How many college football players get to open a new stadium? The Penn State Nittany Lions help Northwestern christen New Ryan Field on Friday night, and they’re pretty excited about it.
“It’s going to be sick,” Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht said of the opportunity.
But after taking in the scene. the Nittany Lions (3-1) face a pretty important stress test. For Matt Campbell, Friday’s game leans in the must-win direction, if only to continue the program vibes he built this offseason.
We’ll be updating the Penn State-Northwestern game live from New Ryan Field, so follow along tonight. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:13 p.m. ET on FOX. Check our game breakdown and predictions, then join us live from Evanston.
Penn State vs. Northwestern personnel updates
Key players on both sides could be out of action Friday night. For Penn State, starting cornerback Daryus Dixson is listed as questionable. Campbell said that Dixson, who made an interception against Wisconsin, was hurt in the game “really, really sore” the following day.
Penn State center Brock Riker and tight end Andrew Rappleyea played against Wisconsin despite being listed as questionable but were clearly limited. If Dixson has similar constraints, look for nickelback Zion Tracy to play more outside. Cornerback Jahmir Joseph looked good against Wisconsin and will get further reps.
If he’s out, Dixson would join receiver Koby Howard, who will miss his second straight game, and linebacker Cam Smith on the inactive list. Also out for Penn State are offensive lineman Will Tompkins, tight end Cooper Alexander and cornerback Christian Askew.
Meanwhile for Northwestern, starting tight end Luke Dehnicke is out, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, a significant blow for the Wildcats’ offense if he can’t play. Dehnicke had a breakout game vs. Indiana last week, catching seven passes for 140 yards in a loss.
The Wildcats also will be without starting defensive back Damon Walters, their second-leading tackler who has one of the team’s three interceptions.
Penn State vs. Northwestern pregame reads
Columnist Ben Jones dug into some of Campbell’s comments this week about the “process” and “journey” and wondered how they will fly long-term with Penn State fans.
How can Penn State fix its wayward offense? Four suggestions.
Our look at some other top storylines Friday night in Evanston.
Rewinding a bit to last week, Campbell refused to litigate whether Wisconsin committed offensive pass interference on its game-winning touchdown. Instead, Campbell lamented that his team left the game to chance.
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