Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, October 11
University Park, Pa.
2:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
Penn State
Northwestern Faces Penn State in First Big Ten Road Test
10/9/2025 7:57:00 AM | Football
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Following back-to-back home victories, Northwestern will hit the road for the first time in more than a month on Saturday, taking on Penn State in Beaver Stadium at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Last time out, the Wildcats (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) scored 42 unanswered points to down ULM 42-7 on Homecoming Weekend. Graduate student quarterback Preston Stone amassed 311 total yards and three touchdown passes, becoming the first Northwestern quarterback to record at least 250 passing yards and three passing scores since Ben Bryant did so in Sept. 2023.
The Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) — then ranked No. 7 in the AP poll — most recently suffered a defeat at UCLA on Oct. 4. The 42-37 upset marked Penn State's second consecutive loss.
"Really challenged our football team over the course of the last 24-to-48 hours, a couple wins in a row here, feel like this team has made weekly improvement," Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. "But comfort is our enemy. Just because we've found a little bit of success doesn't mean that we're at where we need to be."
Saturday's afternoon tilt will be the teams' first meeting since the 2023 season, when the Wildcats forced a fumble on the opening kickoff and went into halftime tied but ultimately fell 41-13 after a late Penn State surge. The Nittany Lions have won the last three matchups, dating back to the 2017 campaign.
The game will air on FS1. Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (color) will be on the call.
It can be heard on ESPN 1000 AM with The Voice of the Wildcats, Dave Eanet, who is in his 36th season calling Northwestern football, and 32nd-year analyst Ted Albrecht. Former Wildcat defensive lineman Jake Saunders, (2016-2020) is in his first season as the duo's sideline reporter.
Stay tuned to Northwestern football's Twitter and Instagram channels for live highlights, photos and reactions throughout the Wildcats' first conference road clash.
As Northwestern looks to pick up its first win in Beaver Stadium since 2014, here are five things to watch for.
1. Braun Embraces Challenge in 'Hostile Environment'
Although the Wildcats opened their season at Tulane's Yulman Stadium on Aug. 30, they spent four consecutive games inside the comfort of Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. This marked the program's longest homestand since 2016.
Now, Northwestern turns its sights away from its temporary lakeside facility and toward a 106,572 capacity stadium at Penn State. Saturday will also be the Nittany Lions' Homecoming game.
To prepare for the weekend's twists and turns, the program is pumping crowd noise into practice and throwing "chaos" at players to see how they'll respond.
"What an incredible test that we have in front of us this week," Braun said. "A great opponent in Penn State, very talented football team, very well-coached in all three phases, specifically on offense and defense [they're] going to find a lot of different ways to stress us."
"Going into a hostile environment, which this team —specifically in 2025 — has not experienced an environment like we'll experience at Penn State. An awesome challenge for this football team, and a challenge that our team is looking forward to."
2. Stone Looks to Carry Momentum into Conference Play
This past Saturday presented a dual-threat version of Stone that radiated energy throughout offensive coordinator Zach Lujan's unit. The SMU transfer completed 20-of-31 passes for 262 yards and three scores, while posting his second consecutive turnover-free performance. He also rushed for 49 yards, which included a season-long 30-yard scamper.
For Braun, the Wildcats' offensive identity starts with having a winner at quarterback.
"The dude is a winner, he's proven that prior to his time here at Northwestern," Braun said of Stone. "What you start to see with that offense right now is a bunch of guys that are looking at one another knowing they can count on one another — whether that's the establishment of the run game, or Preston [making] smart and calculated decisions to give our wide receivers chances."
With one Big Ten victory under his belt, Stone will look to nab his first on the road — a crossroads in University Park where his SMU chapter came to a close in the College Football Playoff.
3. Wide Receiver Depth Comes to Fruition
Through Northwestern's first four games, one offensive element remained a constant — junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde leading the receiving charge with the bulk of the team's production in the passing game.
Facing the Warhawks, Wilde was often blanketed in double coverage from the opening drive. With the onus on other pass catchers to step up, sophomore wideouts Hayden Eligon II and Drew Wagner rose to the occasion with career games.
Eligon hauled in three catches for 80 yards and a touchdown, while Wagner caught six balls for 63 yards and a score. Wilde eventually broke through with a 49-yard touchdown to bring his receiving total to 64 yards on three catches, but this past Saturday showcased Stone's growing rapport with a variety of pass catchers.
"As productive as Griffin has been, he continues to remind us all of why we're so happy to have him here," Braun said. "Early in the game against ULM, he's not getting a whole lot of targets. He's coming to the sideline — sometimes where a receiver could be getting frustrated — and he's talking about what he can do to provide opportunities for the other guys in the room."
4. Defense Seeks Another Statement Performance
On ULM's first drive, the Warhawks marched down the field and scored an early touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Facing early adversity, the Wildcat defense didn't flinch.
Northwestern proceeded to hold its opponent scoreless for the remainder of the contest, rack up seven tackles for loss and three sacks, while surrendering just 2.9 yards per carry.
For redshirt junior edge rusher Anto Saka, the defense prides itself on a 'bend, don't break" mentality.
"You're not gonna put up a ton of points — at least not without a fight," Saka said. "We go out and we try to finish games. That's been the mindset since winter."
5. Scouting the Nittany Lions
While Penn State breezed through its three-game non-conference slate, the Nittany Lions have run into some turbulence at the onset of Big Ten play in back-to-back losses to Oregon and UCLA.
Running back Kaytron Allen spearheads a two-pronged Penn State rushing attack alongside Nicholas Singleton. Alllen has 54 carries for 377 yards (7.0 ypc) and six touchdowns this season.
"That is a talented dude, and at the end of the day, if we want to find ways to win in the Big Ten, we have to effectively stop the run," Braun said of Allen. "We're facing two of the top running backs in the country this weekend, so it's going to be an incredible challenge."
In his third year as the starter, quarterback Drew Allar has completed 90-of-139 passes for 963 yards, eight touchdown passes and two interceptions. Allar has also added 147 yards on the ground this season.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions average 17.8 points allowed per game while relenting an average of 306.2 yards per game. Projected NFL Draft first-rounder A.J. Harris leads a talented secondary.
Last time out, the Wildcats (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) scored 42 unanswered points to down ULM 42-7 on Homecoming Weekend. Graduate student quarterback Preston Stone amassed 311 total yards and three touchdown passes, becoming the first Northwestern quarterback to record at least 250 passing yards and three passing scores since Ben Bryant did so in Sept. 2023.
The Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) — then ranked No. 7 in the AP poll — most recently suffered a defeat at UCLA on Oct. 4. The 42-37 upset marked Penn State's second consecutive loss.
"Really challenged our football team over the course of the last 24-to-48 hours, a couple wins in a row here, feel like this team has made weekly improvement," Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. "But comfort is our enemy. Just because we've found a little bit of success doesn't mean that we're at where we need to be."
Comfort is the enemy. pic.twitter.com/NtLRGchlzJ
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) October 5, 2025
Saturday's afternoon tilt will be the teams' first meeting since the 2023 season, when the Wildcats forced a fumble on the opening kickoff and went into halftime tied but ultimately fell 41-13 after a late Penn State surge. The Nittany Lions have won the last three matchups, dating back to the 2017 campaign.
The game will air on FS1. Connor Onion (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (color) will be on the call.
It can be heard on ESPN 1000 AM with The Voice of the Wildcats, Dave Eanet, who is in his 36th season calling Northwestern football, and 32nd-year analyst Ted Albrecht. Former Wildcat defensive lineman Jake Saunders, (2016-2020) is in his first season as the duo's sideline reporter.
Stay tuned to Northwestern football's Twitter and Instagram channels for live highlights, photos and reactions throughout the Wildcats' first conference road clash.
As Northwestern looks to pick up its first win in Beaver Stadium since 2014, here are five things to watch for.
1. Braun Embraces Challenge in 'Hostile Environment'
Although the Wildcats opened their season at Tulane's Yulman Stadium on Aug. 30, they spent four consecutive games inside the comfort of Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. This marked the program's longest homestand since 2016.
Now, Northwestern turns its sights away from its temporary lakeside facility and toward a 106,572 capacity stadium at Penn State. Saturday will also be the Nittany Lions' Homecoming game.
To prepare for the weekend's twists and turns, the program is pumping crowd noise into practice and throwing "chaos" at players to see how they'll respond.
"What an incredible test that we have in front of us this week," Braun said. "A great opponent in Penn State, very talented football team, very well-coached in all three phases, specifically on offense and defense [they're] going to find a lot of different ways to stress us."
"Going into a hostile environment, which this team —specifically in 2025 — has not experienced an environment like we'll experience at Penn State. An awesome challenge for this football team, and a challenge that our team is looking forward to."
2. Stone Looks to Carry Momentum into Conference Play
This past Saturday presented a dual-threat version of Stone that radiated energy throughout offensive coordinator Zach Lujan's unit. The SMU transfer completed 20-of-31 passes for 262 yards and three scores, while posting his second consecutive turnover-free performance. He also rushed for 49 yards, which included a season-long 30-yard scamper.
.@_prestonstone with the WHEELS ??
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) October 4, 2025
??: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/eZbpHKjZo3
For Braun, the Wildcats' offensive identity starts with having a winner at quarterback.
"The dude is a winner, he's proven that prior to his time here at Northwestern," Braun said of Stone. "What you start to see with that offense right now is a bunch of guys that are looking at one another knowing they can count on one another — whether that's the establishment of the run game, or Preston [making] smart and calculated decisions to give our wide receivers chances."
With one Big Ten victory under his belt, Stone will look to nab his first on the road — a crossroads in University Park where his SMU chapter came to a close in the College Football Playoff.
3. Wide Receiver Depth Comes to Fruition
Through Northwestern's first four games, one offensive element remained a constant — junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde leading the receiving charge with the bulk of the team's production in the passing game.
Facing the Warhawks, Wilde was often blanketed in double coverage from the opening drive. With the onus on other pass catchers to step up, sophomore wideouts Hayden Eligon II and Drew Wagner rose to the occasion with career games.
Eligon hauled in three catches for 80 yards and a touchdown, while Wagner caught six balls for 63 yards and a score. Wilde eventually broke through with a 49-yard touchdown to bring his receiving total to 64 yards on three catches, but this past Saturday showcased Stone's growing rapport with a variety of pass catchers.
From walk-on to playmaker.@Drew23Wagner has turned extra reps into production. Now, he's carving out a bigger role in the Wildcats' offense ????
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) October 8, 2025
"As productive as Griffin has been, he continues to remind us all of why we're so happy to have him here," Braun said. "Early in the game against ULM, he's not getting a whole lot of targets. He's coming to the sideline — sometimes where a receiver could be getting frustrated — and he's talking about what he can do to provide opportunities for the other guys in the room."
4. Defense Seeks Another Statement Performance
On ULM's first drive, the Warhawks marched down the field and scored an early touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Facing early adversity, the Wildcat defense didn't flinch.
Northwestern proceeded to hold its opponent scoreless for the remainder of the contest, rack up seven tackles for loss and three sacks, while surrendering just 2.9 yards per carry.
For redshirt junior edge rusher Anto Saka, the defense prides itself on a 'bend, don't break" mentality.
"You're not gonna put up a ton of points — at least not without a fight," Saka said. "We go out and we try to finish games. That's been the mindset since winter."
"Consistency and Persistence."
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) October 7, 2025
With 15.5 career sacks and counting, Aidan Hubbard has climbed into Northwestern's all-time sacks leaderboard by bringing the same approach every day ????
5. Scouting the Nittany Lions
While Penn State breezed through its three-game non-conference slate, the Nittany Lions have run into some turbulence at the onset of Big Ten play in back-to-back losses to Oregon and UCLA.
Running back Kaytron Allen spearheads a two-pronged Penn State rushing attack alongside Nicholas Singleton. Alllen has 54 carries for 377 yards (7.0 ypc) and six touchdowns this season.
"That is a talented dude, and at the end of the day, if we want to find ways to win in the Big Ten, we have to effectively stop the run," Braun said of Allen. "We're facing two of the top running backs in the country this weekend, so it's going to be an incredible challenge."
In his third year as the starter, quarterback Drew Allar has completed 90-of-139 passes for 963 yards, eight touchdown passes and two interceptions. Allar has also added 147 yards on the ground this season.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions average 17.8 points allowed per game while relenting an average of 306.2 yards per game. Projected NFL Draft first-rounder A.J. Harris leads a talented secondary.
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
DL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ FootballFootball - Penn State Game Week Press Conference (10/6/25)
Monday, October 06
Football - ULM Postgame Press Conference (10/04/25)
Sunday, October 05
Football - Northwestern Secures Comprehensive Win Over ULM, 42-7 (10/4/25)
Sunday, October 05
Football - ULM Game Week Press Conference (9/29/25)
Monday, September 29
