5 takeaways from Penn State's loss to Northwestern

If you thought last week was bad, well, it was. Penn State's loss to UCLA was about as brutal as it could have been, but somehow the Nittany Lions sank even lower this weekend. Penn State's 22-21 loss to Northwestern was its third straight, and the salt just continues to pour on a season that is spiraling out of control.

Here are five takeaways from Penn State's latest setback.

Forget the College Football Playoff; Worry about bowl eligibility

Penn State's College Football Playoff hopes were probably dashed a week ago with the loss to UCLA, but you can forget about a playoff run for good now. Penn State making the playoff as a 3-loss team would be unlikely under normal circumstances if those losses were to Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana. But losses to UCLA and Northwestern as 20-plus point favorites? There is no coming back from that, you would think, even if Penn State were to strike lightning and upset the Buckeyes and Hoosiers, who are now leading the Big Ten following their latest wins this week.

In fact, Penn State may now be in a spot where it may have to battle just to become bowl-eligible. Penn State plays on the road next week at Iowa, which is always tricky, and they will do so with a new starting quarterback. After that is Ohio State and Indiana in back-to-back weeks. And games against Michigan State and Nebraska is rising in difficulty by the week as well. Penn State will have to win at least one of those games to go into the final game of the season against Rutgers with a shot at bowl eligibility.

A bitter end for Drew Allar

Penn State's starting quarterback had his share of critics, but there was never a doubt Allar fought until the end no matter what the situation may have been. So even if things were not going well for Penn State this season, Allar deserved a better ending to his time in a Penn State uniform than suffering a season-ending injury in a mid-October game against Northwestern. Allar came back to Penn State for one more shot at leading Penn State to a Big Ten title and playoff appearance. For his season and college career to end this way is difficult to watch.

Lack of discipline hurts Penn State defense

Penn State had a severe lack of discipline on display in the loss to Northwestern. Costly penalties on defense for roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness gave Northwestern big chunks of yards at rough times. Penn State also committed a penalty after a Northwestern kickoff that put Penn State's offense in a worse starting spot on a possession. In all, Penn State was called for 6 penalties for 71 yards. By contrast, Northwestern committed 2 penalties for a total of 10 yards.

Kaytron Allen showed up to play

If there was one player who clearly showed up to play, it may have been running back Kaytron Allen. Penn State's leading rusher for the season carried the football for the first few offensive series and looked pretty good. Allen rushed for 90 yards on 16 carries and scored a touchdown. And if not for a video replay overturning a ruling on the field, he would have had 2 touchdowns (the video replay was correct in taking the touchdown off the field).

Penn State program needs new leadership

There is a segment of the Penn State fanbase that has been in this camp for a few years, but there is good reason to be seeing the calls for change getting louder by the week. James Frnaklin has taken this program about as far as he can. Over a decade has shown what he is capable of doing and what he cannot accomplish. Aside from the 2020 season, Penn State is now on track for one of its most disappointing seasons under his watch. For a team that was hyped as the best all-around team Franklin has ever had, and one that was receiving national championship expectations, the time for a change in leadership feels like it should be approaching.

After losing to UCLA, Franklin had a list of excuses stemming from not handling the previous loss to Oregon well. That was inexcusable for many reasons, but some face could have been saved if Penn State came out with some fire against Northwestern. Instead, we got another scoreless first quarter with a turnover in the end zone, a slow crawl to a 14-13 lead at halftime and one touchdown at home after halftime. And that was all before losing its starting quarterback. Has he lost the team? The performance we have seen on the field the past two weeks lends some credibility to the question being asked.

Penn State may not be ready to make any drastic changes in the middle of the season, as disappointing as this one has become. But a bye week after the road trip to Iowa, before facing Ohio State and Indiana? If things do not go well again next week, the timing may be appropriate.

This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: 5 takeaways from Penn State's loss to Northwestern