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Penn State Preview and Prediction
By The Lowes Line Staff
Matchup: Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1, 0-1 B1G) at Northwestern Wildcats (2-1, 0-1 B1G)
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026, 7:00 pm CDT, Ryan Field (nice to write that again after nearly 3 years!)
TV: FOX
Line: Northwestern (+2.5); O/U 45.5
Outlook:
“God, it’s so painful, something that’s so close,
Is still so far out of reach…”
Wildcat fans had the line from Tom Petty’s “American Girl” on their
lips late last Friday after a valiant second half effort against the
defending national champion Hoosiers came up just short in Bloomington.
The bend-but-don’t-break defense of NU had the ‘Cats down 12-0 at the
break, but they came out of halftime a different squad offensively.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly turned Wildcat QB Aidan Chiles loose
in the second half, pulling the ‘Cats within two early in the fourth
quarter.
Luke Dehnicke, a 6’ 6”, 240 lb. sophomore tight end, was the main
attraction, snaring seven passes for 140 yards, along with Griffin
Wilde, who looked like Baryshnikov in coming down with two second half
catches for TDs.
But a very untimely facemask penalty and an overall inability to stop
the Hoosier rushing attack doomed NU’s chances at pulling the upset and
beating an AP top-5 team for the first time since 1959 (not a typo),
falling to Indiana by the count of 29-23. While it’s very
exciting to see what Kelly can cook up on the offensive side of the
ball, an excitement not seen in several years, the questionable rushing
defense could prove to be NU’s downfall over the course of the season.
Northwestern’s second consecutive Friday night national game on Fox
showcases the opening of the brand-new Ryan Field, one hundred years to
the day after the opening of Dyche Stadium. Capacity has been
reduced by 12,000 to a cozier 35,000, in hopes of keeping the Big Ten
road team riff-raff watching from somewhere outside the gates and
providing a top-notch gameday experience for Wildcat fans.
Penn State comes into Evanston on the heels of blowing a 17-0 halftime
lead to Wisconsin, who scored twice in the last three and a half
minutes to shock the Nittany Lions in State College and drop them from
their #13 ranking clear out of the Top 25.
Crazy as it may have sounded in August, this matchup could favor
NU. To date their biggest liabilities look to be pass protection
and run defense, areas where Penn State may struggle to take
advantage. Northwestern has objectively been the better team this
year, and the ‘Cats will surely be wound up. With the Nittany
Lions coming into NU’s new home in their first venture outside of
Pennsylvania this season, it could prove tough for the boys from State
Penn.
Look for the Wildcat offense to get into gear before the second half
this week, feeding off a frenzied sellout crowd. Chiles gets into
a rhythm early, and the NU rushing attack, stymied by the more talented
Hoosier defense last week, is effective and keeps the offense balanced.
Pick: ‘Cats open their new home with a big W.
Northwestern 30, Penn State 24. Take the ‘Cats and the points as well as the over.
Season to date: 3-0; Against the spread: 0-3.
The Lowes Line is an
e-mailed description of NU's
next
football game, with an invariably fearless prediction of the outcome
and
how NU will fare against what the other "experts" predict. Our
good
friend and Brother Marcus Lowes began the broadcast mailing in 1996.
The crack Lowes Line Staff (alumni Lone Star Cat,
GallopingGrapes, P.S. O'Briant, Eric Cockerill, Joel Kanvik, Charlie Simon, and
MO'Cats) have continued the Line in memory of Marcus.
For
the 2026 season it has returned to HailToPurple.com,
for anyone to enjoy. Thanks to the gridiron brain trust at the Lowes
Line!
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