After the White Out game, Penn State travels to the Chicago area to play Northwestern. After an offseason filled with controversy, there are a lot of questions about what the product on the field will be for the Wildcats.
The next team in the mini series giving early scouting reports for all of Penn State’s opponents takes a look at Northwestern who might be the biggest unknown in the entire conference.
Last Year’s Results
2022 Record: 1-11 (1-8 in conference)
Head Coach: David Braun (First season)
David Braun steps in as the interim coach after the dismissal of longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald following a hazing investigation within the football program. That came on the heels of a rough season that saw them lose 11 games in a row following their victory of Nebraska in Ireland.
It was a major struggle for Northwestern on the offensive side of the ball. They went out and tried to upgrade the quarterback position during the offseason, but lost a ton of overall production on both sides of the ball. It could another tough season for the Wildcats in 2023.
Offensive Preview
Last year, Northwestern was third worst in scoring with 13.8 points per game and had the second most turnovers with 31. As mentioned, they hit the transfer portal to upgrade the quarterback room by getting Cincinnati transfer Ben Bryant. The two leading receivers from last year Malik Washington and Evan Hull were lost to transfer and the NFL Draft. They do add two transfers at wide receiver and get some production back from last year’s players.
The offensive line is replacing four starters and their best tackle in Peter Skoronski. They’ll also need to find production from the running back room after the departure of leading rusher and second leading receiver Hull. Cam Porter should step into that role along with Anthony Tyus III.
Based on the upgrade at quarterback, Northwestern will most likely try to throw the ball more. If their line can’t hold up though, that plan will be scrapped. Penn State should use their defensive front to disrupt this game early and often.
Defensive Preview
When Fitzgerald was still head coach, he hired Braun to be his new defensive coordinator from North Dakota State with the goal of upgrading that side of the ball. Braun now steps into the head coaching role but will still have his hand in the defense. The formation likely used is the 4-2-5 which plays into the secondary strength of this team.
Safety Rod Heard II will be used in multiple roles along with leading tacklers Bryce Gallagher and Xander Mueller at the linebacker position. Northwestern got several interior lineman through the transfer portal that will have to give this defense a boost.
This seems like a game Penn State will feast on the ground. Take the strength of the opponent’s defense out of the equation by using the running game to dominate this matchup.
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