Blue White Illustrated

Northwestern Postgame

Penn State Sports Magazine

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P O S T G A M E R E P O R T W E E K 1 0 N O R T H W E S T E R N 2 3 , P E N N S T A T E 2 1 N O V E M B E R 7 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M THE GAME AT A GLANCE GOOD NEWSThe Lions showed some resilience in the sec- ond half, rallying from a 13-point deficit after their of- fense had flat-lined in the first two quarters. Meanwhile, the de- fense kept things close by pressuring QB Zack Oliver. Be- fore leaving the game with an unspecified injury, Carl Nassib recorded yet another sack, giving him 15.5 for the season to set a PSU record. BAD NEWS The of- fensive struggles speak for themselves. The Lions punted 11 times, and this was a game in which even one more score might have yielded a differ- ent result. And did we mention that Carl Nassib suffered an unspecified injury? THE TAKEAWAY The upcoming bye week is overdue. Penn State looked sluggish at times, but the late- season breather, cou- pled with a White Out atmosphere, may just provide a lift when the Lions host Michigan. 1 M A T T   H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M WILDCAT STRIKE PSU rallies but can't hold on, as Northwestern wins on late FG ABer a lopsided victory over Illinois last week at Beaver Stadium, Penn State looked as though it might just be ready to take the next step on the path back to national prominence. But if that next step is to defeat a good opponent on the road, the Nittany Lions aren't quite there yet. Penn State fought back from a dismal start to take a one-point fourth-quarter lead Saturday against host Northwestern, but it couldn't hold on, as Jack Mitchell kicked a 35-yard field goal with nine seconds leB to give the Wildcats a 23- 21 victory. ABer trailing 20-7 at halBime, the Lions revived their offense using Saquon Barkley in the wildcat formation and scored a pair of second-half touchdowns to pull ahead, 21-20. But the Wild- cats finally stopped the freshman running back on third-and-1 deep in Penn State territory late in the game. And aBer getting the ball back, they used a 23-yard completion to Austin Carr to thwart Penn State's high-pressure defense and maneuver into field goal range. "Basically at the end, we had opportunities," coach James Franklin said, "opportunities to BIG GAIN Barkley rushed for 120 yards and two TDs in the Lions' loss. Photo by Steve Manuel

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