Penn State overcomes slow start on offense but it isn't enough
Penn State played better on offense in the second half against Northwestern but it wasn't enough in a 23-21 loss to Northwestern.
It took the Penn State offense a long time to get started – the Nittany Lions gained just 22 yards on 17 first-quarter plays – but Christian Hackenberg said the attack picked up in the second half.
"We were able to start running the football, which helps," Penn State's junior quarterback said. "Being one-dimensional against a team like that who really swarms and thrives off some things, they did a great job. So you have to be a little more two-dimensional, take our shots, make some plays on the field, get things rolling. I think we did better in the second half."
The Nittany Lions moved the football for most of the half but could not pick up a first down when they needed to late in the game, and Northwestern took over and hit the winning field goal for a 23-21 win.
Hackenberg, who hit on just one of his first 10 passes after starting 7-for-7 with two touchdowns in last week's win over Illinois, finished 21 of 40 for 205 yards. He threw his first interception since Sept. 19, a stretch of seven games, in the fourth quarter. Cornerback Nick VanHoose made the pick, breaking a streak of 201 passes without one by Hackenberg.
"He had been sitting on that so a lot of credit to him," Hackenberg said. "He'd been tough, something we had been wary about. So a lot of credit to 23 (VanHoose), he made a great play."
Hackenberg called Saturday's contest "a great game."
"There were a lot of punches thrown, a lot of hits in the mouth, being able to get back up and make some plays and get things going," he said. "So I think that's going to help us and this bye week focusing really hard on making sure that we're as healthy as we can be for this closing stretch."
Penn State is off next Saturday before finishing its season at home against Michigan, and at Michigan State.
--Joe Juliano