Wildcats Deliver Dream Opening Night at Ryan Field With Victory over Penn State

By: Charlie Spungin, NUSports.com

“What a night, man.”

Those were the first words that came out of Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun’s mouth as he sat down for his postgame press conference. Northwestern just dominated Penn State, 34-13, in the first-ever game at the New Ryan Field.

For Braun, who has imagined this exact night for years, the opening of the state-of-the-art facility went even better than he ever could have thought.

“This blew the cap off,” Braun said. “I had really high expectations, but I mean, you couldn’t draw it up better. I know we had a great result on the field, but the energy, this community. Northwestern is special. New Ryan Field is special. This football team is special, but if you’re not showing up, you are missing out. Tonight was incredible, and [I] can’t wait to keep building off it.”

With AC/DC’s Thunderstruck echoing through Ryan Field and a wave of purple lights flashing, Braun, sixth-year offensive lineman Jackson Carsello, fifth-year linebacker Braydon Brus, fifth-year defensive back Robert Fitzgerald and fifth-year running back Joseph Himon II led Northwestern out of the tunnel for the first time in the $850 million facility.

Soon enough, Northwestern sprinted out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back. Hours later, the Wildcats totaled 506 yards of offense, with 413 coming on the ground. They tallied two interceptions while surrendering just 48 rushing yards. 

“Our performance tonight, the credit goes to our players,” Braun said. “My goodness, did they show a level of maturity, urgency and focus in an environment [after] running out of that tunnel to that crowd in that student section. I don’t know how they did it. I felt like I was in the best dream of my life, and for them to reshift and refocus was remarkable.”

Fourth-year running back Caleb Komolafe and fifth-year running back Joseph Himon put on one of the most lethal rushing displays in program history, leading Northwestern to its most rushing yards in a game since 2003.

Komolafe took 25 carries for 188 rushing yards and punched in a score, recording the most rushing yards by a Wildcat in a Big Ten contest since Northwestern Hall of Famer Justin Jackson in 2016. Himon had 10 carries and accounted for 162 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He had 134 rushing yards in the first half, the most rushing yards in a half by a Wildcat since 2021.

Komolafe said that what fueled Northwestern’s unforgettable New Ryan Field opening win was the team’s offense clicking immediately. The team’s 24 first-half points were its most in a game since the 2023 season.

“Coach Kelly always preaches starting fast, and we haven’t been starting fast,” Komolafe said. “That was something that we put emphasis on. We didn’t really start our fastest today, the best we needed to, but it’s continuing to grow in that aspect.”

All night, for each of the Wildcats’ four touchdowns — all of which came on the ground — Ryan Field roared in celebration. Himon, who has played in all four of Northwestern’s home venues over the previous four seasons, said earlier in the week that he couldn’t wait to hear the stadium rocking. On Friday night, he finally got to hear it.

“It was awesome getting to play in New Ryan Field,” Himon said. “It’s just a moment we’ve been waiting for. We wanted to focus on going out there and playing our best football. … It was a great atmosphere, great turnout. The students, they were awesome. It was great getting our first win at the new field.”

The three-score victory comes just a week removed from a hard-fought defeat at the hands of No. 5 Indiana. After the narrow 29-23 loss, Braun, Brus and fourth-year quarterback Aidan Chiles said that the Wildcats should have come out victorious.

After a week of hard work and preparation, the Wildcats responded emphatically. 

“What it came down to was focusing on us,” Brus said. “We talk about that a lot — just taking one play at a time, not letting the moment get bigger than what it needs to be. Obviously, tonight was a big night getting to play in this stadium.”

One week ago, Braun’s message to the team was that one loss does not define them. Now, the message is that one win doesn’t mean all is won. The work to win a Big Ten Championship has to continue.

The opener at New Ryan Field officially ushered in a new era of Northwestern Football. From the victory to the new traditions that arose to fans finally packing into the best stadium in all of college football, Braun said he’s grateful for everyone that allowed October 2, 2026 to happen as it did.

“Nights like tonight are nights that you pray for,” Braun said. “Our football team, that was pretty cool, but that student section, our community, the buzz, “Don’t Stop Believin'” going into the fourth quarter? God, do we have something special to build on.”