Penn State Football 2018 Season Rewind: Nittany Lions cruise at Northwestern
Penn State football remained unbeaten on the year with a strong performance at Northwestern
With five wins in five games under their belt, including two in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions went on the road in Week 6 to face a pesky Northwestern team. Penn State had struggled recently against the Wildcats, especially in Evanston.
True to form, Penn State was slow to get things going. A Tyler Davis field goal and a 10-yard pass from quarterback Trace McSorley to his backup Tommy Stevens were the only points for any team heading into the break.
In what has been a trend over the past few years for Penn State, the Nittany Lions came out strong in the third quarter. Running back Saquon Barkley continued to pad his Heisman Trophy resume by adding two touchdown runs. The first was from just a yard out, while the second was a 53-yard run.
Barkley finished the game with 75 rushing yards.
McSorley added a five-yard run in the fourth quarter to put the Nittany Lions up big. A late Northwestern touchdown ensured that Penn State wouldn’t get its third shutout of the early season. Still Penn State left Northwestern with a solid 31-7 victory.
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At one point in the game, McSorley completed 15 straight passes, breaking Kerry Collins’ former school record of 14 consecutive passes in a game.
It wasn’t a huge statistical day for McSorley though, as he finished with just 245 yards passing and the two scores. Still, he played an excellent, mistake-free game and helped lead the Nittany Lions to victory.
The defense again looked very strong, keeping the Wildcats to just 265 yards of total offense. The unit had another shutout going before giving up a score with less than two minutes remaining.
Northwestern quarterback Tanner Thorsonwas was held to 142 passing yards and finished with a net of -28 rushing yards. Penn State did an excellent job of bottling up dangerous running back Justin Jackson.
Shaka Toney collected two sacks, while Christian Campbell and Amani Oruwariye each came away with an interception.
All-in-all, it was an impressive day for the Penn State defense and an equally solid showing for the offense. After the win, Penn State moved to 6-0 before preparing for three straight tough games against Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State.