Northwestern looks to rebound against Howard from lopsided loss to No. 6 Penn State

2023-10-06 00:23

Northwestern looks to bounce back against Howard from a lopsided loss to No. 6 Penn State

Howard (2-2) at Northwestern (2-3), Saturday, 3 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)

Line: No line, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: First meeting.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Northwestern went from wiping out a 21-point deficit in an overtime win over Minnesota to getting pounded 41-13 by No. 6 Penn State last week. The Wildcats got steamrolled in the second half with the Nittany Lions outscoring them 31-3 after the two teams were tied through two quarters. Now, they'll try to bounce back against an FCS team.

KEY MATCHUP

Northwestern's defensive line against Howard's run game. The Wildcats are allowing 174.4 yards rushing per game, and the only Big Ten team giving up more is Illinois (179.6). They did a better job against Penn State, holding the Nittany Lions to 134 yards on the ground and 3.4 per carry, but they could be tested against Howard. The Bison have four players with more than 100 yards rushing, led by Ian Wheeler with 267.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Howard: QB Quinton Williams. Williams has completed 65 of 113 passes with eight touchdowns and one interception. He has also run for two scores.

Northwestern: QBs Ben Bryant or Brendan Sullivan. Interim coach David Braun said he “anticipates” Bryant being ready to play Saturday, though he stopped short of committing to it. Bryant exited in the fourth quarter last week after he landed on his right shoulder getting sacked for the fifth time. He went from throwing for 396 yards and four touchdowns against Minnesota to finishing with 122 yards against Penn State. If he's unavailable, Braun said the Wildcats will go with Sullivan, who finished last week's game.

FACTS & FIGURES

Wheeler is averaging 9.9 yards per carry and has two rushing touchdowns. ... Kasey Hawthorne has run for 160 yards and four touchdowns on 14 attempts. ... Northwestern will meet an HBCU for the first time ever. ... The Wildcats are averaging 305.2 yards on offense — second-worst in the Big Ten — and a league-low 87.4 yards rushing. ... Northwestern has allowed 18 sacks. Illinois is the only team in the league to give up more, with 21. ... LB Bryce Gallagher is second in the conference with 51 tackles.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll