The Penn State football team is struggling right now, badly. The Nittany Lions came into Friday night’s game against the Northwestern Wildcats looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, but that did not happen at all. Not only did the Nittany Lions lose their second straight game, but they got absolutely dominated and did not even look slightly competitive.
With that loss, Penn State falls to 3-2, still a winning record, but the upcoming schedule could change that very quickly, and it does not require a loaded team to beat this struggling Nittany Lions team. They will host the USC Trojans next week in the whiteout and then travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan, who usually have their way with the Lions. With that being said, we now dive into the Nittany Lions’ performance against the Wildcats in Week 5.
Analyzing the Nittany Lions’ Performance
The Offense Is Really Struggling, Badly
Penn State may be without their young star wide receiver, Koby Howard, and obviously that is going to impact the offense, but this offense has just completely fallen apart. The Lions scored just 13 points against the Wildcats, and one of their scores was late in the game when Northwestern had already built their lead. This offense has actually struggled even with Howard in the lineup, as most of their red zone trips against the Temple Owls went to waste, but that was not Howard’s fault, and obviously not having him makes an impact.
Good teams, however, can still get points on the board without their best player, but the Nittany Lions have struggled dramatically. The running game also continues to struggle, and quarterback Rocco Becht threw two interceptions against the Wildcats. If the Nittany Lions can not get the offense going, they will not win.
Wildcats Run All Over the Nittany Lions
While the offense was bad, the defense did not help at all. The Wildcats had two running backs rush for over 150 yards, and that is completely unacceptable. Caleb Komolafe had 25 carries for 188 yards, and Joseph Himon had 10 carries for 162 yards. That is 350 rushing yards, and the Wildcats’ running game dominated from start to finish.
The Nittany Lions are known for having one of the best defenses in the country, but this team is falling apart very quickly. If your offense struggles, giving up 350 rushing yards makes it nearly impossible to win. The Wildcats scored all of their touchdowns on the ground, and it is very concerning that the Lions did not make adjustments or force the Wildcats to air it out.
If this defensive line does not figure things out, it could not only be a very long year for the Lions, but also a historically down year. Max Granville being out does make a huge difference, but like Howard on offense, losing one player should not mean everything blows up entirely. Recruiting will continue to get harder and harder if they are getting embarrassed like this, and they desperately need the defensive line to come alive.
The Nittany Lions are really struggling right now, and the program may be at an all-time low. The Nittany Lions do host USC this Saturday for the whiteout, but they have to get the crowd going after two rough losses. Their playoff hopes are likely over unless something big changes and they find their rhythm, but to get that far, they would likely have to win out. A year that was supposed to be the one for the Lions is now going down and down. Do you think the Nittany Lions can find their rhythm, or is it too late?
Main Image: David Banks-Imagn Images
