3-3. Who would have thought?

Penn State football’s 2025 season is officially a disaster. The Nittany Lions lost to Northwestern 22-21 on Saturday and continued their winless open to Big Ten play. Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth quarter, and James Franklin was fired on Sunday afternoon. Penn State lost five total commits across the 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes throughout the weekend.

Despite the program being flipped completely upside down within the last three days, life goes on. Here’s how each position group performed against the Wildcats.

Quarterbacks: C

It feels so harsh to grade him because of his injury, but Allar played an overall solid game against the Wildcats. His first-quarter interception in the end zone wasn’t 100% his fault in my eyes. Liam Clifford played it wrong, but it looked like the right read.

Allar ended with 137 yards on 13-for-20 passing. He added 25 yards and one touchdown through six attempts on the ground.

Ethan Grunkemeyer checked in for one play following Allar’s injury. He scrambled up the middle and failed to convert a first down on 4th-and-3. It was Penn State’s last offensive play of the game.

Running Backs: B-

The people asked for Kaytron Allen to be fed, and fed he was.

Allen picked up 90 yards on 16 rushes and found his way to the end zone in the second quarter. He pounded through the Wildcats, and the offense was visibly in tune with him on the field. Penn State moved the ball methodically and found some momentum with Allen lined up in the backfield.

However, more carries for Allen meant less for Nick Singleton.

Singleton only got seven chances on the ground. He gained only 20 yards, but he did score his first touchdown since Penn State’s win over Villanova in week three. He reeled in two receptions for six yards. Allar missed him on a wide-open touchdown pass in the second quarter.

However, the two had a combined 110 yards and two touchdowns, so it was a productive game at least.

Wide Receivers: D+

Devonte Ross flexed his muscles with probably Penn State’s best individual receiving showcase of the season so far. He tallied seven receptions for 115 yards, including an electric 67-yard catch and run at the top of the fourth quarter that got Beaver Stadium bumping.

Outside of Ross, though, it was the Nittany Lions’ worst overall receiving performance of 2025. Kyron Hudson and Trebor Peña have been increasingly quiet with each passing week, and it all culminated against Northwestern. The duo combined for three total catches for 15 yards.

Ross himself accounted for 84% of Penn State’s receiving yards on the day. While his performance is commendable, Hudson and Peña’s lack of ability to get separation simply tanks the overall unit’s performance.

Tight Ends: F

The tight ends were nonexistent. Not a single one recorded a stat. I suppose that they helped in blocking for Allen when he was getting the ball every play on multiple drives, but that’s only half of their job. Three perfectly capable players, yet Penn State can’t seem to figure out life without Tyler Warren.

Offensive Line: B+

The offensive line actually drastically improved after one of its ugliest-ever showings against UCLA. Allar only tucked the ball six times for 25 yards, and a handful of those were on designed runs.

The line didn’t allow the Wildcats to sack Allar, and he was only hurried twice. His injury came on a run up the middle, but that was just an unfortunate play. It was nobody’s fault. Penn State did suffer two tackles-for-loss, but Allen was productive, and Allar was clean. That’s really all you can ask for at this point.

Front Seven: D-

Life without Tony Rojas is only getting harder.

The Penn State front seven played one of its most undisciplined games ever. Five of Penn State’s six penalties came at the hands of the defensive line, with Zuriah Fisher leading the way. Fisher committed a face mask and roughing the passer violation in the second quarter.

Dani Dennis-Sutton got things started off with an offsides call on Penn State’s first defensive drive. It was an immediate vibe-killer. Alonzo Ford Jr. chimed in after that with a face mask of his own. Dejuan Lane also got a personal foul in the second quarter.

That’s 59 penalty yards. Northwestern had zero defensive penalties. It’s unacceptable, ugly, and not what Penn State football is about.

Zane Durant led the way with five solo tackles, one sack, and one tackle-for-loss. Keon Wylie got more snaps alongside Amare Campbell and Dom DeLuca in Rojas’ stead. Campbell had a rare quiet game on the stat sheet, only recording three total tackles.

Fisher also had one sack, one tackle-for-loss, and a quarterback hurry.

Northwestern rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown. It looks like Nico Iamaleava and the UCLA running back room cracked the code on how to run all over Penn State. To be fair, the Northwestern running back duo of Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II combined for 32 carries, but 119 yards is still outrageous for how talented Penn State’s defensive line should be.

Secondary: C-

Northwestern quarterback Preston Stone played a solid, clean game with 163 yards and one touchdown on 17-for-26 passing. He did lose eight yards on five rushing attempts, but it obviously didn’t matter in the end.

Safety Zakee Wheatley led the team with nine total tackles. Zion Tracy did not play after being listed as questionable in the pregame injury report. Elliot Washington II got increased play time, but nobody stood out on Saturday from the whole unit. Cornerback A.J. Harris was also in and out of the game with an apparent injury.

Special Teams: C+

What Franklin dubbed as the “most consistent” unit on the squad, Saturday proved him otherwise.

Dennis-Sutton blocked a punt for the second consecutive game on Northwestern’s opening drive. Penn State continued its elite punt coverage as Northwestern muffed one late in the second quarter. Collins leaped on it to give the Nittany Lions possession at Northwestern’s 26-yard line.

Gabe Nwosu and Tyler Holzworth brought the Wildcats down at their own one-yard line at the top of the second half after Penn State punted quickly after its first possession of the third frame. Nwosu consistently pinned Northwestern back deep in its own territory. He punted three times for 124 yards.

However, everything positive had to end at some point, because, obviously.

Ross muffed a punt of his own at the end of the third quarter to give Northwestern the ball back at Penn State’s 9-yard line. The Nittany Lions held the Wildcats to three points, but that allowed Northwestern to retake the lead 16-14. Those are three points that could have been avoided.

On the ensuing kickoff return, Holzworth hesitated between kneeling in the end zone for a touchback or to take the ball out. He elected to run it back, but Northwestern wrapped him up at Penn State’s own 9-yard line. Penn State did score on that drive, but it was just an awkward special teams blunder that made things harder than they had to be and ate up more time than the Nittany Lions could have had when they needed it.