EVANSTON, Ill. — Caleb Komolafe rushed for a career-high 188 yards and a touchdown, and Northwestern routed Penn State 34-13 on Friday night in the first game at the new Ryan Field.
Led by Komolafe and Joseph Himon II, Northwestern set season highs with 413 yards rushing and 506 yards overall. Himon finished with a career-high 162 yards and two TDs on 10 carries.
It was a memorable performance by the Wildcats (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten) in the debut of their fancy $875 million stadium — built on the same site as the former Ryan Field. They led from start to finish while bouncing back from a tough 29-23 loss at No. 6 Indiana.
Penn State (3-2, 0-2) dropped its second consecutive game in its first season under coach Matt Campbell. The Nittany Lions blew a 17-point lead in a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin in their conference opener.
Rocco Becht was 26-for-41 passing for 243 yards and a touchdown for Penn State. But he also threw two interceptions.
The Nittany Lions, which next USC on Oct. 10, finished with 20 first downs and 291 total yards after they had 12 first downs and 233 yards against the Badgers.
Northwestern opened a 10-0 lead on Aidan Chiles’ 2-yard keeper with 5:07 left in the first quarter. Himon set up the TD with a 47-yard run.
Carson Hansen had an 8-yard touchdown run for Penn State in the second quarter. But Himon responded for Northwestern, scoring on rushes of 38 and 11 yards.
The Nittany Lions had a chance to cut into the deficit right before halftime, but Ryan Barker missed a 45-yard field goal.
The Wildcats, which next host Ball Stae on Oct. 10, opened a 31-7 lead on Komolafe’s 1-yard TD with 1:13 left in the third. Chiles had a 15-yard run and a 31-yard pass to Griffin Wilde on consecutive plays on the drive.
