Penn State (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) faces its first road test on a rare Friday night kickoff against Northwestern. The Wildcats (2-1, 0-1) open the new Ryan Field in prime time at 8 after losing a one-score game to defending national champion Indiana last Friday night.
PSU is 16-6 all-time against Northwestern and has won seven of 10 matchups on the road.
Penn State last defeated the Wildcats with a 41-13 win on the road, outscoring Northwestern 31-3 in the second half.
Northwestern officially ended the James Franklin era last season with a 22-21 win at Beaver Stadium. It was also the game Drew Allar suffered a season-ending ankle injury and the Nittany Lions turned to Ethan Grunkemyer, who starts for Virginia Tech tonight against Pitt.
Matt Campbell’s 2026 Nittany Lions fell out of the AP Top 25, but received enough votes to slot No. 28. PSU does rank No. 22 in the Coaches Poll. Northwestern is receiving votes in both.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State owns the No. 8 scoring defense in college football (11.5 points) and No. 9 total defense (239.5). QB Rocco Becht and the offense aim for a significant bounce back after being outscored 24-3 against Wisconsin to close out homecoming. Multiple important questions surround the Nittany Lions entering this game. Can Penn State bounce back and win its first Big Ten game of the year?
HOW’S THE WEATHER?
It will be a cool fall night in Evanston, Illinois Friday, with the temperature sitting steady at 59 degrees throughout the game. There’s no rain expected in the forecast, and it will be a clear night at Northwestern’s brand new venue.
HOW TO WATCH
Here’s everything you need to know on how to watch and listen to watch and listen to Penn State’s first Big Ten road matchup of the season.
Kickoff: 8:00 p.m.
Channel: FOX
TV announcers: Connor Onion (PXP), Robert Griffin III (color), and Alexa Landestoy (sideline)
Streaming: FOX Sports
Radio: Penn State Football Radio Affiliates
Radio announcers: Steve Jones (PXP), Jack Ham (color), Brian Tripp (sideline)
SiriusXM/Internet: Channels 84, 257, and the Sirius XM app
