No offense as Penn State wears down Northwestern 31-7

Penn State wide receiver Juwan Johnson, left, runs with the ball against Northwestern corner back Montre Hartage during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Evanston, Ill., Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

For all the talk about the offensive stars No. 4 Penn State and Northwestern had at their disposal Saturday in Evanston, one thing stood out for the longest time.

The defenses.

The Nittany Lions finally wore down the Wildcats 31-7 before a homecoming crowd of 41,061 at Ryan Field.

NU (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) barely avoided its first home shutout since 1999, finally scoring on a one-yard run by backup quarterback Matt Alviti with 1:46 left.

‘‘To all the classes that had their homecoming, sorry to disappoint them,’’ Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald said. ‘‘We had ample opportunities to seize momentum in the first half and couldn’t get it done. Against an outstanding football team, you just can’t do that. I’m incredibly disappointed in the loss. Now we have to come back swinging.’’

Penn State (6-0, 3-0) led 10-0 after a first half that left open the question of how the Nittany Lions will fare against fellow juggernauts Ohio State and Michigan.

Neither offensive line was able to provide much protection in the first half. That meant Penn State star Saquon Barkley managed minus-1 rushing yards before halftime. NU’s defense also sacked Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley four times.

Barkley finished with 75 rushing yards on 16 carries, including third-quarter touchdown runs of one and 53 yards. But 15 of those carries netted only 22 yards as the Wildcats’ defense bottled him up most of the day.

‘‘Focusing on surrounding the ball, keeping him inside and in front was one of our goals,’’ NU safety Kyle Queiro said. ‘‘We did that, for the most part; he had one big run. We have to give more, though. We just have to give more.’’

Meanwhile, lack of protection meant another frantic day for Wildcats quarterback Clayton Thorson, who was intercepted twice and lost a fumble on one of the four times he was sacked. Thorson completed 19 of 36 passes for 142 yards.

‘‘I’m disappointed,’’ Thorson said. ‘‘Our defense gave us a chance to win. We just have to respond to adversity and keep going.’’

After NU had six three-and-outs and one four-and-out to start the second half, Fitzgerald wouldn’t put the offensive woes on Thorson.

‘‘It’s hard to be successful when you’ve got people pushed up in your face,’’ he said after an offensive-line shakeup failed to produce results. ‘‘It looked to me like a bunch of one-man breakdowns. We were trying to do some different things, change some protections. We have to look at what we’re doing schematically, and we have to look at personnel.’’

NOTES: Wildcats middle linebacker Paddy Fisher and safety Godwin Igwebuike will miss the first half Saturday at Maryland after being ejected for targeting in the second half.

‘‘I’m a fan of the call,’’ coach Pat Fitzgerald said. ‘‘I think we need to eliminate head-to-head contact. I told both guys, ‘We have to lower the strike zone.’ There was no intent to hurt anybody, but I’ll always be a proponent of that call. I just have to coach them better, to be more disciplined.’’

• NU running back Justin Jackson, who needed 83 yards to become the Wildcats’ all-time leading rusher, gained 67 yards on 13 carries in the first half but finished with 66 yards on 16 carries.

Still, Jackson, who has been battling a leg injury, looked better.

‘‘He’s gaining on it,’’ Fitzgerald said. ‘‘It’s been a tough month. You saw the spark. He looked much better today.’’

Follow me on Twitter @HerbGould and at TMGcollegesports.com.