Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
9 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State's upcoming visit to North- western, which will be only its second in nine seasons, is going to pose a unique challenge. How often in college football do you get enlisted to help an opposing team christen its new stadium? Hardly anybody builds new stadiums anymore, so the answer to that question is pretty much never. And yet, when the Nittany Lions head to Evanston for a na- tionally televised Friday night clash with the Wildcats, they'll be taking part in the grand opening of Ryan Field, Northwest- ern's new $870 million home. The game figures to be something akin to a reverse White Out, with PSU on the receiving end of a sonic boom. While it seats only 35,000, the stadium has a par- tial canopy that's designed to keep noise out of the surrounding neighborhood and instead project it onto the field. The roof will be a force multiplier for North- western, and the Nittany Lions get the privilege of experiencing it before any- one else. The other challenge Northwestern presents this year is that Chip Kelly is now running its offense. That one's a little less unique. The Wildcats are the second Big Ten program for which the well-traveled offensive guru has worked, and he also had stints at Oregon and UCLA prior to their admission into the conference. Kelly joined the Wildcats' staff follow- ing a 2025 season in which they ranked 96th in the FBS in total offense at 346.1 yards per game. The passing attack was Northwestern's biggest problem, ranking 106th nationally with an average of 185.9 yards per game. In addition to Kelly, the Wildcats' makeover includes a new quarterback in senior Aidan Chiles. Northwestern plucked the dual-threat signal-caller out of the portal following an up-and-down career at Michigan State. He started 20 games for the Spartans during the 2024 and '25 seasons but lost the job at the end of last year and will be looking for a bounce-back performance this fall. The Wildcats return last season's top receiver in senior Griffin Wilde, who ranked third in the Big Ten with 71 catches, totaling 880 yards and 8 touch- downs. In addition, junior Hayden Eli- gon II had 37 catches for 521 yards and 3 scores. Standing 6-foot-2, and 6-4, respectively, Wilde and Eligon will pose matchup problems for opposing second- aries. The backfield looks solid, with last year's top two rushers — redshirt junior Caleb Komolafe and graduate Joseph Himon II — both returning. Komolafe rushed for 941 yards and 11 touchdowns last fall, while Himon added 488. Northwestern's defense has been solid throughout David Braun's head coaching tenure — no surprise given that Braun was hired in 2023 as DC before being promoted. Northwestern returns two of last year's top performers in redshirt senior safety Robert Fitzgerald and senior de- fensive end Michael Kilbane. Fitzgerald ranked second in the Big Ten with 115 tackles, while Kilbane contributed 3.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. The Wildcats suffered some key losses up front with Aidan Hubbard graduating and Ato Saka transferring to Texas A&M. Those two playmakers will be missed af- ter combining for 10.5 sacks and 14 TFLs. But Northwestern retained many of its top players on both sides of the ball and made some nice pickups in the transfer market. It has more going for it than just a heavily amplified 12th man. — Matt Herb O C T . 2 | 8 P. M . | F O X | R Y A N F I E L D | E V A N S T O N , I L L . GAME 5 NORTHWESTERN QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads, 16-6 Head Coach: David Braun (19-19 in three seasons at Northwestern; career coach- ing record: same) 2025 Record: 7-6, 4-5 Big Ten Returning Starters: 6 (2 offense, 4 de- fense) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Caleb Komolafe (941 yards, 11 TD) Passing: QB Ryan Boe (17 yards, 0 TD) Receiving: WR Griffin Wilde (880 yards, 8 TD) Tackles: S Robert Fitzgerald (115) Sacks: DE Michael Kilbane (3.5) Interceptions: CB Braden Turner (2) 2026 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2025 Result Sept. 5 South Dakota State — Sept. 19 Colorado — Sept. 25 at Indiana — Oct. 2 Penn State W, 22-21 Oct. 10 Ball State — Oct. 17 at Michigan State — Oct. 24 Rutgers — Oct. 31 at Oregon L, 34-14 Nov. 7 Iowa — Nov. 14 at Ohio State — Nov. 21 at Minnesota W, 38-35 Nov. 28 Illinois L, 20-13 RISING STAR LUKE DEHNICKE | TE Dehnicke transferred to Northwest- ern after putting together an eye- opening stat line — 61 catches for 1,119 yards and 14 touchdowns — at Minnesota Duluth last year. He's mak- ing a huge jump from Division II to the Big Ten, but Northwestern insiders are hopeful that the 6-foot-6, 230-pound redshirt sophomore will emerge as a key receiving threat. Running back Caleb Komolafe ranked eighth in the Big Ten last year with 941 yards rushing. PHOTO COURTESY NORTHWESTERN ATHLETICS