{
  "id": 11691913,
  "title": "Penn State football team’s report card vs. Northwestern",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/penn-state-football-teams-report-card-vs-northwestern",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T13:32:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/penn-state-football-team-report-133200759.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Friday night, Penn State's football team suffered a 34-13 defeat against Northwestern at Ryan Field. The grading for the team's performance is as follows:\n\nQuarterbacks received a failing grade. Rocco Becht made several misfires on passes to open receivers and threw two interceptions, marking his second consecutive poor performance.\n\nRunning backs struggled to make an impact with only 42 rushing yards on 19 carries. James Peoples, Carson Hansen, and Quinton Martin combined for the total, which simply wasn't enough to win in the Big Ten conference.\n\nReceivers received a C-grade. Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen managed to connect on 11 catches for 113 yards. However, despite being open multiple times, Becht's passes went awry.\n\nOffensive linemen also received a D. They failed to create significant holes for the running backs and their pass protection was inconsistent, leading to less than 300 total yards for the team.\n\nDefensive linemen fared poorly as well. Their tackles often occupied two blockers, but the ends faced pressure and were unable to generate much pressure, allowing Northwestern's misdirection to work.\n\nLinebackers scored a D. Tony Rojas tallied 12 tackles, including 3.5 in the backfield, but Kooper Ebel missed three tackles that led to long runs by Northwestern.\n\nDefensive backs earned a C-grade. They allowed one long pass on a run fake and had limited action due to Northwestern's Aidan Chiles not having to throw often.\n\nSpecial teams received a C-grade as well. Nathan Tiyce had a decent punting game, but Ryan Barker missed a field goal, and the return game yielded little production.\n\nFinally, the coaches received an F. The blowout loss was deemed a complete failure by Matt Campbell and the coaching staff. Both the offense and defense were dominated, especially at the line of scrimmage.",
  "summary": "EVANSTON, Ill. – Grading the Penn State football team on its 34-13 loss to Northwestern Friday night at Ryan Field: Quarterbacks F: Rocco Becht misfired on several passes to open receivers and threw two interceptions in his second straight poor performance. Running backs D: James Peoples, Carson Hansen and Quinton Martin combined for 42 rushing yards on 19 carries, which won’t get it done in ...",
  "key_points": [
    "Penn State football team lost 34-13 to Northwestern.",
    "Quarterbacks and running backs received failing grades.",
    "Offensive and defensive linemen earned D grades."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Iowa football vs. Ohio State expert predictions nationally",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/iowa-football-vs-ohio-state-expert-predictions-nationally",
        "published": "2026-10-03T14:02:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "Ohio State vs. Iowa: Where to Watch the 2026 College Football Game Online",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/ohio-state-vs-iowa-where-to-watch-the-2026-college-football-game",
        "published": "2026-10-03T15:45:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}