UNIVERSITY PARK– Penn State was winning at halftime for the first time in almost a month, and yet there are still problems.
A big problem was that the team had more penalty yards (71) than passing yards (35).
Four of Penn State’s penalties have been personal fouls, with two being via facemasks (Zakee Wheatley, Zuriah Fisher), another being an unsportsmanlike conduct (Andrew Rappleyea) and another being a roughing the passer (Fisher).
Both of Fisher’s penalties came on Northwestern’s last first-half possession, leading to 30 yards, which helped the Wildcats get a field goal.
Fisher’s second penalty, a roughing-the-passer, looked to be iffy at best.
Offensively, Drew Allar hasn’t had a big day yet, completing six of nine passes for 35 yards. Allar did throw an INT in the red zone, which set up Northwestern’s first points.
Many Penn State fans are hoping to see a spark provided by some young receivers. True freshman Koby Howard was one of the more talked about players of spring and fall camp, yet he hasn’t played in almost a month.
Denmark has been praised by Penn State’s coaches for improving his work ethic between his true freshman and redshirt freshman seasons.
Yet, he’s only played in three of Penn State’s five games, with two of those appearances (FIU, Villanova) amounting to just one snap each.
Defensively, it’s even more troubling that all three penalties were committed by two of the oldest players on the roster. Fisher is in his sixth season, and Wheatley his fifth.
All of these things will certainly need to be cleaned up for Penn State to make a run at the College Football Playoff.
