Penn State slips past Northwestern in slop-fest: Highs and Lows

Penn State and Northwestern pushed through sloppy conditions Saturday at Beaver Stadium. In a battle of making the fewest mistakes, the Nittany Lions emerged with the win, 17-7.

But, there were many, many mistakes.

In a game defined by turnovers, errant passes, and dropped reception attempts, Penn State did enough to earn a win. Here’s a look at the highs and lows from the game:

Penn State-Northwestern Highs and Lows

PLAYER OF THE GAME Penn State’s defense put in a group effort to overcome a series of offensive mishaps. In that spirit, the entirety of the unit deserves a nod here, with P.J. Mustipher, Chop Robinson, Hakeem Beamon, and Ji’Ayir Brown earning acknowledgement for highlight plays. 

PLAY OF THE GAME Choosing critical mistakes as the plays that ultimately define a game is never the preference. But, at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon, choosing otherwise was a near impossibility. Certainly, Sean Clifford’s connection with Brenton Strange for Penn State’s first points could be considered. But, Penn State had five fumbles, losing four. Northwestern had lost two of its three fumbles. Sean Clifford and Ryan Hilinski both threw interceptions. Pick any of them. They’re what people will most remember.

BEST PASS Clifford and the Nittany Lions didn’t take many shots downfield, considering the weather, on Saturday afternoon. But, needing a spark following Northwestern’s late third-quarter touchdown, Clifford aired one out to a streaking Parker Washington. On a rough day for Penn State’s offense, the strike was well-placed, giving the Nittany Lions a 43-yard pickup and prime field position heading into the fourth quarter.

BEST RUN Nicholas Singleton didn’t quite reach the end zone on his first-and-10 carry from the Northwestern 13 late in the first quarter. Using his free arm to gain an extra few yards, the 11-yard carry set up his touchdown plunge the next play. 

BEST CATCH On a ball thrown well behind his crossing route, Northwestern receiver Donny Navarro reeled in a tough one midway through the fourth quarter. The pickup pulled the Wildcats out of their red zone, good for 20 yards and an important first down.

WORST DROP Running backs, quarterbacks, receivers, and defensive backs all had a rightfully tough day holding onto the ball on Saturday. We can’t single any out as worse than the other. They were that prevalent.

BEST SACK Nick Tarburton recorded Penn State’s only sack of the game. Late in the first half, he was credited with a strip sack on Hilinski, with Curtis Jacobs recovering the football. 

BEST HIT On a little third-and-short trickery from Northwestern, going direct snap to the running back, Beamon put a quick end to the idea. The Nittany Lion defensive tackle met Cam Porter in the backfield for a 4-yard loss to force a punt. Robinson did it again in the second quarter when he stood up Porter up against Northwestern’s end zone.

BEST EFFORT Hilinski stood patient in the pocket late in the third quarter, letting his target, Jacob Gill, do the work. Falling out of position in pass coverage, Abdul Carter could only look on as the connection was a winner, Gill finishing off the 47-yard touchdown scampering the rest of the way into the end zone.

BEST KICK Swamp-like conditions didn’t deter Jake Pinegar from a 38-yard field goal make early in the fourth quarter to give Penn State a 17-7 lead. 

BEST DECISION Needing to pick up five yards on fourth down on Northwestern’s side of the field in the fourth quarter, Penn State stuck with its light defensive front to devastating effect. Getting pressure on Hilinski, with his best options covered, Manny Diaz’s approach paid off when Beamon got his hands up to knock down the ball at the line to return possession to the Nittany Lions.

WORST DECISION Clifford compounded a bad decision with a bad pass late in the first quarter, gift-wrapping an interception to Bryce Gallagher at the 42-yard line. Pressured on the play, Clifford threw off his back foot into a space vacated by all possible Penn State targets. 

MOST TELLING MOMENT A promising carry for Cam Porter, coming on the heels of Nick Singleton’s third fumble of the game, met a fitting end late in the first half. Porter found his hole, slipped, and regained his balance to rattle off a 7-yard gain. The problem? Porter’s knee hit the ground two yards deep in the backfield.