The backup in Persa has come out on this drive. He's moved the ball at times but his naiveity has gotten the best of him as well, as he was sacked by three Lion reserve linemen on one play. Northwestern's drive ends at the Penn State 23, and I'm going to head down to the field for the remainder of the game. It's been good, folks.
***
Royster sees nothing but daylight, and he has just Zug (or is it Amish Lightning again?) to beat, as the wideout gets in front to block any pursuing Wildcat defenders. None get close to Royster, however, as he takes it 69 yards to break this game wide open and wrap this one up for the Lions with less than nine minutes to play.
8:47, fourth quarter,
Penn State 34, Northwestern 13
***
Matthews fumbles his third kickoff return of the game, then falls after picking up 11 yards to the Wildcat 14.
Wallace then tips a pass into Crawford's hands but the big fella wasn't ready for it. That would have been six the other way, and it would have been interesting to see that touchdown run. Lee is then in on a big hit and a pass break-up, and Demos punts it to Zug who -- you guessed it -- makes a fair catch at his own 30.
***
And that, folks, is your game-changing play of the day. Clark rolls to his strong side and hits Moye in stride for a 53-yard touchdown. Ten minutes remain, but that is surely a welcome sight for all Penn State fans, something that couldn't be said for them through three quarters here.
10:16, third quarter,
Penn State 27, Northwestern 13
***
Another bobbled kickoff by Jeravin Matthews pins Northwestern deep in its own territory, as it will start from the 6.
Three run plays net just nine yards for the Wildcats, and Demos punts again. Astorino makes the fair catch at his own 47.
***
Royster again gets the call, going for 7 to the Wildcat 38. Clark then gets pressured and just gets it off to Powell on his left, and the wideout takes it for eight yards to the 30 for the Lion first down. Clark then hits an open Moye at the 5, bringing up another first-and-goal for the Lions.
After Royster gets three, Brandon Beachum checks in and plunges up the middle for the 2-yard score to put the Lions ahead. Beachum was my what to look for, so I guess that's a bit of vindication for me since my predicted final score (31-14) is impossible.
Then again, Joe still isn't in costume, so I guess two outta three ain't too bad.
12:27, fourth quarter
Penn State 20, Northwestern 13
***
Royster gains a total of 13 yards on two rushes to take us to the end of the third quarter. These teams have a history of close contests at Ryan Field, and this one looks no different. Unless Penn State pulls an Iowa.
End of third quarter,
Penn State 13, Northwestern 13
***
Markshausen takes a pass in the flat and gets drilled by Lynn on Northwestern's first play. Odrick then reads the option perfectly and it's quickly 3rd-and-10 for the Cats. Odrick again brings the pressure and forces a bad Persa throw. Great drive for the Lion defense there, forcing a three-and-out that took just 1:24. Demos' punt falls dead at the Lion 42.
***
The Lions open with Royster going for 16 before a 3-yard swing pass to Powell. True freshman Devon Smith then checks in and he's the man who falls on Royster's fumble. A holding penalty by Stefen Wisniewski negates the play and pushes the Lions back to their own 35.
Clark then hits Quarless for 17 before finding Moye for 3 to get the first down at the Northwestern 45, but Clark slips in the backfield on the next play and loses 8. A screen to Royster goes for 7 and brings up 3rd-and-11 from the Northwestern 46. Clark then can't hit Moye near the Penn State sideline, and Boone punts another one that lands in the endzone.
***
Odrick smells blood, and usually that means bad news for opposing quarterbacks. That's the case for Persa, who gets drilled for a loss of 10. He then fires a pair of short completions to Markshausen for a total of nine yards, but the drive gets extended after a "late" hit by Morris, who was in the air as Markshausen caught it on the ground. Bradley can't believe it, nor can the people upstairs. This is football, zebras, a contact sport.
Northwestern tries to move the ball on the ground but can only net a yard before Demos punts it Zug, who makes a fair catch at his own 26.
***
Well, I wrote a whole analysis to this first half that got deleted on our server, and now the second half is underway. The cliff notes version went something like this: This has looked exactly like a trap game, and Penn State needs to step up.
That starts with Zug who hauls in a catch for 7 yards on the Lions first play of the half. Powell's impressive kick return to the Lion 41 got Penn State there, and Royster and Clark runs following the Zug catch gave the Lions a first down.
Zug makes another catch for 7, Moye loses one on a rush and Clark finally throws to Andrew Quarless -- remember him? -- for the first down at the Northwestern 36. Clark hits Justin Brown a play later down to the 9 for a first-and-goal. Nice to see Penn State throw in a couple new wrinkles to keep the Cat defense honest.
What I don't understand, however, is the play-calling inside the 10. Clark and Royster both run up the middle for a total of three yards, and now it's third-and-goal from the 6. It looks like miscommunication on the next play, as Clark's throw was nowhere near Powell. Wagner kicks the 23-yarder to tie things up, but again, the Lions fail to make the most of their opportunities and are letting a dangerous team hang around.
Third quarter, 9:22
Penn State 13, Northwestern 13
***
The special team woes continue for Penn State. Stephen Simmons takes a short Wagner kickoff 44 yards to the Lion 41, making Drew Astorino miss on the way.
Persa keeps things moving with a 13 yard run to the Lion 28, but the Wildcats can only muster 8 yards total on their next three plays, bringing up a 4th-and-2 at the 20. Persa tries to get the Lion defense to bite before calling a timeout.
Jared Odrick must have got word of this blog. He refutes all poor remarks I made about Penn State's special teams play and blocks Demos' 37-yard attempt to give the Lions the ball with 1:02 left in the half.
The Lion drive goes nowhere, however, as Clark can only complete a three-yard pass to Powell in the flat. Zug dropped a beautifully thrown Clark pass at midfield for his second drop of the day. I know the Patriot-News proposed him the nickname "Amish Lightning" after his three-TD performance last week; I just hope the Collegian isn't the paper that has to ask him if "Butterfingers" if more appropriate.
Persa made a little bit of magic happen on Northwestern's final drive, hitting Brewer for 18 yards before just getting out of bounds on a 2-yard scramble. That brought out Demos, who kicked a 45-yarder to give the Wildcats the lead at halftime.
Halftime
Northwestern 13, Penn State 10
***
Persa and the Cats stall at midfield, gaining just three net yards on the drive. Demos gets off his punt this time to Zug, who makes a fair catch at his own 7.
Clark wastes no time throwing this drive, hitting Moye on each sideline on the first two passes for a total of 31 yards. The second one was near the Penn State sideline and scarily close to one Joseph Vincent Paterno.
Clark continues to excel and keep the pace moving on this drive, hitting Powell and then Zug for a total of 20. Clark then fakes an inside handoff to Royster, avoids a hit and takes it himself for 12 yards to the Northwestern 30.
It was just announced that Kafka has a leg injury and his return is questionable.
Clark continues to attack going long for Zug, who gets a complete bailout call from the refs on what was a badly underthrown ball. The pass interference penalty brings Penn State to the 15, where Clark hits the true freshman Curtis Drake for 13 yards to the 2. Clar then scrambles a bit before taking it in himself for the 2-yard run to tie things up.
You gotta give it to Clark on that drive. The senior captain took the Lions 93 yards on just seven plays and responded to a Wildcat team that was gaining momentum late in the half on its homefield. The drive took just 3:07, with the only runs being improvised ones from Clark. Let's see how the Wildcat defense adjusts, as it seemed to stack the box and bring the house often early on and prevent Royster from getting things going. Clark simply took what the defense gave him that time, and it worked out well for the Lions
Second quarter, 3:39
Penn State 10, Northwestern 10
***
It looks like Kafka got hurt on that last play, and backup and Bethlehem native Dan Persa comes in. He wastes no time picking up where Kafka left off, as he takes a draw for 7 yards to the right. D'Anton Lynn met him there, sending the backup quarterback flying in the air with a first down in hand.
***
Penn State comes out in a nickel formation on its first drive, with Stephon Morris in and Josh Hull out. The Lions force a three-and-out, bringing up a Demos punt on a 4th-and-1 from his own 25.
Demos can't handle the low snap on the punt and runs for his life, basically throwing the ball up for grabs to the nearest man. Fortunately for Demos, that happens to be Mark Woodsum, who hauls in the short pass and takes it nine yards for a wild first down for Northwestern. Even when the Lions look to have done something good on special teams, it comes back to bite them.
Devon Still then gets credit for sacking Kafka for a loss of one. A seven-yard pass to Markshausen brings up a 3rd-and-4 and from the Northwestern 40, and the Wildcats call a timeout.
***
My bad on that one. Shuler was ruled down after 11 yards at the Northwestern 49. The play, however, was overturned, so the Lions now face a 3rd-and-1 at their own 43. Joe Paterno was not happy with the officials on that call, and he can't be happy with his players now, as they commit an illegal motion before Royster gets stuffed for no gain. The Wildcats decline the penalty and will now take over at their own 16 following a Boone punt.
***
The Lions haven't exactly blown anyone away with their kick returns this year, so for the second straight week Hayes makes the catch and runs for 19 yards to his own 34. Ako Poti is back in at right tackle for the Lions. I'm guessing that shoe problem of his is finally fixed.
After Royster goes for six, Clark hits Shuler, who appears to break a tackle near the first down marker and make it to the Lion 43, bringing on the first review of the day. When will baseball catch on?
***
Out of the break, Northwestern doesn't hold anything back.
Former walk-on receiver Zeke Markshausen finds a hole in the middle of the field for 16 yards and follows that up with 13 yards a play later. Kafka then hits Jeremy Ebert for 15 to the Lion 24 before Hayes finally slows him down with a sack.
That's no matter for the mobile Kafka, whom someone in the press box just shouted was the "new Juice Williams," which I guess could be a compliment.
Kafka certainly looked like the 2007 version of Juice on his last two plays, following a big block from center Ben Burkett on Lee for 14 yards and then fooling Crawford a play later, taking it up the middle for a seven-yard touchdown. It is now time for the Lions to regroup and adjust, as they did last week against Michigan.
Kafka and the Cats went eight plays for 80 yards in just 2:37 on that drive.
Second quarter, 12:31
Northwestern 10, Penn State 3
***
Penn State starts its second drive at its own 22 after Chaz Powell got drilled on his kick return. Royster and Clark runs give the Lions a 3rd-and-1, bringing out a new wrinkle with Powell and Royster in the backfield. Royster goes right for four yards and the first.
A pair of Clark completions to Joe Suhey and Chaz Powell, respectively, keeps Penn State moving to its own 38, where Ako Poti appears to have some shoe trouble and is replaced by Nerraw McCormack.
Three plays and a Brett Brackett sighting later, Northwestern brings the house to stuff Royster for a loss of 2 on 3rd-and-2. Boone comes on to punt with the Lions at the Wildcat 47, and the ball lands in the end zone for a touchback.
Kafka hits Dunsmore on the drive's first play for 13 to the Penn State 33. That's where this quarter will come to an end, tied at 3.
End of first quarter,
Penn State 3, Northwestern 3
***
Our first real drive of the game went 17 long plays that went for 65 yards. Northwestern burned 7:25 off the clock, hoping to wear down this Lion defense and keep its offense off the field.
The Northwestern band is breaking out in what sounds like "Hey Baby" but I really can't tell from up here. I must also say that I will hard-pressed to make fun of the Penn State student section anymore after today, as there are tons of empty seats here today at Ryan Field. It also doesn't do Northwestern much good that the majority of the filled ones are fans decked in blue and white, not purple. Those darn Lion fans must have missed the "Purplepalooza" memo.
***
Kafka and the 'Cats come out firing on this second drive of theirs, completing 3-of-4 passes to their own 40 before a nice diving catch on 3rd-and-4 by Sidney Stewart for six yards and a first down.
I'm not sure why the Wildcats revert from that strategy, as a pair of runs go for a combined negative-three yards before a 10-yard screen pass to Jacob Scmidt makes it 4th-and-3.
That, however, is followed by a silly Penn State mistake, as the Lions have 12 men on the field during the Wildcat punt attempt. Northwestern gets the automatic first down and continues the drive.
Kafka does a beautiful job of keeping the drive alive three plays later on a 3rd-and-8, as the quarterback just avoids getting sacked by Lee and scrambles to the weak side for eight and the first down at the Penn State 25.
Kafka shows why he's the team's leading rusher just two plays later, taking it for six up the middle on a draw and bringing up a 3rd-and-7 from the Lion 17. Bowman brings the pressure on that play and Kafka is forced to throw it away, bringing on the left Stefan Demos for a 41-yard field goal try that is perfect, tying this score at 3.
First quarter, 5:24
Penn State 3, Northwestern 3
***
It's been said in this space before and it will be said again: Capitalize, capitalize, capitalize. Penn State was given an absolute gift for that first drive but could only muster nine yards in six plays. A "moral" victory for the Northwestern defense if there ever was one.
***
Penn State won the coin toss and will defer to the second half. With what were just announced as 15 mph winds, field position could be a factor in this game. It'll be interesting to see how Northwestern fares, given that it's leading rusher is its quarterback, Mike Kafka. For what it's worth, we cannot hear a thing on the field of play, as we are eight levels above ground.
A holding penalty negated a nice return, and Jerome Hayes and Sean Lee now take the field to lead the Lion defense. After a 13-yard Kafka completion, the Northwestern quarterback loses the ball on what appears to be a poor exchange from the center. Jack Crawford pounces on the loose ball and the Lions take over at the Wildcat 23.
Ako Poti is on to make his fourth career start, and on the Lions' first play from scrimmage Daryll Clark throws a beauty to Graham Zug near the goal line, but the former walk-on can't hang on. Clark hits Moye for 11 a play later before Royster goes left for three.
Two passes just out of Zug's reach sandwich a false start penalty, and Collin Wagner comes on to kick a 32-yard field goal to give the Lions the early lead.
First quarter, 12:49
Penn State 3, Northwestern 0
***
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Hey folks, Matt Fortuna here from Ryan Field to bring you everything Penn State football as the Nittany Lions take on the Northwestern Wildcats. The press box here is actually pretty nice, with a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline to our right. We do, however, have to wait until halftime for a meal to be served. (After those pancakes this morning, I should probably be thanking the media relations people here.)
It's been a wild day of football so far, with Iowa putting on a dominant effort in the fourth quarter to top Indiana and crush any hope of Penn State being the lone Big Ten champion this season. The Lions, however, cannot worry about any of that. They likely control their own BCS bowl destiny with four games remaining, and that starts here with the Wildcats today.
The Northwestern band and cheerleaders are now leading out the Wildcat players, and we are just moments from kickoff here at Ryan Field.
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