End of Second Quarter; Northwestern 13, Penn State 10
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.
