Penn State 41, Northwestern 13: Lions Deliver More Suffocating Defense

After a slow start, the Lions scored 24 unanswered points to roll past the Wildcats.

Penn State's defense lit into another quarterback Saturday, making seven sacks and an interception in a 41-13 victory over Northwestern. The Lions won their 10th straight game, the longest win streak of coach James Franklin's career, but head into the bye week with a few injury questions. 

After a slow start, in which they trailed for the first time this season,  the Lions scored 24 unanswered points to improve to 5-0. Rapid reaction to the Lions' 10th straight win by double digits, tying a school-record streak.

The Turning Point

Northwestern, in nothing-to-lose mode trailing 20-10 in the third quarter, attempted a fake punt from its own 31-yard line. Penn State freshman Zion Tracy made a phenomenal special teams play, coming off his block to stop the Wildcats' Charlie Mangieri a yard short of the first down. Why not, from Northwestern's perspective, because the hole was there. But Tracy, a true freshman cornerback, shut it down.

The Lions turned that into a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Allar to Nicholas Singleton to take a 27-10 lead.

Injury Update

Penn State lost two key offensive players Saturday. Running back Kaytron Allen left in the first half with an undisclosed injury, and starting left guard JB Nelson was carted off the field late in the first quarter. Neither player returned for the Lions. In addition, defensive end Chop Robinson got bumped up, but it's unknown how serious that was. Meanwhile, Trey Wallace, listed as questionable on the pregame availability report, did not make a reception.

Penn State's Awkward Offense

The Lions didn't look comfortable offensively during its most inconsistent game of the season. Yet it still put up 41 points and wore down Northwestern in the second half as it did last week against Iowa.

Allar was awkward, missing on 5 of 6 passes during one second-quarter stretch, but also lacked help. He threw a fourth-quarter deep-ball gem (with maybe a little too much air) to Dante Cephas that fell incomplete. His receivers also lacked separation. Yet Allar and KeAndre Lambert-Smith were pretty on point, converting a pair of third-down throws to extend touchdown drives. One went for 35 yards, Penn State's second-longest completion of the season.

Ultimately, it was another growth game for Allar, who went 18 for 33 for 189 yards and a touchdown. He also didn't turn over the ball for his fifth straight game as as starter.  And Trey Potts scored a pair of touchdowns, and made a strong blitz pickup on another score, in Allen's absence.

Meanwhile, Singleton overcame his opening fumble to play a physical, productive game. Singleton totaled 126 all-purpose yards, rushing for 80 and catching a team-high passes for 39 yards and a score.

Penn State's Defense Rattles Another Quarterback

the Wildcats oddly called for quarterback Ben Bryant to drop back on 3rd-and-goal at the Penn State 1-yard line, and the Lions made them pay for it. Zane Durant just ran through the right tackle, sacking Bryant for a 9-yard loss and knocking him out of the game with an upper body injury. Brendan Sullivan replaced Bryant.

Penn State's defense, which has rattled quarterbacks all season, made Bryant's day difficult. The Lions sacked him five times and hurried him five more, Bryant made a few nice plays, notably a couple 3rd-and-long conversions, but had it rough, finishing 14 for 25 for 122 yards.

The Lions' blind spot in this game were a few 3rd-and-long quarterback scrambles for first downs, but they didn't matter. Notably, one play after such a conversion in the fourth quarter, cornerback Daequan Hardy made an interception that led to the final touchdown.

Penn State's Turnover Streak Ends Quickly

The Lions brought an amazing streak of turnover-free football to Northwestern, which didn't even last one play. Nicholas Singleton fumbled the opening kickoff, marking the Lions first turnover not only of the season but also since last November's game against Rutgers. The Lions had played more than 26 quarters without a turnover. Penn State's defense scored a win, holding Northwestern to a field goal on a short field.

Up Next

Penn State has a bye week before returning to Beaver Stadium for its last non-conference game of the season. The Lions will host Massachusetts for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff Oct. 14.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.