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Final score predictions for Penn State's Week 5 game vs. Northwestern
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- Final score predictions for Penn State's Week 5 game vs. Northwestern
Penn State is hitting the road for some Big Ten Friday night lights in Week 5. The Nittany Lions will visit Northwestern on Friday evening as the Wildcats proudly open the doors to the newly renovated Ryan Field for the first time. That figures to make for a bit of a challenge as Northwestern will be fired up to show off their new digs and pick up a big win in conference play after an incredible effort last week on the road against Indiana. On the other hand, Penn State is merely looking to rebound after a tough loss at home last week to Wisconsin that saw the Nittany Lions blow a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
The optimism for Penn State on the road against Northwestern may have dipped in the span of the past week, for good and understandable reasons, but the staff at Nittany Lions Wire still seems to think Penn State will find a way to come out of the week with a win.
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Here are our final score and player of the game predictions for Penn State's Week 5 game against Northwestern, along with some brief thoughts on the matchup.
Kevin McGuire, Lead Writer
We saw last week that Penn State's offense really missed the likes of rising star wide receiver Koby Howard. This week, there can be no excuse for not having something going in the passing game. I think that means Rocco Becht needs to get into a comfort zone with his tight ends a bit more instead of looking for some big plays down the field from the receivers. So for the second week in a row, I'm looking for Ben BRahmer to be a difference maker for the offense. If Penn State can get that, then they should be in good enough shape to get out of Evanston with a hard-fought win. Northwestern will not make anything easy on the Nittany Lions. This may need to be a bit of a scrappy win from the offense.
Final score prediction:Penn State 20, Northwestern 18
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Player of the game pick:Ben Brahmer, Penn State tight end
Paul White, Contributor
This Northwestern team just took Indiana down to the wire, so I'd imagine a Penn State win would have to be in a close game. That doesn't sound like such a fun idea after last week's game, but hopefully we can keep our composure this time
Final score prediction:Penn State 27, Northwestern 24
Player of the game pick:Chase Sowell, Penn State wide receiver
Christopher Sheppard, Contributor
The Nittany Lions find themselves in a similar position to last year as they face Northwestern after an inexplicable loss yet again. This time, it's on the road as Northwestern opens up the new Ryan Field. In order to spoil affairs, the Nittany Lions have to get going in the passing game and take advantage of what could be an aggressive Wildcat defense. Look for Chase Sowell to step up in the continued absence of Koby Howard and be the difference in a game that could come down to the last few plays.
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Final score prediction:Penn State 27, Northwestern 24
Player of the game pick:Chase Sowell, Penn State wide receiver
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Final score predictions for Penn State's Week 5 game vs. Northwestern
