After a sluggish start in the first half, Penn State football overcame Northwestern 41-13 Saturday on the road. The Nittany Lions returned to Illinois for the second time this season to take care of business at Ryan Field and maintain their undefeated streak to move to 5-0.

Our staffers were on the field to capture all the action from start to finish.

The blue and white arrived in style in Evanston, repping glossy arrival gear and donning crisp road whites.

Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles was in attendance and on the recruiting trail at Ryan Field, sporting a Jaquan Brisker hoodie on the sidelines. Brisker, a former Penn State safety, was drafted by the Bears in 2022.

Hey, remember this guy?

Former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford came out to support his brother, Liam, and his former team. The Nittany Lions’ all-time passing yard leader made the short trip down to Evanston from Green Bay.

Penn State’s first-quarter scoring struggles persisted Saturday, and the group registered just three points in the opening 15 minutes.

Gaining momentum before entering the locker room for halftime, Trey Potts found the end zone from 13 yards out to tie the game 10-10.

Penn State made four attempts before successfully breaching the end zone in the second half. Drew Allar scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak and propelled the Nittany Lions to a 17-10 lead in the third quarter.

Shortly after, Nick Singleton converted two late-quarter touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, to put the game away.

Ryan Field quickly turned into Beaver Stadium West. The minuscule 25,064-person crowd was filled with Penn Staters dressed in white.

The Symbol of Our Best brought the hype to Illinois and filled the stadium with “We Are” chants.

The defense performed admirably, as it allowed just 175 yards and generated a turnover while holding Northwestern to an average of only 2.8 yards per play. Manny Diaz’s squad remains a vital component of Penn State’s win streak.

Penn State maintained its momentum when Daequan Hardy intercepted Northwestern for a 34-yard return.

Spread = covered.

On backup quarterback Beau Pribula’s first play, he connected with a wide-open Trey Potts, who hauled in a 30-yard pass into the end zone to close out the game.

Saturday’s game posed a big test for Penn State. After entering the locker room tied 10-all at halftime, the Nittany Lions rallied and demonstrated their ability to handle adversity and secure the win.

Penn State remains focused on improving during the upcoming bye week. After that, the Nittany Lions will return to Happy Valley to take on the UMass Minutemen at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, in Beaver Stadium.