The Northwestern Wildcats may soon be nationally ranked. They came into the most anticipated game of the season, the very first one ever at new Ryan Field, as slight underdogs. The Wildcats did a whole lot more than just cover the spread! They blew out Penn State 34-13, in a game that was even more lopsided than it sounds.
The Cats pulled away early, racing out to a 24-7 halftime lead, and never looked back.
At work: pic.twitter.com/0nktOrsYD1
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) October 3, 2026
Northwestern racked up well over 300 yards rushing in just three quarters, finishing with 413 on the night. Two of Northwestern’s three-headed tailback monster, Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II just kept racking up chunk play after chunk play after chunk play.
The new stadium itself was always going to be the main story, no matter what happened. And I really do love what new Ryan Field does with the lights on the seats, and how they all blink on and off in unison, in time with the music.
Chip Kelly is on a heater again tonight, with his playcalls. Northwestern running roughshod over Penn State so far tonight
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) October 3, 2026
The best was the “lightning” effect every time Brian Johnson sings “THUNDER” on “Thunderstruck.”…The Brian Johnson era AC/DC song is a good complement to what Northwestern plays when they force turnovers- the “OI! OI!” from Bon Scott era AC/DC “TNT”.
However, the Northwestern offense had something to say about that. Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly was once again in his bag, absolutely in the zone, just like he was against Colorado.
Both Himon and Komolafe racked up 150+ yards rushing by the fourth quarter. The Northwestern rushing attack was just utterly dominant throughout. Himon finished with 162 yards on 10 carries, two touchdowns. Komolafe had 188 yards rushing on 25 carries, one touchdown.
ANd on the opposite side, as Penn State’s rushing attack just could not going, at all.
The Nittany Lions yards-per-rush average was just plain embarassing, 2.2 ypc (48 yards on 22 carries) as NU dominated both lines of scrimmage, all night long.
We’ll be back later with postgame notable quotables, final stats, nuggets and tidbits.
Omg! A leather couch in the Northwestern press conference room at the new Ryan Field pic.twitter.com/icOy0nxgO2
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) October 3, 2026
And in a future upcoming post, we’ll have much more on the new Ryan Field, and all its features.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.