Penn State @ Northwestern preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2014 ) Northwestern 29, Penn State 6

Although Penn State is not considered a serious contender in the Big Ten East, the Nittany Lions begin a critical stretch Saturday when they visit Northwestern. Both schools have forged solid seasons on the backs of defenses that yield just over 17 points per game, but it could be the play of the schools’ quarterbacks that decide the outcome this week.

The Nittany Lions have just one loss in the conference, sitting behind undefeated Ohio State and Michigan State, but wins over Michigan (3-1 in the Big Ten) and the undefeated Spartans in their final two regular-season tilts could help the Lions sneak into the conference championship game. And Penn State is coming off its most complete game of the season, a 39-0 thrashing of Illinois in which surging Christian Hackenberg completed 21-of-29 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns while the defense held the Illini to just 167 total yards. Northwestern raced to a 5-0 start, culminating in a 27-0 victory over Minnesota to get it into the Top 25, but consecutive losses to ranked conference foes Michigan and Iowa by a combined 68 points put an end to any conference championship hopes. The Wildcats rebounded two weeks ago with a 30-28 win at Nebraska as redshirt freshman Clayton Thorson accounted for 303 of the Wildcats' 333 yards.

TV: Noon, ET, ESPNU. LINE: Northwestern -2.5

ABOUT PENN STATE (7-2, 4-1, Big Ten): Hackenberg has thrown 164 consecutive passes without an interception, has 13 TDs to two interceptions for the season and a passer rating of 153.3 in the past six games - best in the Big Ten over that span and 60 points higher than his mark in the first three games of the season. Chris Godwin (41 catches for 704 yards) has been his favorite target while freshman Saquon Barkley (716 yards, 6.6 yards per carry) has helped take the pressure off the junior signal-caller with his downfield bursts. Northwestern will try to run the ball to neutralize the Lions' pass rush, which leads the nation with 36 sacks, including an FBS-leading 14.5 by defensive end Carl Nassib.

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (6-2, 2-2): The Wildcats rank third in the conference in rushing (186.1 per game) and have had two weeks to figure out how the conference’s lowest-scoring team (20.9) can attack the talented front seven of the Lions. “(Thorson) is going to have to get the ball out of his hands quick because they're coming in the passing game," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said this week. "In the run game, we've got to get Justin (Jackson) and our backs going, and Clayton's got to be a threat." Jackson ran for 636 yards during the Wildcats’ five-game run out of the gate but has been limited to only 95 yards on 36 carries in the last three. Northwestern has its own menacing defensive end in senior Dean Lowry, who had six tackles for loss against Nebraska, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors and tying the sixth best mark in league history.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Penn State leads the series 13-4 including wins in three straight in Evanston, but Northwestern snapped a six-game losing streak last season by pounding the Lions 29-6 behind 113 yards receiving by superback Dan Vitale.

2. Northwestern has converted just 29.2 percent (7-of-24) of its red zone trips into touchdowns, the lowest rate in FBS.

3. The Nittany Lions are tied for ninth in the nation in fewest penalty yards per game (38 yards per game) and 17th in turnover margin (0.89), while Northwestern is the least penalized team in the Big Ten (4.5 per game).

PREDICTION: Penn State 24, Northwestern 17