Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/883296
O T H E R M A T C H U P S THE LOWDOWNPenn State has an edge in the return game, as DeAndre Thompkins is averaging 18.7 yards on punt returns, and Barkley is averaging 32.2 yards on kickoff returns. Both have touchdowns this year. Punters Blake Gillikin of Penn State and Hunter Niswander of Northwestern are excellent. Gillikin averages 44.4 yards, while Niswander averages 45.7. One problem for Penn State is that the normally reliable Tyler Davis has gotten off to an erratic start, converting only 5 of 11 field goal attempts, with two misses coming on blocks. Freshman PK Charlie Kuhbander has converted 2 of 3 field goal attempts for the Wildcats, with a long of 40 yards. // EDGE Penn State SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWNPenn State leads the series with Northwestern, 13-5, but the Wildcats are at home this weekend, and they're more accustomed to the early start time (11 a.m. CT, noon ET) than Penn State. The last time the Nittany Lions played an 11 a.m. game in Evanston was during the 2015 season. They came up short in that game, falling to the Wildcats, 23-21. // EDGENorthwestern THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN Pat Fitzgerald is the most successful coach in the history of Nortwestern's football program, hav- ing posted a 79-64 record during his 12 seasons at his alma mater. He's 3-0 against Penn State's James Franklin, with the first of those victories coming when Franklin was at Vanderbilt. Northwestern is one of only three Big Ten teams he hasn't yet beaten at PSU. The others are Michigan and Nebraska. // EDGE Even COACHING STAFF O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 5 yards and one TD. Sophomore WR Ben Skowronek is next with 17 catches for 256 yards and two TDs. In addi- tion, Jackson is a capable receiver coming out of the backfield; he has 13 catches for 103 yards. Senior WR Macan Wilson is the Wildcats' big-play threat, with six catches for 98 yards (16.3 ypc), but his status for Sat- urday's game is doubtful. Penn State is third in the Big Ten in pass defense. The Lions lead the league in inter- ceptions with seven and are third in sacks with 13. Cornerbacks Grant Haley and Amani Oruwariye lead Penn State with two interceptions apiece. Miller has a team-high two sacks. // KEY MATCHUP Dickerson will tangle with Allen, while Slater will be looking to keep Miller from causing problems in the backfield. Thorson loves to throw to Dickerson on third down. // EDGE Even