Will weather be a factor for Penn State Football on Saturday?

Penn State football is set to face Northwestern on Saturday, but the Nittany Lions may have to battle more than just the Wildcats during the game.

Hurricane Ian is in the process of making its way up the East Coast and the storm could play a role in Penn State football’s game on Saturday.

The National Weather Service has updated the forecast for State College, PA on Saturday as of 1 p.m. on Friday:

"Rain or drizzle before 8 am, then rain between 8am and 2pm, then drizzle or light rain likely after 2pm. High near 53. Northeast win 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible."

Penn State is slated to face Northwestern at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, meaning the heaviest rain will have already passes through. This should allow for the Nittany Lions to at least attempt to throw the ball.

The ground will certainly be wet though and players will likely be sliding around. That could benefit Penn State as it has better athletes and more speed than Northwestern, leading to blown coverages.

While Penn State would like to throw the ball, the Nittany Lions will have to rely heavily on their running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. The two freshmen have played well so far but we’ll see how they handle the wet conditions when the footing isn’t as good and ball security becomes a concern.

In a game like this, it may come down to who has the better defense. Penn State seems to have the advantage there, but the Wildcats are a well-coached team and will be ready to go, despite their 1-3 record.

This game starts a massive month for Penn State football and the Nittany Lions would like to start October off on the right foot.