Northwestern runs for 413 yards to beat Penn State 34–13 in Ryan Field opener

Northwestern opened the new Ryan Field with a 34–13 victory over Penn State on Friday, powered by a rushing attack the Nittany Lions could not contain. Caleb Komolafe ran for 188 yards and Joseph Himon II added 162, combining for three of the Wildcats’ four rushing touchdowns.

Northwestern finished with 413 rushing yards on 55 attempts and 506 yards overall. Penn State managed 48 yards on the ground and 291 total. The Wildcats held the ball for 36:05, giving their offense room to build a lead and leaving the Nittany Lions chasing the game through the second half.

The 413-yard total is Northwestern’s highest since its 444-yard performance in a 37–20 win over Illinois on November 22, 2003, according to the university’s postgame report.

The win moves Northwestern to 3–1 overall and 1–1 in the Big Ten. Penn State falls to 3–2 and 0–2 in conference play after its second consecutive loss. Penn State converted five of 14 third downs and committed two turnovers, both interceptions. Northwestern finished five of 12 on third down.

The stadium opening supplied the setting for Northwestern’s first conference win. Big Ten Football marked Friday’s first game at the new Ryan Field with this post showing the crowd.

Himon supplied the decisive response after Penn State briefly narrowed the gap. Carson Hansen’s eight-yard touchdown run made it 10–7 with 10:39 remaining in the second quarter. Northwestern answered with Himon’s 38-yard touchdown at 9:25, then added his 11-yard score at 1:55 to take a 24–7 lead into halftime.

Those two touchdowns made Penn State’s lone first-half scoring drive a short interruption. Himon needed only 10 carries to finish with his 162 yards, including a 47-yard run. Komolafe carried 25 times, averaged 7.5 yards per attempt and scored from one yard out late in the third quarter to extend the lead to 31–7.

Aidan Chiles completed 10 of 14 passes for 93 yards without an interception and scored Northwestern’s first touchdown on a two-yard run. Jackson Kleather provided the opening points with a 50-yard field goal and added a 37-yarder with 2:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht finished 26 of 41 for 243 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His 16-yard touchdown pass to Chase Sowell cut the deficit to 31–13 with 7:53 left, but the two-point conversion failed. Sowell led the Nittany Lions with five catches for 68 yards. Northwestern intercepted Becht again on Penn State’s final possession and closed the game with kneel-downs.

The teams return to action October 10. Northwestern hosts Ball State at Ryan Field, while Penn State returns home to face USC in its White Out game.

Big Ten Football has published extended highlights of the October 2 stadium opener.

Sydney Supple posted this look at Ryan Field on October 2, before Northwestern opened the stadium against Penn State. Northwestern describes the redevelopment as a $875 million initiative.