The Lions have a lead, 17-10, over Northwestern with 8:40 left in the third quarter.

1:45 — The Penn State-Northwestern second half is underway. PSU forced a quick three and out.

Second quarter updates

1:23 — Halftime: Penn State 10, Northwestern 10. It was an extremely sloppy half for the Lions, even if they have a 158-59 yards advantage.

1:20 — Penn State forces a quick Northwestern three and out. It takes over at its own 46 with 54 seconds left in the half.

1:14 — Touchdown, Penn State: Trey Potts breaks a tackle and races 13 yards to the end zone for six. The Nittany Lions and Northwestern are tied at 10 with 1:16 left in the first half.

1:10 — Penn State stops Northwestern on third and forever, and the Wildcats will punt again with about four minutes left in the first half.

1:03 — Drew Allar is five of 12 for 42 yards. Most of the incompletions are not even close. Penn State will punt again with 5:17 left in the first half while training Northwestern 10-3.

12:56 — Touchdown, Northwestern: Bryant sneaks from a yard out, and the Wildcats have their second lead of the day at 10-3 with 5:46 left in the first half.

12:45 — Penn State goes three and out on offense, which, obviously, looks a bit out of sync. Drew Allar missed KeAndre Lambert-Smith on third down, and now Riley Thompson will punt it away.

First quarter updates

12:36 — After one quarter at Ryan Field, it’s Penn State 3, Northwestern 3. Wildcats will have 2nd and 10 at the 50 when the second quarter begins.

12:29 — Alex Felkins’ 20-yard field goal attempt is good. Penn State and Northwestern are tied at three with 2:37 left in the first quarter.

12:19 — Penn State forces another three and out. The Lions wee powered on that drive by a Kobe King sack. Northwestern will punt it away from its own 16.

12:14 — Drew Allar’s third down pass is off target to KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Penn State will punt for the first time today facing 4th and 3 at its own 42.

12:05 — Penn State holds Northwestern to a field goal attempt after the opening kickoff was fumbled. Jack Olsen’s 33-yard attempt is good. The Wildcats lead the Lions 3-0 with 12:47 left in the first quarter.

12:02 — Nick Singleton fumbles the opening kickoff, and Northwestern recovers. First turnover of the year for Penn State, which was the last team not to commit one entering Week 5. Wildcats ball at the Lions 11.

Lions-Wildcats pregame info

11:58 a.m. — Penn State calls tails. It loses the toss. Northwestern defers to the second half. The Lions will receive to start this contest with Northwestern at Ryan Field.

11:30 a.m. – Receiver Trey Wallace not doing much in pregame 11-on-11 work.

11 a.m. — Freshmen Kaveion Keys and Chimdy Onoh make their travel squad debut today. Otherwise, the list of players Penn State has here in Evanston is as expected.

10:30 a.m. — The Penn State and Northwestern availability reports are out. Here are the details:

For the visiting Nittany Lions, receiver Malick Meiga and defensive ends Smith Vilbert and Jameial Lyons are OUT. Receiver Harrison Wallace III is again questionable.

For the host Wildcats, starting defensive back Theran Johnson is OUT.

10 a.m. — Here is some pregame info to know:

Penn State will appear on the Big Ten Network for the first time in 2023. Mark Followill will handle play-by-play duties. Jake Butt is the color commentator. And, Brooke Fletcher is the sideline reporter.

The Penn State Sports Network will also be on the radio airwaves with Steve Jones, Jack Ham, and Brian Tripp. It airs on 99.5 & 103.7 FM/1450 AM locally and at GoPSUSports.com online.