Northwestern went from wiping out a 21-point deficit in an overtime win over Minnesota to getting pounded 41-13 by No. 6 Penn State last week. The Wildcats (2-3) got steamrolled in the second half with the Nittany Lions outscoring them 31-3 after the teams were tied through two quarters.
Now they’ll try to bounce back against FCS program Howard (2-2) on Saturday at Ryan Field in Evanston (2 p.m., BTN).
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Line: No line, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: First meeting.
Northwestern’s defensive line against Howard’s run game.
The Wildcats are allowing 174.4 rushing yards per game, and the only Big Ten team giving up more is Illinois (179.6). They did a better job against Penn State, holding the Nittany Lions to 134 yards on the ground and 3.4 per carry, but they could be tested against Howard. The Bison have four players with more than 100 rushing yards, led by Ian Wheeler with 267.
Howard: QB Quinton Williams. Williams has completed 65 of 113 passes with eight touchdowns and one interception. He also has run for two scores.
Northwestern: QBs Ben Bryant or Brendan Sullivan. Interim coach David Braun said he “anticipates” Bryant being ready to play Saturday, though he stopped short of committing to it. Bryant exited in the fourth quarter last week after he landed on his right shoulder while getting sacked for the fifth time. He went from throwing for 396 yards and four touchdowns against Minnesota to finishing with 122 yards against Penn State. If he’s unavailable, Braun said the Wildcats would go with Sullivan, who finished last week’s game.
Wheeler is averaging 9.9 yards per carry and has two rushing touchdowns. … Howard’s Kasey Hawthorne has run for 160 yards and four touchdowns on 14 attempts. … Northwestern will meet a Historically Black College or University for the first time. … The Wildcats are averaging 305.2 yards on offense — second-worst in the Big Ten — and a league-low 87.4 rushing yards. … Northwestern has allowed 18 sacks. Illinois is the only team in the conference to give up more with 21. … Wildcats LB Bryce Gallagher is second in the conference with 51 tackles.