Penn State Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Northwestern in Week 6

2 of 4

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

3. Justin Jackson fails to reach 100 yards for second week in a row

After leading the Big Ten in rushing last season with 1,524 yards on 298 carries and 15 touchdowns, senior running back Justin Jackson has struggled to find production in 2017.

More from Penn State Nittany Lions

Over Northwestern’s first four games of the season, Jackson has only run the ball 64 times for 273 yards and four touchdowns, with only two 100-yard rushing performance and only one game with over 20 carries.

And some of these performances have been downright ugly.

In the Wildcats’ Week 2 loss to Duke, 41-17, Jackson was only given given carries for a paltry 18 yards, arguably the worst game of his entire career in Evanston.

And in the team’s Week 4 loss to Wisconsin, Jackson didn’t fare much better against the Badgers’ fourth-ranked rushing defense. Jackson was again held to single-digit carries (9) for less than three yards per carry (25).

Simply put, Northwestern’s rushing offense can be shut down against a strong defensive front, something Penn State should be able to take advantage of.

So far this season, the Nittany Lions have put together the 39th-ranked rushing defense, and have only allowed three total rushing touchdowns in five games.

With one of the deepest defensive line rotations in all of football, and a veteran trio of talented linebackers led by senior Jason Cabinda, the Nittany Lions have recorded 44 tackles for loss, good for the third-most of any team in the nation.

Jackson may eventually return to his 2016 form, but it definitely won’t be in Week 6 against the Nittany Lions.

Home/Penn State Nittany Lions