After spending some time playing in a (very cool) makeshift stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Northwestern Wildcats finally christened the new Ryan Field in an important Big Ten clash with Penn State.
Both teams came in with one loss, and another would almost certainly tank any hopes of getting into the Big Ten Championship conversation.
The Wildcats came in off of an impressive showing against Indiana, and it became evident that that was no fluke, thanks to a 34-13 win over the Nittany Lions.
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But before the game, Northwestern took a second to show off their new $875 million home — which opened its doors 100 years to the day after its predecessor debuted — and it was spectacular.
The first points at the new Ryan Field went to — fittingly enough — the Wildcats when Jackson Kleather booted a 50-yarder between the uprights to cap off Northwestern’s maiden drive in their new home.
The Nittany Lions were forced to punt on their opening drive, and OC Chip Kelly’s Wildcats offense went right back to work.
Running back Joseph Himon II threw down a massive 47-yard run to put the Wildcats on the Penn State 4-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Aidan Chiles used his legs to power into the end zone for six.
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The Wildcats couldn’t have asked for a better opening quarter with 144 yards of total offense, 109 of those coming on the ground.
However, in the second quarter, Penn State forced a fumble on the Wildcats’ second drive and recovered, giving them prime field position.
That eventually led to an 8-yard rushing touchdown for running back Carson Hansen.
Northwestern struck right back with a quick touchdown on the ensuing possession, which stood after a flag for a block in the back was picked up.
Northwestern tacked on another touchdown to go up 24-7.
On their final drive of the half, Penn State looked like they were going to at least put three points on the board; however, kicker Ryan Barker — who was staring down the barrel of Northwestern’s new, European soccer-style “Wildcat Wall” — missed a crucial 45-yard field goal attempt.
David Braun’s Wildcats dominated in that first half with 278 yards of offense.
That trend continued in the second half. The Nittany Lions continued to struggle to get anything going offensively, while on defense, they couldn’t find a way to contain the Wildcats’ running game.
If you thought it couldn’t get worse for Penn State, it did. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht threw an interception at midfield, leaving a possible scoring opportunity on the table.
While Penn State was able to put some points on the board, there was never a doubt that the Wildcats were in control.
While the 34-13 final is enough to get the Wildcats some attention, the fact that they put up 506 yards of total offense, 413 of them on the ground, is going to make defensive coordinators a bit nervous moving forward.
Penn State will head home to host USC next weekend, while Northwestern will spend another week at their new digs and will welcome Ball State.