Northwestern Pounds Penn State 34-13 on the Ground
Penn State scored to cut it to 10-7, and Northwestern answered 1:18 later with a 38-yard Joseph Himon II touchdown run. That was the game. Northwestern never trailed and won 34-13.
It started with a 50-yard Jackson Kleather field goal and a two-yard Aidan Chiles run for 10-0. After Himon's 38-yarder, he scored again from 11 yards with 1:55 left in the half to make it 24-7. Caleb Komolafe added a one-yard score with 1:13 left in the third, and it was 31-7. Penn State's only other touchdown was a 16-yard pass from Rocco Becht to Chase Sowell with 7:53 to go (the two-point try failed), and Kleather answered with a 37-yard field goal at 2:17.
The ground numbers explain it. Northwestern ran 51 times for 413 yards, about eight yards a carry, and threw for only 93 (Chiles was 10 of 14). Penn State ran 22 times for 48 yards. Becht went 26 of 41 for 243 yards and threw two interceptions, so Penn State had the passing yards (243 to 93) and still lost by 21. Northwestern lost one fumble.
A few more names from the box score: Brett Eskildsen caught six passes for 45 yards for Penn State and Benjamin Brahmer had five for 45, so the passing game was spread around, just not into the end zone often enough. Carson Hansen scored the other Penn State touchdown on an eight-yard run.
Northwestern is 3-1. Penn State is 3-2. Himon led the fantasy scoring with 28.2 Promethium points on 10 carries, and Komolafe was right behind him with 27.2 on 25 carries for 188 yards.