Shall we try this again, folks?

Penn State football hits the road for only the second time this season to face Northwestern on Friday night at the brand-spanking-New Ryan Field. The Nittany Lions are coming off a shocking 24-20 defeat to Wisconsin, in which they blew a 17-0 lead.

As for the 2-1 Wildcats, they’ve looked much sharper than in prior years, taking down South Dakota State 34-18 and beating Colorado 41-7 before losing a close one 29-23 to No. 5 Indiana.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the matchup.

Television

The game will be broadcast on Peacock with Connor Onion on play-by-play and Robert Griffin III on color commentary. Alexa Landestoy will report from the sideline.

Radio

Penn State Sports Network — Steve Jones, Jack Ham, Brian Tripp

Local: 99.5 FM, 103.7 FM, 1450 AM, SiriusXM: 84, 257, XM App

Weather

NOT UPDATED: It’ll be a cool 61 degrees Fahrenheit in Evanston, Illinois, at kickoff, according to AccuWeather. Cloud cover sits at 26%, with wind gusts up to 17 mph.

The probability of precipitation is a perfect zero percent.

Injuries

Since Northwestern is a Big Ten opponent, Penn State’s injury availability report is available ahead of kickoff.

Penn State’s most notable inactive will be receiver Koby Howard, whom Matt Campbell announced was out for an “extended period of time” before the Wisconsin game.

Defensive ends LaVar Arrington II, Max Granville, Mason Robinson, and Dayshaun Burnett will not suit up on Saturday. Arrington II had a “clean-up” surgery on his knee and is expected to remain sidelined for the next one to three weeks.

Granville suffered a season-ending injury in practice ahead of the Temple game and will miss the rest of the season, as will Robinson, who got injured at the start of spring ball.

Cornerbacks Joshua Johnson, Christian Askew, and Tyler Armstead are also listed as out, along with tight end Cooper Alexander and offensive lineman Will Tompkins, who will miss the rest of the season after suffering a “unique” injury during pregame warmups before Buffalo, Campbell said.

Linebacker Cam Smith and kicker Christiano Rosa are also listed as out, while cornerback Daryus Dixson, who recorded an interception against Wisconsin, is questionable.

Series History

The Nittany Lions hold a 16-6 all-time record against Northwestern. The two squads first met in 1995, when Wisconsin won 21-10.

The Wildcats took the most recent matchup 22-21 back in 2025, after Drew Allar suffered a season-ending lower-body injury in the fourth quarter. James Franklin was fired shortly after the loss.

Penn State owns a 7-3 series road record and built a three-game win streak stemming from 2017 to 2023 before last year’s defeat at Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lions have outscored the Wildcats 650-394 across all 22 of the matchups.

Betting Lines

The Nittany Lions are 2.5-point road favorites against Northwestern, according to DraftKings. The over/under is set at 45.5 points.

Media Coverage

Onward State will have you covered throughout the game. Find big plays, analysis, photos, and more on our main Twitter account @OnwardState, as well as play-by-play commentary from @OnwardStSports.

Football writers Jamie Lynch (@jamielynchpsu), Cadyn Gill (@cgill214), and Oscar Orellana (@__oscarorellana) will provide you with coverage from inside the press box.

Photographers Ericka Apolskis (@ericka_apolskis) and Ella Wehmeyer (@ellawehm) will provide visual updates from the field.

Onward State

• Former Penn State Football Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Traded To Dallas Cowboys
• Three More Players Out For Penn State Football Against Northwestern On Wednesday Availability Report
• Six-Second Mentality: Penn State Football Looking To Use Short Week To Put Wisconsin Heartbreak Behind Them
• Penn State Football Front Seven Focused On Leveling Up Week-To-Week
• How Penn State’s 2026 NFL Rookies Are Performing Three Weeks Into The Season
• Why Isn’t The Best Tight End Room In The Country Getting Utilized?
• Taylor Mouser Aiming To Improve Red-Zone Offense Following Loss To Wisconsin
• Penn State Mythbusters: Did James Franklin Really Win The Games He’s Supposed To?
• Rocco Becht Searches For Rhythm Ahead Of Friday Night Lights At Northwestern
• Penn State Football Cornerback Daryus Dixson Listed As Questionable On Tuesday Availability Report
• Former Penn State Football Defensive Lineman PJ Mustipher Signs To New York Giants Practice Squad
• “I Really Didn’t Want To Screw It Up”: Matt Campbell Outlines Late-Game Philosophy Against Wisconsin
• Former Penn State Football Wide Receiver Mitchell Tinsley Has Signed With The Cincinnati Bengals
• An Updated Look At Penn State Football’s Remaining Opponents After Week 4
• Transfer Portal Roundup: Week 4
• Nittany Lions In The NFL: Week 3 Roundup
• Overheard On Yik Yak: Penn State Loss To Wisconsin Edition
• Compiling The Best Penn State Football TikToks Post-Wisconsin Loss
• OS Debates: Which Coordinator Was More Responsible For The Loss Against Wisconsin?
• Penn State Football Hot Takes: Post-Wisconsin
• Penn State Football’s Post-Wisconsin Report Card
• Gameday Observations: Wisconsin
• Photo Story: Penn State vs. Wisconsin
• Did Jacob Harris Commit Offensive Pass Interference In Game-Winning Touchdown Against Penn State?
• How To Lose To Wisconsin In 10 Plays
• Penn State Football Unranked In Week 4 AP Poll
• Penn State Football’s Sluggish Offense To Blame In First Loss Of Season
• Penn State Football Defense Carries Its Own Weight More In Gut-Wrenching Loss To Wisconsin
• “This Is What We Needed”: Penn State Football Taking Wisconsin Loss On The Chin