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Penn State Nittany Lions at Northwestern Wildcats preview

By Barry Leonard Jr.

EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 07: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads his team onto the field for a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on November 7, 2015 in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern defeated Penn State 23-21. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 07: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads his team onto the field for a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on November 7, 2015 in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern defeated Penn State 23-21. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Can the Penn State Nittany Lions get a better result this time around at Northwestern?

The Penn State Nittany Lions avoided a let down against Indiana after gutting out a tough win on the road the previous week against Iowa. Penn State started with a bang against the Hoosiers when Saquon Barkley took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. The Nittany Lions went on to cruise to a 45-14 win.

Up next is a road game against Northwestern.

  • No. 4 Penn State (5-0, 2-0) at Northwestern (2-2, 0-1)
  • Venue – Ryan Field
  • Kickoff -12:00 p.m.
  • TV – ABC
  • Coaches – James Franklin vs Pat Fitzgerald
  • Conferences- Big Ten vs Big Ten

Penn State is 5-0 for the first time since 2008 and will look to keep things rolling this week against the Wildcats.

Despite having playmakers all over the field, the Nittany Lions have been a bit sluggish on offense this year. Quarterback Trace McSorley has put up some decent numbers, but hasn’t looked as sharp as he did last year.

Star running back Saquon Barkley has had to deal with teams stacking the box to stop him. Luckily, his versatility has allowed him to find other ways to make a big impact. Aside from being the top rusher, Barkley leads the team in kick return yards and receiving yards. In last week’s game against Indiana he even tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass.

Stopping Barkley will be job one for a Northwestern defense that ranks near the bottom of the Big Ten in total defense.

The Wildcats enter the contest with a record of 2-2 and 0-1 in the Big Ten. They battled Wisconsin tough last week but ultimately fell 33-24 on the road.

Despite looking like a heavy favorite on paper, the game at Northwestern will not be an easy one for Penn State. The Nittany Lions lost a 23-21 heartbreaker in 2015 — their last trip to Evanston. Penn State’s next game after Northwestern is a home matchup with Michigan, so there’s the possibility of this week’s game being a trap.

Fortunately, Penn State is 13-5 overall against Northwestern, so there’s good history for the Nittany Lions. However, James Franklin and his team surely haven’t forgotten the trip to evanston in 2015 that saw Northwestern win 23-21.

Next: Know Your Penn State Enemy: Northwestern

Following the game against Northwestern the Nittany Lions have a bye before hosting Michigan, so picking up a win before going into an off week will be of the utmost importance.

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