Keys to the Penn State-Northwestern Game

What to expect when the Nittany Lions visit the Wildcats for an early Big Ten kickoff.

As Penn State is a 27-point favorite at Northwestern on Saturday, it should be relatively smooth sailing for James Franklin and Co. before heading into their bye week. Yet Northwestern pulled off a surprising comeback win in overtime against Minnesota last week, so the Wildcats have some momentum as they try to upset the No. 6 Nittany Lions. Here are some keys to the game for Penn State as it looks to go 5-0 for the third straight year.

RELATED: Penn State vs. Northwestern preview, predictions

1. Create More Explosive Plays

Penn State’s longest run play of the season is 21 yards from... backup quarterback Beau Pribula. The second longest? Third-string running back Trey Potts' 20-yarder. Neither Nicholas Singleton nor Kaytron Allen has broken a 20-yard run through four games. Singleton had three touchdown runs of 40-plus yards by this time last year.

Penn State’s explosive passing game has been similarly limited, with Drew Allar's 72-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith the only play over 40 yards. Allar and Liam Clifford connected for 33 yards in a key moment against Illinois, but that’s about it for the excitement. Franklin has emphasized the idea of not getting “bored” with calling plays that work against the defensive alignments Penn State is seeing. So far, that’s been by grinding out games and controlling long, grueling offensive drives. It’s part of the reason Penn State leads the nation in time of possession.

“Right now I think we have shown the ability to run to win, and we've shown the ability to pass to win. I think we need to be able to show that we can grind it out to win, which we have, but I also think we need to show that we can be explosive to win, as well,” Franklin said this week. “We've done that at times but probably not as much as we've grinded it out, but I would also say that also plays a little bit to how people were playing us.”

The Northwestern defense allows 372 yards per game and 5.6 yards per play to opposing offenses. Its opponents are a combined 11-7 on the year. In a game Penn State may have the chance to play with its food some, we could see the Lions open up the playbook and create chunk yardage.

2. Control Northwestern's Passing Game

Franklin called Northwestern quarterback Ben Bryant “probably the best pure thrower that we've seen this year.” Bryant’s stat lines are far from gaudy, but he did throw for 396 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in the win over Minnesota. Meanwhile, Penn State’s defense hasn’t been tested through the air much this year. Michigan transfer A.J. Henning and leading receiver Bryce Kirtz can do some damage and should be fun to watch against Penn State’s man-heavy coverage.

Northwestern is among the worst protection teams in the country with 11 sacks allowed, so the surging Penn State pass rush will be a big help in controlling Bryant’s arm. There’s some pressure to keep a huge turnover streak going, too, as Penn State has forced nine in its past two games without giving one away.

3. Bring Your Own Juice

Players asked Franklin to turn up the music at the end of practices like usual this week, to which the coach said no. Northwestern is averaging 17,500 fans across two home games at Ryan Field this season, a far cry from Penn State’s 110,000. It’s going to be one of those “bring your own juice” type of days for Penn State.

"Just being very honest about what it’s going to be like," Franklin told reporters Wednesday after practice in State College. "These guys are 2-0 at home. If you look at Northwestern, they've typically had good home records. Why? Because it can be challenging to play there. They're used to the environment. Other people may not be. It's going to be very different than what we played in last week, so just being transparent and honest. Are we internally motivated or are we externally motivated? But for me to act like it's not a factor, it is."

4. Get the Right Coffee?

Franklin went on an entertaining tangent during his weekly press conference, asking each reporter about their coffee orders. Franklin said he's “ice-cream-sundae” coffee kind of guy, but since he's in the middle of a fast, it's it’s black coffee only for now. Center Hunter Nourzad is, apparently, also a big coffee guy. So maybe correct orders for the team are key for an early kickoff in Evanston.

Happy #NationalCoffeeDay, @coachjfranklin! ☕

Hope you're enjoying a delicious cup of black Joe. 😊 pic.twitter.com/gXLvECKYws

— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) September 29, 2023

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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.