Cats’ Corner: Your source for NU athletics

Stephen Simmons was actually able to handle a kickoff, and got to the 26-yard line. Dan Persa completed the pass to Andrew Brewer for a gain of 14 yards. Persa then found Sidney Stewart for nine yards. Scott Concannon rushed the ball for the first down. Persa couldn’t find anyone on the first down, and then on second down, Persa was sacked for a loss of nine. On third and 19, somehow, Persa ran the ball for a first down. But, then, back to reality as Persa threw the ball away as he was dragged down in the backfield. After picking up six yards, Schmidt could only pick up one yard. clearly in four-down territory, the Cats opted to go for it, and, fittingly, Persa passed the ball to Drake Dunsmore, but it was too short for the first down.

A turnover on downs, and all the air has been sucked out of Ryan Field.

Looks like Joe Paterno isn’t content with the win. On first down, Clark aired the ball out to test Ricky Weina, but fortunately for the Cats, he threw the ball a little too short. Royster then took the conventional run for two yards. A third down screen was dropped, bringing up fourth down. Brewer couldn’t take the return too far (eight yards), as he got the ball to the NU 46-yard line.

Persa completed a pass to Arby Fields for four yards. A few missed passes, before Persa hit Demetrius Fields for seven yards, and then Arby Fields ran for five yards and a first down. It looked like Persa had a big play, but a hard hit on Kevin Frymire rendered the pass incomplete. A completed pass in addition to a roughing the passer puts the Cats on the 6-yard line. Persa then gets sacked and fumbles the ball, recovered by Penn State.

Brandon Beachum gained 16 yards on his first rush of the drive. Kevin Newsome then ran the ball for seven yards. Beachum picked up the first down with a five-yard rush.

That’s the game. Not a pretty second half. Stay tuned for post-game coverage and analysis.

Evan Royster continues to slam the ball down Northwestern’s throat, gaining seven yards. Daryll Clark then found Chaz Powell for eight yards to the NU 30. Clark found Derek Moye on a 25-yard hookup. On first and goal from the 5-yard line, Royster ran the ball three yards to the 2-yard line. This time, the NU defense could not hold, as Brandon Beachum ran the ball in for the touchdown. The Penn State extra point is good, and the Nittany Lions are now leading for the first time in the second half, 20-13.

Jeravin Matthews couldn’t handle the kickoff, and he was taken down at the 6-yard line. Dan Persa remains of the field, and he gained some breathing space with a four-yard rush. On second down, Stephen Simmons gained three yards, bringing up a third and three. Persa took the ball himself but could only gain two yards, bringing up fourth down. Stefan Demos punted the ball 38 yards to the Penn State 47.

One play, one touchdown. Daryll Clark found Moye for a 53-yard touchdown reception. That took nine seconds. That was the figurative “nail in the coffin.” The NU defense has done an admirable job this game, but it can’t keep defending short fields after the offense goes three-and-out. I wouldn’t expect to see Kafka in this game, since it is nearly out of reach.

Another fumbled kickoff by Jeravin Matthews. That’s the third one this game. Persa was able to find Scott Concannon on a pass for 20 yards, the longest for Persa this game. the following Persa pass attempt was tipped and was nearly a pick-six, but fortunately it fell to the ground. Persa then found Sidney Stewart for six yards. On third and four, Persa threw the ball in Zeke Markshausen’s vicinity, but it was not even close. Demos is out to punt for the Cats, and he got it to the Penn State 30, where it was fair caught.

All life has been taken out of Ryan Field.

And it only got worse. Royster ran 69 yards on the ensuing rush for a touchdown. With the extra point, the score is now 34-13.

Evan Royster starting things off with a six-yard rush. Daryll Clark then completed a pass to Chaz Powell, and he was able to gain 13 yards after some poor tackling by Northwestern. The pitch to Royster was fumbled by the running back, but he was able to recover the ball. To make things worse for the Nittany Lions, they were flagged for holding, so it is now first and 20. Clark promptly made up most of those 20 yards on a 17-yard pass to Andrew Quarless. Another pass, this time to Derek Moye, picked up the first down. Clark was then sacked by Vince Browne for a loss of eight yards, bringing the ball back to the Penn State 47. On second and 18, Clark threw a screen pass to Royster that went for seven yards thanks to some good defensive discipline. A Clark pass attempt to Moye was incomplete, bringing up fourth down. Jeremy Boone is out to punt, and the ball went into the end zone. The Cats will take over at their 20.

Dan Persa takes the snap once again for the Wildcats, and he begins with a pass to Zeke Markshausen for a loss of two yards. On the ensuing play, Persa flipped the ball to Stephen Simmons, and it was nearly a blown play. Persa was forced out of the pocket and couldn’t complete a pass to Andrew Brewer. Stefan Demos punted the ball 38 yards to the Penn State 42. Without Kafka, the NU offense is really struggling to get anything going. Penn State knows Persa wants to scramble around, and the Nittany Lions are taking that away.

Royster starting off the Penn State drive with an eight-yard rush. Royster rushed the ball again for five yards to the NU 45-yard line.

That’s the end of the third, and it’s not looking great for the Cats. On one hand, they have to be happy that the score is still tied. On the other hand, the Nittany Lions are driving, and from the look of their third quarter offense (only two yards of total offense), it doesn’t look like the Cats will reciprocate. Kafka still has not been ruled out, so we’ll see if the coaching staff is willing to risk it and put him in for Persa.

The second half kickoff was returned by Penn State to its own 41-yard line. After a six-yard pass and a three-yard rush by Evan Royster, Daryll Clark took the ball himself for a first down. Graham Zug broke a Ricky Weina tackle for six yards. Then, a rush by Royster rush went nowhere as Corey Wootton brought him down for a loss of three. But a Clark pass to Andrew Quarless got the necessary yardage for the first. Then, Clark fired a 27-yard pass, setting up first and goal on the 9-yard line. Clark rushed the ball himself, gaining two yards to the seven-yard line. NOTE: Vince Browne is back in the game after being injured in the first half. Royster could only gain one on the second-down rush, bringing up third and goal from the six. Clark was looking for Powell all the way, but Ricky Weina cut off the route, setting up a 23-yard field goal make by Collin Wagner. Penn State evens up the score 13-13.

The defense made another great stop inside the 10-yard line. Forcing the Nittany Lions to settle for two field goals instead of two touchdowns is hugely important for keeping the Cats in this game. The question is:
Who’s going to be the quarterback for the Cats this half?

Stephen Simmons took the kickoff back to the 25-yard line. And Dan Persa is the quarterback. On first down, he is sacked for a loss of 10 yards as Jared Odrick made the sack. Persa found Zeke Markshausen, but it was only for six yards. On third and 14, Zeke caught the ball for a gain of five, and then thanks to a plea from Markshausen, Penn State was hit with a late hit penalty, giving the Cats new life. Scott Concannon took the rush for five yards, and then took the carry on second down but lost one yard. On third and six, Persa lined up with an empty backfield, and couldn’t do anything, stepping out-of-bounds for a loss of three yards. Demos is out for the punt, and punted the ball to the Penn State 26-yard line, where it was fair caught.

Kafka is riding the stationary bike, trying to come back into the game.

Daryll Clark immediately started off hitting Derek Moye for 17 yards, and then went right back to Moye for another 14 yards. Clark then found Chaz Powell on a screen pass for four yards. A playaction pass to Zug moved the chains again.

Kafka was officially announced to have a leg injury and is questionable for returning.

Clark took the ball himself and gained another 12 yards. Penn State then got some help from the refs, as Jordan Mabin was flagged for pass interference. Curtis Drake made a reception, bringing the ball to the 2-yard line. Clark was trying to pass, but decided to take the ball in himself for the touchdown. The extra point was good, and the score is now tied 10-10.

Ever since the Kafka injury, the team seems to not be the same. That drive was too easy for the Nittany Lions. They drove 93 yards in only seven plays, which took just more than three minutes.

Simmons bobbled the kickoff, but he picked it right back up and proceeded down the field 44 yards to the Penn State 41-yard line. Persa opted to rush it on the first down, and picked up 13 yards to the 28-yard line. Concannon then took the ball and got three yards. Persa tried faking the ball to Concannon and then running it himself, but the Nittany Lions weren’t buying it. No gain on the play. Persa took the ball himself on third and and seven, but only picked up five yards. The offense lined up to go for it, but then called timeout, and Demos comes out for the 37-yard field goal. The field goal was blocked by Penn State’s Jared Odrick, so Penn State will take over at the 20-yard line.

Clark started the drive by hitting Powell for a three-yard pass. NU was bailed out as Zug looked up the field before he caught the ball, and the pass fell harmlessly to the ground. That probably would have been a touchdown. On third down, Clark ran around the backfield but couldn’t complete a pass. That brings up a fourth down, which is good for the Cats. What isn’t good is that Vince Browne is down on the field for NU, but he looks like he is able to walk off the field. On the punt, Brewer was able to return the ball back to the Penn State 48.

With 28 seconds left, the Cats take over. Persa completed the ball over the middle to Brewer for 18 yards, and then Persa promptly spiked the ball. His second-down pass to Sidney Stewart was incomplete, bringing up third and 10. Persa rushed for two yards to the 28-yard line. Demos will attempt a 45-yard field, and he nailed it. The Cats take the lead 13-10.

The kickoff was a squib, and the half comes to a close.

All things considered, Northwestern has to feel fortunate to come out of the first half with a lead. With Kafka injured, the question remains whether the NU offense will still be able to function with Dan Persa as quarterback.

To start the second quarter, Mike Kafka completed another 13-yard pass, this time to Zeke Markshausen. Kafka went right back to that, hitting Markshausen for another 13 yards. Then Kafka found Ebert for 16 yards. But the momentum was halted as Kakfa was brought down at the line of scrimmage. Stephen Simmons then took the ball for a three-yard rush. On third and seven, Kakfa rushed the ball himself, and thanks to a great block by Ben Burkett, got the first down. On first and goal, a fake handoff gave Kafka a huge running lane, and he was able to take the ball in for a touchdown. Stefan Demos kicked the extra point, giving the Cats a 10-3 lead. That was a quick 80-yard drive that made the Penn State defense look silly.

That could have been the best offensive drive Northwestern has had this season. That was only the second first-half touchdown Penn State has allowed this season. The Cats have 10 points already, which is more than the Nittany Lions are averaging giving up a game this season.

A short Demos kick sets the Penn State offense up at the 34-yard line. Royster started with a rush of six yards to the 40. Then, a pass to tight end Mickey Schuler looked to be stopped short of the first down marker at the 43, but he was not ruled down and proceeded to move across midfield. The play went under review, and sure enough, he was ruled down one yard shy of the first down at the 43-yard line, thanks to a Brad Phillips tackle. On the play, Royster was stopped shy of the first down, and NU declined an illegal shift penalty on Penn State. The Nittany Lions opted to punt, and Andrew Brewer waved fair catch on the 16-yard line, where the NU offense will take over. That was another great defensive stand by the Cats defense. Penn State has not been able to establish a running game so far this game.

NU didn’t help itself with a false start on first down. Kafka broke a shoestring tackle on a quarterback keeper to pick up 10 yards. On second down, Concannon rushed for three yards. Third down and NU oped to punt. Chaos ensued as Demos dropped the snap, and he flipped the ball to Mark Woodsum, and somehow he picked up a first down. On the next play, the momentum was promptly halted as Kafka was sacked for a loss of one. Markshausen was plastered by Sean Lee, but held on and picked up seven yards. NU took a timeout to draw up a play at this critical juncture. They elected to line up Dan Persa at quarterback, and he ran for seven yards and a first down. Persa then showcased his arm and passed to Brewer for six yards. Concannon rushed for two yards, but a holding penalty brought up a second and 14. Persa couldn’t find Dunsmore on second down. On third down, Persa could only manage to find Markshausen over the middle for five yards, setting up a Demos punt. Penn State called fair catch on the 7-yard line.

As for why Persa went in the game, it was clearly not just for a change of pace. Kafka is sitting on the bench with his helmet off, and is grabbing the back of his left leg. He appears to be trying to drop back on his leg. We’ll keep you posted on how it plays out.

On the ensuing kickoff, it looked like Penn State might break one, but Charles Brown had a great solo tackle to prevent anything from manifesting. On first down, Evan Royster ran for three yards, and on second down, Daryll Clark did some running of his own, picking up six yards. On third and two, Royster managed to pick up four yards and the first down. A three-yard pass on first down was followed by a nine-yard pass to Chaz Powell. Graham Zug tried to run over Ricky Weina after his catch, but he was brought down for six. Royster then ran for two yards, bringing up another third down. Royster got the call again, but there were no holes on the line of scrimmage, and he went nowhere. The Penn State punt went into the end zone, so the Cats will start at their 20.

Mike Kafka completed a pass to Drake Dunsmore on first down for 13 yards and a first down. That’s the end of the first quarter. The Cats are tied with the Nittany Lions and have the ball at their own 33-yard line. It is a pretty good start overall for NU. Obviously it would be better if the Cats were in the lead, but ending the first quarter with the ball and a tie is not bad at all. It seems like a similar start to the Michigan State game. If NU can put together a full 60 minutes of play, from what we saw in the first quarter, this could be a more interesting game than initially anticipated.

Penn State won the coin toss and elected to kick to the Wildcats to start off the game. Simmons had a solid return to the 36-yard line, but a holding call on Northwestern brought the Cats back to the 12. Mike Kafka started the game with a bullet pass to Andrew Brewer, who added yards after the catch for a gain of 13 yards to the 25. On second down, a fake handoff by Kafka might have faked him out too, as Kafka fumbled the ball, and Penn State recovered at the 24.

On first down, Daryll Clark nearly hit Graham Zug for a touchdown, but it was knocked away by Brendan Smith. On second down, Clark completed a pass to Derek Moye for a first down. On the ensuing play, Royster ran the ball for three yards to the 10-yard line. Clark tried to get the ball to Zug on a fade, but Brad Phillips had good coverage on him. On a big third down, Penn State could not snap the ball in time and had a delay of game, costing them five yards. Clark went for Zug again in the end zone, but newly-named starter Ricky Weina broke up the pass. A 32-yard field goal attempt by Collin Wagner was good. Penn State takes an early lead, 3-0, but give the NU defense credit for preventing a Nittany Lions touchdown.

Simmons took the kickoff return again, but this time was only able to get back to the 18-yard line. Kafka completed the pass to Scott Concannon for a gain of nine. Kafka then hit Brewer for eight more yards and a first down. He couldn’t make the completion to Sidney Stewart, but got a pass in to Brewer for six yards on second down. On their first third down of the game, Kafka found Stewart for five yards and a first down. Concannon had the first rush of the game for NU and picked up two, but on second down he carried again and lost five yards. On a long third down, the Cats tried running a screen pass to Jacob Schmidt, but could only muster nine yards, prompting a Stefan Demos punt. Fortunately for NU, Penn State was hit with an illegal substitution penalty, which gives the Cats a first down and a second life. Zeke Markshausen got his first action of the game on a rush, in which he looked like he would pass, but only got tow yards on the carry. He went back to what he did best on second down, catching a Kafka pass for nine yards and a first down. On the first down, Charles Brown couldn’t hold onto a pass that was thrown slightly behind him. Kafka went right back to Brown on a short pass, which only netted two yards. On another third-and-long, Kafka ran and was “ushered out-of-bounds” after picking up the necessary yards for a first down. The Cats then brought themselves back five yards after Markshausen was flagged with a false start. He couldn’t make up for his error on first down, as he gained only two yards on a pass play. Kafka then picked up six yards on the quarterback keeper. On third and seven, Kafka was forced out of the pocket and had to throw the ball away. Demos comes out for a 34-yard field goal attempt and nails it. NU ties the game up 3-3.

Sherrick McManis, who was listed as questionable, is not starting today’s game for the Cats. Instead, sophomore Ricky Weina will be starting at cornerback, alongside fellow sophomore Jordan Mabin.

With Weina’s start, Northwestern has now started nine different players in the secondary and has started 20 different players on defense overall this season.