It just keeps getting worse for Penn State football.
The Nittany Lions (3-3) lost their third consecutive game, falling to 21-point underdog Northwestern (4-2) 22-21 on Homecoming Saturday at the Beaver Stadium and in the process lost their starting quarterback to injury.
Drew Allar had to be helped off the field and carted to the locker room after suffering an apparent leg or ankle injury late in the fourth quarter. Coach James Franklin said after the game Allar is out for the season.
Penn State held a 14-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter and 21-16 with 10 minutes remaining, but as with last week’s disaster against UCLA, the Nittany Lion offense couldn’t put together any consistency and the defense couldn’t get off the field when it needed to most.
Before leaving Allar was 13-20 for 137 yards and an interception in the end zone as the Nittany Lions were driving on their opening drive. Devonte Ross had seven catches for 115 yards and Kaytron Allen led Penn State on the ground with 16 carries for 90 yards.
Northwestern outgained Penn State 282 to 274.
Prior to the game, the Beaver Stadium crowd greeted coach James Franklin’s introduction with boos after the Nittany Lions lost back-to-back games to Oregon and 24-point underdog UCLA.
After starting the season ranked No. 2 in the nation, the Nittany Lions now are effectively out of contention to make the College Football Playoff.
Penn State returns to action next Saturday with a 7 p.m. kickoff at Iowa.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1st quarter
Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton blocked a punt for the second consecutive week to set up the Nittany Lion offense at the Northwestern 31 for its opening possession. A trio of Kaytron Allen carries and a Drew Allar pass to Devonte Ross had Penn State knocking on the door at the 10, but Ore Adeyi picked off an Allar pass intended for Liam Clifford in the end zone and returned it to the Wildcat 33.
Northwestern embarked on a 12-play drive, mixing Joseph Himon runs and Preston Stone play-action passes, along with a face mask penalty, to advance to the Penn State 9. The Wildcats stalled there and settled for a 27-yard Jack Olsen field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 2:51 left in the first quarter after taking more than seven minutes off the clock.
The Nittany Lion offense started to gain momentum as the first wound down, and Ross made a terrific catch on third and 5 for a 20-yard gain to the Northwestern 46 as the opening period came to an end.
Northwestern 3, Penn State 0
2nd Quarter
Allen starred as the second opened, taking three carries for 19 yards, and Allar added a 10-yard scramble as the Nittany Lions moved to the Wildcat 11. Allen capped it off from there, running through a gaping hole into the end zone as the Nittany Lions took a 7-3 lead with 11:40 left in the half.
Northwestern pounded away on the ground to move past midfield, then after a highly questionable late-hit call, again turned to the play-action passing game. Stone connected with Himon for 10 yards before finding Griffin Wilde open in the end zone for a 29-yard scoring throw.
The Wildcats took a 10-7 lead with 7:14 remaining in the half following the eight-play, 75-yard drive.
Penn State went three and out on its ensuing drive, but Northwestern’s Drew Wagner fumbled Gabe Nwosu’s punt and Audavion Collins recovered to put the Nittany Lions back in business at the Wildcat 26.
Allar scrambled twice for 11 yards and Nick Singleton took four carries for 13 yards to get Penn State to the 2. After a Singleton run on third down went nowhere, he took a pitch to the left side and raced into the end zone. Penn State moved ahead 14-10 with 1:19 to play in the half.
Aided by a facemask penalty on a play that would have resulted in third and long, a bad roughing the passer call and a 16-yard completion from Stone to Caleb Komolafe, Northwestern marched to the Penn State 16. The Nittany Lion defense stiffened there, but the Wildcats came away with a 34-yard Olsen field goal to pull within 14-13 as the half came to an end.
The Nittany Lions had six penalties, including five personal fouls, in the first half. The Wildcats had none.
Penn State 14, Northwestern 13
3rd Quarter
Neither offense could muster much throughout the third quarter. Penn State punted twice, and couldn’t capitalize on one that was downed at the Wildcat 2. On Northwestern’s second punt of the period Devonte Ross muffed the return and the Wildcats took over at the Nittany Lion 9.
After a short run as the quarter ended, Northwestern faced second and goal from the 7.
Penn State 14, Northwestern 13
4th Quarter
Stone threw an incompletion to start the final quarter, and Penn State defensive end Zuriah Fisher came up with a sack for a 15-yard loss on third down. Olsen came on for his third field goal of the game, this time hitting from 41 yards to put the Wildcats in front 16-14 with 14:08 remaining.
With Penn State facing third and 5 from its own 14 after an ill-advised Tyler Holzworth return on the kickoff, Ross took a short pass over the middle and turned on the jets for a 67-yard gain to the Northwestern 19. Allen bounced outside on the next play for an 18-yard gain to the 1. Two plays later Allar kept it to finish the 91-yard drive with a touchdown and Penn State had a 21-16 lead with 10:45 to go.
Northwestern responded by steamrolling the Penn State defense. Stone completed four passes for 41 yards, while Himon and Komolafe split five carries for 34. Komolafe took it in from 9 yards out and after a failed two-point attempt, Northwestern was back in front 22-21 with 4:51 left in the game.
On third and 4 from the Penn State 33, Allar kept it on a scramble and was taken down after a 1-yard gain. He remained on the ground with an apparent leg injury and was helped off he field after being tended to by medical staff, then later carted to the locker room.
Coming on in relief, backup QB Ethan Grunkemeyer kept it on fourth and 3 and was stuffed for no gain, giving Northwestern the ball back at the Penn State 32 with three minutes remaining.
The Wildcats salted it away on the ground, picking up a first down after the two-minute timeout and running out the clock from the Nittany Lion 2.
Final: Northwestern 22, Penn State 21
