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him. Skowronek let the ball slip through his hands, and the Lions paid no price for the slight coverage lapse. BEST SACKPenn State's Shaka Toney was a force throughout the game, deliv- ering the pressure that led to Oruwariye's interception in the first quarter, and later forcing a strip-sack fumble recovered by the Nittany Lions later in the same frame. In the second quarter, he did the same, bringing down Thorson for an 8-yard loss and his sec- ond sack. BEST HITOn a designed run by Thor- son that resulted in a first down on the Wildcats' first possession of the after- noon, Penn State's Marcus Allen and Manny Bowen unloaded two nasty hits that left Thorson slow to get up. BEST EFFORTWith Northwestern moving down the field in the first quar- ter, Penn State's defense buckled down in a first-and-goal situation. After a holding penalty moved the Wildcats back 10 yards, Parker Cothran entered the backfield undisturbed to sack Thor- son. On second down, the Wildcats ran for no gain. And on third-and- goal from the 29-yard line, Thorson was picked off by Oruwariye. It was a recurring theme for Penn State's defense, as the group finished with three take- aways and shut out the hosts until garbage time in the fourth quarter. BEST KICKAfter booting one into the end zone midway through the third quarter to the confused looks of his teammates and coaches, Blake Gillikin bounced back with a towering 48-yard punt to pin the Wildcats down at their own 9-yard line early in the fourth. The effort was all the more impressive in that Gillikin was kicking into a driving wind at Ryan Field. BEST RETURNEven though a holding call against Ayron Monroe upended the play, DeAndre Thompkins has to claim this category for his 32-yarder in the second half. Had Monroe not been flagged, Thompkins was in the clear for his second punt-return touchdown of the season. BEST DECISIONThe Lions continued to give the ball to Barkley, even with Northwestern making life difficult for the star running back, and they were rewarded with a 53- yard touchdown carry. The touch itself was highlight-reel-worthy, but also boosted his statistics to the point that should the Heisman Trophy continue to be in his sights, he wouldn't finish the day with disqualifying numbers. WORST DECISIONGiven Gillikin's ability to pin Northwestern deep, James Franklin's choice to attempt a first down on fourth-and-8 at the 38-yard line was surprising. The Wildcats got a stop and quickly produced a first down to swing field position toward their favor. MOST TELLING MOMENTFranklin was relaxed and happy to banter with re- porters after the game, acknowledging the team's shortcomings while also pointing out the areas where the Lions have been successful this season. They enter the bye week with the heart of their schedule on the flip side. O c T O B E R 7 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 5 Northwestern kept Barkley bot- tled up, until he broke free for a 53-yard touch- down in the third quarter to ex- tend the Nittany Lions' lead. Photo by Steve Manuel

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