EVANSTON, Il. (WHTM) – No. 6 Penn State remains undefeated entering its matchup against Northwestern on Saturday following its 31-0 shutout of Iowa on Sept. 23 during the Nittany Lions annual White Out.

Last time out

Penn State (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten)

The Nittany Lions dominated the Iowa Hawkeyes as quarterback Drew Allar went 25 for 37 with 166 passing yards for four touchdowns and no interceptions. Allar also rushed eight times for a total of 22 yards.

Allar is averaging a 68.28% pass completion percentage and has yet to turn the ball over this season

Central York graduate Beau Pribula also saw action in relief of Allar, going 1 for 3 with 16 passing yards and 55 rushing yards.

Kaytron Allen ran the rushing game however, rushing 21 times for a total of 72 net yards.

Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith led the receiving side with eight receptions for 66 yards and one touchdown. Tight end Tyler Warren caught two touchdown passes off of two receptions, making up half of Penn State’s receiving touchdowns.

The defense effectively shut down Iowa. The Nittany Lions had three sacks in the contest from Demeioun Robinson, Amin Vanover, and Adisa Isaac. All three players had a tackle for loss along with Curtis Jacobs and Dominic DeLuca.

Penn State’s punter Riley Thomspon had four punts for a total of 151 yards with an average of 37.8 yards and a long of 42 yards.

Northwestern (2-2, 1-1 Big Ten)

Northwestern defeated conference foe Minnesota 37-34 in an overtime finish at home on Sept. 23.

Northwestern’s quarterback Ben Bryant went 33 for 49 for 396 passing yards, throwing for four touchdowns. Bryant rushed six times for four net yards.

Cam Porter was the leader in rushing with a net of 56 yards with one touchdown off 16 attempts.

Bryce Kirtz led the receiving game with two touchdowns and 215 yards off of ten receptions. Kirtz had a long catch of 80 yards.

The Wildcats had no sacks against Minnesota but had a total of four tackles for a loss.

Their punter Hunter Renner had seven punts with an average of 37.1 yards per attempt with a long of 46 yards.

Dissecting Northwestern

Bryant is a sixth-year quarterback who transferred this season out of Cincinnati where he had a season-ending injury after starting 11 games last year. Bryant currently holds a 59.4% pass completion percentage across the Wildcats’ four games.

Bryant has contributed six passing touchdowns, with his high being the four touchdowns in Northwestern’s last outing and one rushing touchdown. The La Grange, Illinois native has thrown three interceptions this season.

Other top players for Northwestern include running back Cam Porter, wide receiver AJ Henning, wide receiver Bryce Kirtz and linebacker Bryce Gallagher.

The Wildcats are currently led by interim Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator David Braun after the firing of Pat Fitzgerald amid hazing allegations in the program. Prior to Northwestern, Braun served as North Dakota State’s defensive coordinator and was in charge of the safeties.

Northwestern sits in a two-way tie for second place in the West Division of the Big Ten.

Last season, Northwestern struggled, finishing 1-11 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten.

The Wildcats are currently in a rebuilding period following the hazing scandal, adjusting to their interim head coach as he navigates his new role and getting familiar with transfer quarterback Bryant.

The history

All time, Penn State is 14-5 against Northwestern dating back to November 1993. The Nittany Lions are currently on a two-game win streak after downing the Wildcats 17-7 last season. The last time Northwestern defeated Penn State was Nov. 7, 2015, in a close 23-21 matchup.

Penn State will be looking to remain undefeated and, even though the Nittany Lions subscribe to the 1-0 mentality, will be riding the high of a White Out shutout. Northwestern will be trying to start a win streak and move to a winning record.