An updated report is being checked. These statistics show the last verified version.
The result, the player statistics, and the AP poll response.
Friday, October 2 at 7:00 PM CDT · Ryan Field
AP at Kickoff: NR
AP at Kickoff: NR
Pregame lines are unavailable in the saved record.
Northwestern's 21-point win on October 2 was followed by the October 4 AP poll.
How voters ranked these teams before the game, and what changed in the next poll.
September 27 AP Poll · 70 Complete Ballots
No voter ranked both teams, so there is no head-to-head ordering to compare. Rankings are not game predictions.
Explore the Pregame Poll →October 4 AP Poll
31 of 70 → 0 of 70 voters ranked Penn State.
1 of 70 → 21 of 70 voters ranked Northwestern.
Voter counts can change between polls. This describes what changed, not why each voter changed their ballot.
Explore the Following Poll →Choose a team and category to explore every available player.
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocco Becht | 26/41 | 243 | 5.9 | 1 | 2 |
Penn State · Passing. A dash means unavailable. Dotted terms have explanations on hover, focus or tap.
2026 Season
Results from completed games before kickoff. Points are per game and include all opponents.
4 Completed Games
3 Completed Games
Final team statistics.
| Statistic | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 291 | 506 |
| Passing Yards | 243 | 93 |
| Rushing Yards | 48 | 413 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Third Downs | 5-14 | 5-12 |
| Possession | 23:55 | 36:05 |
| Statistic | Penn State | Northwestern |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing Touchdowns | 1 | 4 |
| Passing Touchdowns | 1 | 0 |
| Kick Return Yards | 41 | 24 |
| Kick Return Touchdowns | 0 | 0 |
| Kick Returns | 2 | 1 |
| Kicking Points | 1 | 10 |
| Fumbles Recovered | 1 | 0 |
| Total Fumbles | 0 | 1 |
| Tackles for Loss | 6 | 3 |
| Defensive Touchdowns | 0 | 0 |
| Tackles | 33 | 29 |
| Sacks | 1 | 1 |
| Quarterback Hurries | 1 | 4 |
| Passes Deflected | 2 | 9 |
| Possession | 23:55 | 36:05 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 2 | 0 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Penalties / Yards | 5-60 | 7-78 |
| Yards per Carry | 2.2 | 7.5 |
| Rushing Attempts | 22 | 55 |
| Rushing Yards | 48 | 413 |
| Yards per Pass Attempt | 5.9 | 6.6 |
| Completions / Attempts | 26-41 | 10-14 |
| Passing Yards | 243 | 93 |
| Total Yards | 291 | 506 |
| Fourth Downs | 1-1 | 0-1 |
| Third Downs | 5-14 | 5-12 |
| First Downs | 20 | 25 |
| Punt Return Yards | — | 26 |
| Punt Return Touchdowns | — | 0 |
| Punt Returns | — | 1 |
| Interception Return Yards | — | 0 |
| Interception Return Touchdowns | — | 0 |
| Passes Intercepted | — | 2 |
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Northwestern | 10 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
Compare this game with a measured season average and the typical range.
2026 FBS vs. FBS games started before October 2 at 8:00 PM EDT. 217 of 219 eligible games have both offenses available. Each team-game counts equally; both offenses need at least 20 included plays.
These comparisons include garbage-time plays and are not opponent-adjusted. A typical range describes the middle half of this sample, not a universal good/bad cutoff.
· Higher means more expected scoring value gained.
Middle 50% Average
434 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive value per play in this comparison.
· How often plays gained enough for their situation.
Middle 50% Average
434 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive consistency in this comparison.
· How much value the successful plays created.
Middle 50% Average
434 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive value on successful plays in this comparison.
| Team | Passing | Rushing | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.243 | -0.065 | -0.010 | 0.114 | 0.008 | 0.116 | |
| -0.302 | 0.434 | 0.252 | 0.295 | 0.280 | 0.209 |
All values are PPA per included play. Season benchmarks above describe whole-game offense, so they are not applied to these smaller splits.
Statistics are checked again after the final for late updates and corrections.
