It was an explosive start to a new era of Northwestern Wildcats football on Friday night.
A somewhat slow start snowballed into a runaway performance as Northwestern opened New Ryan Field with a 34-13 victory over Penn State. The Wildcats amassed 506 yards of total offense, with 413 of those yards coming from the ground game.
Running backs Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II powered the rushing attack as the duo combined for 350 yards and three scores in the game. Komolafe had 25 carries for 188 yards and a score, while Himon racked up 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 10 carries.
“I’d say it was more of a momentum thing,” Komolafe said after the game. “We come in to every opportunity we get on the field to make the most of it. Coach (Aristotle Thompson) preaches that, coach (Chip) Kelly preaches that, so today the ball happened to be in our hands and we had to make the most of it.”
Both running backs highlighted how last week’s close loss to Indiana left a bad taste in their mouth’s, but head coach David Braun praised his staff and the team for rebounding.
“It’s a credit to the response of our entire program; it’s a credit to our offensive line and really talented running back room,” Braun said. “I just have to give coach Kelly and our entire offensive staff a ton of credit. Sometimes, you can get discouraged by results and then forget the process.”
For Northwestern fans, the win was everything you want in a grand opening for a new stadium. And the Wildcats did it in style before, during and after the game.
A massive United States flag was spread out over the field as a fighter jet flew overhead during the national anthem. The team then came out through the Northwestern Club tunnel and onto the field with pyro and supporters making a running lane from the north to south endzones, allowing the Wildcats to run all the way to the Wildside student section at the opposite end. And then once game action began, Northwestern scored on their opening drive off a 50-yard Jackson Kleather field goal.
In the first quarter, quarterback Aidan Chiles carried the ball in for a 2-yard score for the first touchdown scored in New Ryan Stadium, putting the Wildcats up, 10-0. Chiles finished with six carries for 21 yards in the game.
Penn State running back Carson Hansen scored from eight yards out to cut into the deficit early in the second, but Himon scored twice before halftime (38 yards and then 11 yards) to give Northwestern the 24-7 lead at the break.
That score remained unchanged until the final the final 73 seconds of the third quarter when Komolafe scored from a yard out. Actually, he scored twice on this drive but he was called a yard short after review.
Quarterback Rocco Becht connected with Chase Sowell for a 16-yard score with 7:53 left in the game, but after the Nittany Lions failed to convert the two-point try, the Wildcats firmed up the defenses. Kleather notched another 37-yard field goal for the final.
Braydon Brus and Robert Fitzgerald each picked off Becht in the game, though Northwestern did lose one fumble early on themselves.
Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles (0) hands the ball off to Caleb Komolafe on Friday at New Ryan Field in Evanston against Penn State. He joked about having an easy night, saying, “And today, it was handing the ball off to Joe and Komo.” (Damien Dennis/TPM)
Chiles joked he had a relatively easy night after the game, as he went 10-of-14 for 93 yards through the air while getting sacked once.
“My guys are just going,” he said. “If all 10 guys around me are working hard, I’m doing whatever the team needs to succeed. And today, it was handing the ball off to Joe and Komo.”
When Chiles took a the knee in the closing seconds of the game, he turned around and ran to the student section to celebrate with a Wildside that kept the energy all night long, taunting Penn State and cheering for the Wildcats.
“Like, they’re not just fans, they’re not just there to watch. They’re there to participate in the game as well,” said Chiles. “So, you know, for them to stay throughout the entire game … that was very supportive of them. And to go, you know, let them know that we appreciate them.”
Northwestern is hoping for a repeat of the game atmosphere next weekend when the Wildcats host Ball State for homecoming. Coach Braun urged students and the community to not miss out.
“This is something that dreams are made of — a night like tonight,” Braun said. “What we saw with this community tonight is something that gets me emotional.”
