Penn State visits Northwestern on Friday, Oct. 2, the first game at Northwestern’s new Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. The Nittany Lions are 3-1 this season, while the Wildcats are 2-1. Ryan Field is an $862 million project, funded in large part by the Ryan family. Despite a larger footprint than Northwestern’s old stadium, it holds 12,500 fewer seats, a design built around eliminating poor sightlines rather than maximizing capacity. Penn State is a 2.5-point favorite over Northwestern at DraftKings, with a total of 45.5. Below, we’ll give you all the details on how to watch. How to Watch Penn State vs. Northwestern Players To Watch Through three games with Northwestern, Chiles has thrown for 807 yards and six touchdowns without an interception, completing 70.6 percent of his passes as new coordinator Chip Kelly’s offense has found rhythm even in a 29-23 loss at Indiana. His best individual outing came in that defeat: 22 of 29 for 293 yards and two scores. Penn State’s defense has forced eight takeaways this season, five interceptions and three fumbles, including two picks off Wisconsin last week. That turnover rate is the first real test of Chiles’ interception-free season. Five career interceptions ties Tony Rojas for the most among active FBS linebackers, and he added to that total with a fourth-quarter pick against Wisconsin. The senior anchors a Penn State defense that has been the steadier unit through four games even as the offense stalled in that loss. Chiles is completing 70.6 percent of his throws this season on a quick, high-percentage passing scheme, the exact kind of underneath window Rojas has made a habit of jumping. Northwestern’s rhythm passing game will need to solve him more than once. A four-man rotation had muddled Penn State’s backfield picture entering conference play, but James Peoples separated himself against Wisconsin, turning 14 carries into a team-high 67 yards. He said afterward the rotation split was planned, not a reaction to performance, but he’s drawn the most early-down work in each of the last two games. Northwestern’s run defense has been the softer side of its ball so far, surrendering 271 yards on the ground to Indiana and 5.5 yards per carry to Colorado in September. Peoples gets a defense that has not yet solved the run. Northwestern’s captain broke through with a pair of touchdown catches against Indiana, giving him 14 receptions for 245 yards and two scores through three games as Chiles’ most trusted target near the goal line. Penn State’s secondary cracked in the final minutes last week, surrendering a 72-yard touchdown pass with 1:13 left that erased a fourth-quarter lead in a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin. Wilde and Northwestern’s passing game will look to attack that same coverage. Penn State vs. Northwestern Odds Learn more about the Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Northwestern Wildcats game and check the full schedule on FOX Sports! Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
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