Blue White Illustrated

PLAYER OF THE GAME Penn State got a better handle on him in the second half, but Northwestern running back Justin Jackson was outstanding in this game. His 186 yards on the ground helped pace the Wildcats in the win against a Nittany Lion defense that had been ef- fective against conventional running backs throughout the season. PLAY OF THE GAMEPenn State got a wild touchdown throw from Geno Lewis to DaeSean Hamilton, but the biggest plays in this game were the ones the Nittany Lions didn't make at the end of the game. Saquon Barkley came up short on third-and-1 just be- fore giving the ball back to Northwest- ern for its final possession, and Penn State missed several opportunities for interceptions while also allowing key completions. Add them up, and the blown chances cost Penn State a vic- tory. BEST PASSIt wasn't particularly sharp, but Zack Oliver's 23-yard com- pletion to Austin Carr on a critical third-and-15 play with time winding down in the fourth quarter was nothing short of gutsy. The pass play from the backup quarterback set up the winning field goal. BEST RUNBarkley had a workmanlike afternoon against the Wildcats, but no run was more important than his 13- yard touchdown carry in the fourth quarter. Out of the wildcat formation, Barkley bounced outside in a blink, high-stepping his way into the end zone to give the Nittany Lions a 21-20 lead with 12:22 remaining. BEST CATCHIn maybe Penn State's wildest play of the season, an inside handoff to Brandon Polk got blown up on a pitch to Lewis, with the ball falling to the ground. Lewis regained posses- sion and aired out a perfectly placed pass to Hamilton, who pulled it in and stretched over the pylon to complete a 32-yard touchdown. WORST DROPAgain, picking just one would be hard to do. Penn State's receivers had problems holding onto the ball again Saturday, but the Nittany Lions' defensive backs missed multiple oppor- tunities for critical interceptions on flat-out drops. BEST SACKCarl Nassib was forced out of the game due to injury, but not before setting a single-season sack record at Penn State (15.5) on a third-down stop in the fourth quarter. Nassib unloaded off the edge to sack Oliver for a 9-yard loss, earning yet another forced fumble in the process. BEST HITPenn State safety Marcus Allen came in hot on a third-down scramble by Clayton Thorson late in the first quarter, hitting the Northwestern quarterback up top while teammate Malik Golden took care of his legs. The Wildcat quarterback needed a few mo- ments to compose himself and eventu- ally left the game. BEST EFFORTPenn State linebacker Jason Cabinda capitalized on Oliver's third-quarter mistake going into the middle of the field. Passing into double coverage, Oliver threw it right to Cabinda, who juggled the ball but hung on for the interception. BEST KICKNorthwestern's Jack Mitchell missed two previous field goal attempts, as well as a PAT, but his 35- yard try with 9 seconds remaining sealed the Wildcats' win. WORST KICKEarlier in the game, Mitchell lined up for a 39-yard field goal, pushing the ball from the right hash to the far, far right of the uprights. BEST RETURNPenn State's kickoff coverage unit could not have picked a worse time for a breakdown. Immedi- ately following the Nittany Lions' touchdown at the end of the first half, Solomon Vault bob- bled the ball, finally wrangled it, then wiggled 96 yards through the Penn State cover- age team to reclaim the Wild- cats' 13-point lead. BEST DECISIONWhen Hack- enberg split wide toward his own side- line, the Lions' first play in the red zone after he single-handedly drove his of- fense down the field late in the first half, the call appeared dubious at best. But the wildcat snap to Barkley pro- duced a 9-yard touchdown. WORST DECISIONLate in the game, Penn State went to Nick VanHoose's side one too many times. Locked in on Saeed Blacknall on a key third-down call midway through the fourth quarter, Hackenberg threw his first interception in seven games. MOST TELLING MOMENTTick, tick, tick. Penn State head coach James Franklin acknowledged following the game that he should have called a time- out when the Wildcats picked up a crit- ical first down at the end of the game. The indecision cost the Nittany Lions crucial seconds that could have meant a better opportunity offensively at the end of the game. – NATE BAUER JUDGMENT CALLS The best and the rest from the Lions' loss to Northwestern 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 4 BEST EFFORT Cabinda pulled in a juggling interception in the third quarter to bring an end to a Northwestern posses- sion. Photo by Steve Manuel

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