Blue White Illustrated

errors in man coverage, his early-game slip-ups and blown assignments. "It was funny going back and watching that," Fitzgerald said. "That was Anthony Walker's 9rst start. You [reporters] wanted to give him a trophy a;er the game, and I wanted to give him a hard Tuesday prac- tice. He missed a lot of things." Walker wasn't the only one who got singled out. At practice this week the en- tire team has to listen to Fitzgerald's ver- sion of the 2014 game. Northwestern held PSU to just 50 yards rushing and forced Hackenberg into two key turnovers, but, no, a;er he reviewed the 9lm recently, Fitzgerald has been 9xated on the Wildcats' mental mistakes. "I think we were very fortunate" to get the win, he lamented. "I think that we were able to create some pass rush, num- ber one, and then they missed a couple of plays that they had us [beat] on" in the passing game. Hackenberg 9nished that game with a 49 percent completion rate, no TDs, and he was hassled all a;ernoon. Fitzgerald is emphasizing the need to pressure Penn State's junior quarterback again, because, as the theme seems to go, Hackenberg's lowly stat line from a year ago is not in- dicative of his recent performances. Highlighting Hackenberg's 12 TDs compared to zero INTs over the past 9ve games, Fitzgerald said Hackenberg is "one of the best, if not the best, quarter- backs in the country." PSU's vaunted defensive line is in similar standing, he said. In nitpicking last year's win, Fitzgerald also recalls the impact the Lions' front four had on the game. Although the starting defensive ends from that unit are gone, Fitzgerald said there are even more options to be con- cerned about this time, citing the con- sistent impact of Carl Nassib and Garrett Sickels and their cast of backups. Northwestern has played against strong defensive lines so far this season, includ- ing Minnesota's, Michigan's, Iowa's and Stanford's, the latter being a top-ranked team that the Wildcats beat, 16-6, in the opener. Fitzgerald called their DLs "some of the best in the country," and said Penn State's rank alongside them. "It's a nightmare," Fitzgerald said. "They're playing multiple guys. They re- mind me from a standpoint of rotation of what we're trying to do with keeping our guys fresh. The whole group to me is, number one, fundamentally very good. Second of all: They're very, very active. They're relentless in their e:ort." Northwestern's o:ensive line surren- ders an average of 1.63 sacks per game, which ranks in the middle of the Big Ten pack. Where it's struggled more, though, is in the red zone. Although Northwestern scores points on 83 percent of its trips inside the 20- yard line, Jack Mitchell has kicked more red-zone 9eld goals than any other place-kicker in the Big Ten, as the 'Cats have the league's lowest TD percentage (37.5) in scoring territory. Quarterback Clayton Thorson has been doing what he can to boost those stats, but sometimes he just doesn't like waiting until the 20. In a 30-28 win over Nebraska two weeks ago, Fitzgerald said the redshirt freshman played "probably his best half of the year," referencing plays he made in the third and fourth quarters. That's when Thorson threw for 161 of his 177 yards, leading the Wildcats to a come-from-be- hind win. His only TD pass was a 37- yarder, although he did punch in a 1-yard sneak for Northwestern's 9rst score of the game to boost those red-zone stats a bit. Thorson 9nished with 126 yards on the ground, including a long of 61. His stat line against the Cornhuskers illustrates the type of e:ect Thorson can have on a game. Once a coveted recruit of former PSU head coach Bill O'Brien in the Class of 2014, Thorson has the skill set to hurt defenses with both his arm and feet. He rushes for 37 yards per game while throwing for 140 more, good for a 103.8 QB rating. Against Penn State – in addition to limiting all those mistakes from last sea- son – Fitzgerald is looking for another strong performance from his 9rst-year signal caller. "Clayton's got to be a threat," Fitzger- ald said. "What does that mean? That's to be determined, but he was a great threat against Nebraska. Things were there for him. They were there for him [in a 40-10 loss] against Iowa, too. He ran a couple of times, [but] probably not enough when rush lanes broke down. So he's just got to take what the defense gives him and not force things." NATE BAUER RECORD 8-1 Beating Northwestern is not an impos- sible feat by any stretch, but it does re- quire consistency on offense and discipline on defense. Penn State has struggled with both through much of this season, and against a Wildcat team that feasts on those weaknesses, the culmination of 10 games in 10 weeks will catch up to the Lions in Evanston. NORTHWESTERN 23, PENN STATE 21 PHIL GROSZ RECORD 7-2 Northwestern is the biggest mystery team to me in the Big Ten. It seems as though its offense is tailor-made to find success against Penn State's de- fense. I also can't forget how well its D totally dominated PSU last year. I think the Lions win this game, but it won't be easy and the score might be closer than most Penn State fans expect. PENN STATE 24, NORTHWESTERN 16 MATT HERB RECORD 7-2 The Lions will need to play one of their better games of the season to prevail against a Northwestern team that is 6- 2 and rested up after a bye week. But if the Illinois game is any indication, they're peaking at the right time. PENN STATE 24, NORTHWESTERN 20 TIM OWEN RECORD 8-1 On the road in a normally docile envi- ronment one week before a bye – this easily could spell a trap game for Penn State. But after last week's command- ing win and last year's disconcerting loss to Northwestern, I expect the coaches to have PSU ready to go. PENN STATE 31, NORTHWESTERN 23 RYAN SNYDER RECORD 8-1 These two teams have played some great games in recent years. I expect another tight contest with the Nittany Lions pulling out a late win. PENN STATE 24, NORTHWESTERN 21 BWI'S FORECAST

• Cover