On Saturday, Penn State football looked to finally get back in the win column as it faced off with Northwestern. The Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) fell in back-to-back games to Oregon and UCLA. Penn State continued its losing ways, falling to the Wildcats (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten), 22-21.
The Nittany Lions had an opportunity to right their wrongs and came into practice with an enhanced competitive edge. Though they extended to a three-game losing streak, these three players still deserve praise for their performances on Saturday. Here are three game balls, one for each aspect of the game.
Wide receiver Devonte Ross had seven catches for 115 yards, leading the Nittany Lions in receiving on Saturday. While the wideout corps was fairly quiet for Penn State, Ross continued proving himself as one of the more reliable receivers for the blue and white.
In the fourth quarter when the Nittany Lions trailed Northwestern, 16-14, quarterback Drew Allar found Ross for a massive 67-yard reception. Penn State started the drive on its own nine-yard line and running back Kaytron Allen only gained five yards on two plays. On third-and-five, Allar and his offense needed answers. He connected with Ross, who caught the pass at the 17-yard-line and used the open grass ahead of him to take the Nittany Lions well into Wildcats territory. The defense took him down at the Northwestern 19-yard-line.
This 67-yard reception set Penn State up for its final score of the evening. Allen picked up 18 yards on the next play and Allar eventually capped off the drive with a one-yard rush into the end zone, putting the Nittany Lions up 21-16.
Despite not having a touchdown, Ross was consistently the most reliable receiver on Saturday. He provided a spark in the wide receiver room that Penn State sought from its transfers.
Penn State held Wildcats quarterback Preston Stone to negative eight rushing yards, which was a drastic improvement from Week 6 when the defense allowed UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava to rush for 128 yards. Without linebacker Tony Rojas, it was difficult for linebacker Dominic DeLuca to step into that starting role quickly. After shaking off the game against the Bruins, he cleaned things up and was a consistent element to the Nittany Lions defense against Northwestern.
DeLuca finished the game with seven total tackles and four solos, which was third most among Penn State defensemen. In the fourth quarter following Allar's rushing touchdown catalyzed by Ross' reception, DeLuca immediately showed up and broke up a pass intended for wide receiver Griffin Wilde. Wilde was a consistent target of Stone's throughout the game, but DeLuca did not allow the Wildcats to start the drive off hot in hopes of keeping the Nittany Lions in the lead as long as possible.
Punter Gabriel Nwosu punted three times on Saturday and accrued 124 yards in total. Though special teams had an up-and-down performance, Nwosu remained consistent and pushed the Wildcats as far back as possible.
One of his punts went for 54 yards, his longest of the game. It was early in the third quarter when Nwosu put Northwestern back at inside its own five-yard-line. The Wildcats was eventually forced to punt the ball right back to the Nittany Lions.
Two of three of Nwosu's punts landed inside the 20-yard-line. He averaged 41.3 yards per punt. When the Penn State offense disappointingly walked off the field, Nwosu was there to keep the Wildcts far back in their own territory and provide the special teams unit with flashes of positive plays.