Around 12:30 p.m. Saturday, a Google search result (likely) peaked: When’s the last time Northwestern football has beaten a top-10 opponent?
For nearly one-and-a-half hours on a sunny day from Evanston, Northwestern wasn’t just avoiding a total beatdown at the hands of No. 6 Penn State; in fact, the Wildcats were tied with one of the best teams in the country. The ‘Cats forced PSU’s first turnover in five games on the literal first play of the game; became the first opponent to lead Penn State in over 16 quarters of football; and had the Nittany Lion offense totally out of sorts.