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Penn State vs. Northwestern Recap: BWI Daily

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby:Thomas Frank Carr•10/03/22•

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STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 01: Abdul Carter #11 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after a defensive play against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Get the final word on Penn State’s 17-7 win over Northwestern on the BWI Daily Edition tonight at 8 pm. Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Bauer discuss how the offense and the defense performed in the wet, sloppy conditions at Beaver Stadium Saturday. They’ll also take your questions live on YouTube! Join the show at eight and subscribe to the channel, so you don’t miss the show.

Fresh perspective on win over Northwestern

As he does each Monday, T-Frank starts the show by asking Nate what he’s learned since the game on Monday. Whether it’s a change in perspective, new insight from a second watch, or information from players after the game, Bauer brings a new spin to the show each week. Today, they’ll discuss how the Nittany Lions fared on Saturday.

After discussing Bauer’s opening thoughts, T-Frank will give his. First, he wants to discuss the defense and its performance against Northwestern on Saturday. Were the Nittany Lions as dominant as they seemed during the game? Blue White Illustrated’s film analyst will give you his impressions of the group and which players stood out during his observations. He’ll highlight PJ Mustipher, Hakeem Beamon and freshmen Dani Dennis-Sutton and Abdul Carter.

Next, they’ll run down the major storylines that came out of the game Saturday, many of which deal with the offense. They’ll discuss the running back’s performance, the major moments that changed the game. Can Penn State continue to sustain success if Nick Singleton’s struggles continue? Has he hit a freshman wall?

Of course, starting quarterback Sean Clifford. The sixth-year signal caller created plenty of division and discussion based on Saturday’s 10-20 completion performance.

Penn State’s good plans sunk by the elements, fumbles: Film Study

Penn State football played one of the most retro, throwback games they’ve put together under head coach James Franklin. It was a defensive battle featuring 24 combined points and 86 rushing plays. The Nittany Lions accounted for 58 runs and gained 220 yards on the ground. It’s clear by the playcalling to start the game by both teams that the wet weather significantly impacted the decisions and game plans coming into the day.

Today, we’ll focus on the Lion’s offense and how coordinator Mike Yurcich tried to attack the Northwestern defensive front and secondary. 

Penn State tries to use Northwestern’s defensive rules against them

This week, a large section of the running game was dedicated to shifts and motions to influence the Northwestern secondary. If you missed it, we discussed how the Wildcats run a match-zone defense where the four secondary players (outside corners and safeties) match up with the skill position players. This system dictates their alignment and creates an opportunity for Yurcich to influence their location and how the safeties rotate. 

Check out the rest of the film breakdown here.

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