Penn State vs. Northwestern 2006 GAME STORY

The game plan was obvious to go up top early and often using Anthony Morelli's big arm to generate some downfield offense. It worked well when he targeted Deon Butler who was on the receiving end of a few first half bombs from number 14. That provided the Lions with plenty of scoring opportunities when red zone struggles came to the surface again. With only three field goals to show for all of the red zone trips, Penn State turned back to the running game to finally get the ball in the end zone just before halftime. And that's where Tony Hunt thrived, as he had himself a very good day running the ball and getting scores on the board. The defense was all over Northwestern and that was to be expected, but the 'feel good' story of this game was that the offense seemed to finally hit some kind of stride.
Penn State's Top Performers:
Deon Butler: 11 catches, 216 yards
Anthony Morelli: 19 of 33, 288 yards, Int.
Tony Hunt: 28 carries, 137 yards, 3 TDs
Paul Posluszny: 10 tackles, TFL, 1 PD
Penn State got back on the winning track to improve its record to 3-2 on the year. Northwestern dropped to 2-3 and would finish out 2006 with a 4-8 record and a 9th place finish in the Big Ten Conference.