Here are our takeaways from Northwestern's tough 17-7 loss to No. 11 Penn State:
Strong defensive performance was a promising sign
The defense is the only thing that gave Northwestern any semblance of hope to stay in this game. They forced five Penn State turnovers, including four fumbles, to keep Penn State's offense in check. The Nittany Lions came in ranked 33rd in total offense and scoring more than 38 points per game. Northwestern held them to 360 yards and 17 points.
After failing to win the turnover battle the past three weeks, today’s performance was a refreshing change. Linebacker Xander Mueller credited the enhanced focus on creating turnovers at practice as a major factor, citing the repeated reps they took.
"We work on it every week in practice," Mueller said. "We executed. A lot of guys stepped up to the plate and made huge plays."
The defensive line had a particularly strong performance, coming up with a couple of key stops on third down. The linebackers and safeties shored up their tackling, avoiding some of the whiffs that usually have Northwestern fans groaning.
Defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil should be proud of his unit’s effort. Northwestern held the No. 11 Nittany Lions to only 17 points in a game many projected to be a blowout. The rain obviously played a role in the sloppier level of play, but the defensive scheme prevented the sort of monster plays that the defense has given up in recent weeks. For a much maligned coordinator, this was a great performance.
The offense struggled in the downpour
Northwestern came into this game averaging 445.8 yard per game, even with their 1-3 record. Some regression was expected given the weather conditions in State College, but not to this level. Offenses typically attempt to run the ball more in the rain, but Northwestern opted to buck that trend.
The Wildcats ran the ball 27 times for only 36 yards, and star running back Evan Hull only had 11 carries. Instead of running, offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian relied on the pass in the monsoon. Quarterback Ryan Hilinski went 15 of 37 for 210 yards, but take out the 47-yard bomb to WR Jacob Gill, and his day was entirely forgettable.
The offense was gifted the ball time and time again, but they were unable to come away with points after any of the five turnovers. They only managed 12 first downs, and failed to move the chains on their first five drives. They turned the ball over three times, and Penn State capitalized where Northwestern could not, scoring 14 points off the takeaways.
It is usually O’Neil who gets most of the hate on the coordinator front, but it might be time to turn the heater on for Bajakian’s seat. The rain certainly played a factor, but a Power 5 team who wants to contend should be able to scheme around that and be able to produce consistently.
The Cats should stop running the wildcat
Northwestern needs to abandon the Wildcat formation. An athlete as dynamic as Cam Porter should not be put in a situation where he is practically left out to dry. I understand trying to change the pace and throw off the defense, but it has gotten stale and predictable.
On top of that, it's mistake prone. Porter had difficulty handling a snap or finding his footing. The Wildcats have had to burn timeouts in the past after miscommunications when motioning Hilinski out wide.
The Wildcat had some 2020 success, most notably in the home stretch of the season, but it needs to be shelved. We are not sure if Porter is throwing absolute dimes in practice, but I this experiment has run its course.
Chaos looms in the Big Ten West
Northwestern hung around in this game better than many expected. Pat Fitzgerald said the team was "a couple of plays away from finding a way to win."
Elsewhere in the Big Ten West, undefeated Minnesota lost to Purdue, Iowa lost to Michigan and Wisconsin lost by 24 to Illinois. The division is in shambles.
If the Wildcats can bring their ability to keep games close to the rest of their schedule, it will be invaluable in a division without a clear favorite.
Northwestern already has one divisional win under its belt, and based on the performance of its divisional rivals, finding a way to win two or three more may put the Cats in position to fight for the division title.
That is a massive ‘if,’ however. As things currently stand, Northwestern should focus on outdoing its 2021 performance because it is unlikely they will be favored in any of their seven remaining games.
