By Pete Fiutak | October 3, 2017 8:50 pm CT

Penn State vs. Northwestern Fearless Prediction & Game Preview

Check out the Penn State vs. Northwestern fearless prediction and game preview.

Penn State (5-0) vs. Northwestern (2-2) Game Preview

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, October 7th
Game Time: 12;00 pm ET
Venue: Ryan Field, Evanston, IL
Network: ABC

– Week 6 TV Schedule, Lines, Fearless Picks
– Analyzing The Week 6 Lines

Soon, Penn State will have to play a really good team. That’s coming in two weeks with Michigan coming to town, and with a trip to Ohio State to follow. Until then, going to Northwestern will have to do.

The Nittany Lions have done just about everything right. They’ve blown away the weak, they’ve proven they could survive under the toughest of circumstances, and they’re playing with all of the swagger of a defending Big Ten champion.

Northwestern has yet to find any sort of a groove, getting blown away by Duke and struggling last week against Wisconsin. But the offensive firepower is there, and the defense has the upside to be a whole lot better.

Overdue for a big moment and a strong win, taking down Penn State would kickstart the season.

One Reason Why Penn State Will Win

The Northwestern offensive line has been a disaster at times.

It couldn’t do anything to slow down Duke from getting into the backfield, and last week it almost got QB Clayton Thorson killed against the Wisconsin pass rush.

There’s no room to run, and there isn’t enough time for Thorson to consistently operate. That’s where the Penn State pass rush has to kick in.

Absent over the last two weeks, the talent is there up front to get into the backfield more. This is the week to dial up the pressure.

Allowing just 637 total rushing yards so far, the Penn State defensive front is getting the job done – no one has averaged four yards per carry so far in any of the five games.

One Reason Why Northwestern Will Win

39 yards. That’s what the Penn State running game came up with last week against Indiana.

Totally inconsistent, the Nittany Lions went off against Iowa thanks to the epic performance from Saquon Barkley, but couldn’t find any room to move against the Hoosiers.

For all of Northwestern’s faults, the run defense has been fantastic so far.

It’s great at limiting the big runs, and it’s swarming on everything on the outside – the containment is there. Duke ran for 233 yards, but it had to crank up 59 carries to get there.

Wisconsin couldn’t move the ball a lick on the ground at times, and overall, teams are averaging just 3.8 yards per carry against Pat Fitzgerald’s bunch.

What’s Going To Happen

Penn State’s defense is going to turn this game around in the second half.

The Nittany Lion offense will have problems getting Barkley going early, but Trace McSorley will throw at will against a secondary that has a huge problem with midrange passing attacks.

Northwestern will put up a strong fight, but the problems on the offensive front will be too much to overcome.