Northwestern wide receiver Brandon Horn was streaking down the sideline and had a step on two Penn State defenders. But the deep pass was slightly underthrown and Horn didn’t come back for the ball.
Both Penn State defenders had their sights set on an interception, but cornerback Rich Gardner smashed into Yaacov Yisrael when he was leaping for the pick and the ball deflected toward Horn.
The NU receiver reached behind his back with one hand and scooped up the ball without ever breaking stride on the 41-yard, go-ahead touchdown reception with less than five minutes remaining in the game.
The play told the story of the game — NU created chances, NU made mistakes, Penn State couldn’t capitalize and the Wildcats (3-3, 5-5 Big Ten) never quit.
The Cats’ defense made the stops to keep the team in the game, and a trick play gave the offense the spark it needed in the 17-7 victory over Penn State (0-6, 2-8) in front of 26,188 fans at a chilly Ryan Field on Saturday.
“The story of the game is the defense time and time again standing up in a big time way,” NU coach Randy Walker said. “It was not a pretty sight there for part of the game.”
With sloppy play preventing his team from scoring in the first three quarters, Walker called for a “change up” to turn the game around.
The Cats used a fake field goal play called “fastball” to gain momentum and set up a touchdown in their 16-7 win over Wisconsin on Oct. 25. Walker took fastball from Ball State more than a decade ago, but like all great pitchers, Walker decided to add an offspeed pitch to his repertoire to keep the opposition honest.
“I’ve carried that doggone play for 10 years at least, and we’ve run fastball a bunch of times, but we never got to change up,” Walker said. “I made that one up. It’s all allusion, magic, slight of hand.”
On a 4th-and-7 from the the Penn State 19, the Cats’ field goal team rushed onto the field without kicker Brian Huffman. The ball was snapped to holder Eric Batis, who faked sliding the ball between running back Noah Herron’s legs — giving the ball to Herron is what Batis does in fastball — and he took off to the outside for the first down.
“Some guys weren’t too sure it would work, but I had confidence,” Batis said. “All I know is you better not blink when our field goal team goes out on the field.”
Two plays after the trick play, the Cats got on the board when tailback Jason Wright leaped into the end zone on only his second carry of the game. While Wright was suffering from an ankle injury, the Cats’ offense was plagued by mistakes.
A Wright fumble on the first drive of the game, a second-quarter interception in Penn State territory, a dropped pass that was a sure touchdown, a failed fourth-and-goal run from the one-yard line and a Herron fumble on the nine-yard line prevented the Cats from scoring.
“It’s frustrating for the offense,” said Herron, who filled in for the injured Wright. “We had three or four drives where we drove down the field but we did not score points. It kind of takes the wind out of your sails, but today we just kept going. We kept fighting and fighting until we got points.”
Herron and the Cats’ offense struggled to score, but not to move the ball. NU racked up 441 total yards against Penn State, which is the most yards the offense has gained this year against a Big Ten foe.
Against Penn State, the Cats’ successfully used more option plays than usual, and quarterback Brett Basanez scrambled for 44 yards. Basanez threw for 188 yards on Saturday, but his attitude impressed coach Walker more than his stats.
“The interception wasn’t on him,” Walker said. “He did a good job all game of not panicking and not losing his poise.”
While the offense kept its cool after the mistakes, the defense kept the Nittany Lions from extending their lead.
NU didn’t allow Penn State to gain a single first down on three consecutive drives in the fourth quarter and the Nittany Lions had only five first downs in the second half. Penn State’s offense didn’t cross into NU territory until the final drive of the game when the Cats’ victory was already in hand.
“We always say we want to rise to the occasion and respond,” linebacker Tim McGarigle said. “It is real important to come out and get a three-and-out stop.
“We felt like we could have shut this team out after the game.”
The defense yielded only 334 total yards, and the last 45 yards came in the final minutes when NU had sealed the victory. NU’s defense collapsed on the run, and the Nittany Lions had 93 yards rushing and averaged only three yards a carry. Last year Penn State rolled up 453 yards rushing in a 49-0 win in State College, Pa.
“I have seen our eyes go dim in the past, when there is nothing behind our eyes,” Walker said. “But today the flame never flickered.”
