Nothing about Penn State’s loss to Northwestern was pretty.
Not even how Northwestern went about scoring 29 was all that fun to watch.
For Penn State there was far more bad than good but that doesn’t mean there aren’t worthwhile facts and figures to review. So without further ado, here are the grades.
Offense: D
Drops, turnovers, and poor execution are only a few of the things that plagued Penn State on Saturday. For an offense that has been far from consistent this season, Penn State’s most consistent attribute was it’s consistently bad play on Saturday. Christian Hackenberg was sacked four times and pressured far more as his offensive line continues to struggle. His open looks weren’t always well thrown and those were few and far between in the first place.
The running game was essentially non existent gaining only 50 yards on the ground with a majority of those yards coming during the final two meaningless drives. Hackenberg finished with just over 200 yards passing and a 51-yard strike to DaeSean Hamilton was about the only positive. Hamilton pulled down 100 yards on the day but the Nittany Lion passing attack wasn’t all that effective in long stretches. The Wildcat option continues to struggle which could be a story in itself at this point.
A 3-of-17 third down conversion rate didn’t help matters either. When you move the ball at 3.7 yards per play, it isn’t anything to write home about as well.
Standout Player: DaeSean Hamilton pulled down the biggest catch of the day en route to a six catch 100 yard outing. It wasn’t a memorable 100 yards though.
Defense: B-
After giving up 14 in the first quarter Penn State’s defense stood tall for the next two quarters before giving up a touchdown late in the fourth. Northwestern converted seven third downs but nearly all of them felt like the long variety. Passes over the middle and broken coverages didn’t help the cause in the first half but the Nittany Lion defense was the only thing keeping Penn State in the game. Northwestern’s 103 yards on the ground were hard earned. Penn State’s pass defense has always been a weakness and that didn’t change on Saturday. Overall, the defense kept the door open for Penn State which is all fans could really ask for.
Penn State’s rushing defense is ranked No.2 in the nation as of Sunday, so they’ve got that going for them.
Standout Player: Mike Hull’s 16 tackles led the team by a wide margin with the No. 2 spot going to Jason Cabinda who had 8 tackles. Hull did his part, leading by example.
Special Teams: D
Poor punts, a blocked field goal and shaky kickoff defense hurt this grade. Sam Ficken made two kicks to keep the game within reach but that was the only good. Grant Haley returned a few kicks from deep within the end zone that didn’t help matters any especially when the Nittany Lions were struggling to move the ball out of their own end of the field.
Jesse Della Valle had a kick return of 41 yards which is the best mark on the year for that unit. A normally sound area struggled for Penn State on Saturday and the 35 yard punting average didn’t help swing the field at all when the Nittany Lions needed it most. Special Teams wasn’t why Penn State lost on Saturday, but it contributed more bad than good.
Standout Player: Jesse Della Valle’s 41 yard return was about the only good thing Penn State’s special teams did. Ficken made two 30+ yard kicks but that’s expected of him.
