College Football Rankings, Week 7: Notre Dame moves to No. 7, Northwestern drops out

Notre Dame remained undefeated and moved up to No. 7 in the AP Top 25.

Northwestern vs. Penn State 2012: Wildcats struggle holding lead, fall from undefeated ranks

The Northwestern Wildcats were in position to move to 6-0 with a 28-17 lead entering the fourth quarter, but the Penn State Nittany Lions scored 22 unanswered in the fourth quarter to knock the Wildcats from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Rodger Sherman of Northwestern blog Sippin' on Purple puts much of the blame on the defense:

With that football stuff said: you have to do better than that. You have to win that game, up by two scores in the fourth quarter. Instead, Northwestern's defense got absolutely eviscerated in the last quarter. Zach Zwinek got about three or four yards after first contact every carry, and Matt McGloin dinked-and-dunked Northwestern to a fitting death. I don't think he threw the ball downfield more than 10 yards once in the final quarter, but Northwestern couldn't stop it. There was no pressure, and while the coverage was alright, having five guys short, Northwestern couldn't keep all of them from getting the ball.

Sherman also noted that Penn State had a lot of success on fourth down, converting multiple fourth downs during the game.

Northwestern vs. Penn State final score: Wildcats suffer first loss, 39-28

The Penn State Nittany Lions scored 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and knocked off the previously undefeated Northwestern Wildcats 39-28.

Northwestern vs. Penn State score: Late first half touchdown gives Wildcats 14-10 lead

The explosive Northwestern Wildcats offense has struggled to get on track, but a touchdown in the final minute of the first half has given them a 14-10 halftime lead over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Penn State dominated possession early, and pushed a 3-0 lead out to 10-0 early in the second quarter after a one-yard plunge by running back Zach Zwinak.

But the momentum began to shift after Penn State muffed a punt deep in their own territory. Northwestern capitalized on the short field, cutting the Wildcats deficit to 10-7 on a two-yard dash by running back Venric Mark.

After a big fourth down stop by the Northwestern defense, Wildcats quarterback Trevor Siemian engineered an eight-play, 66-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a 11-yard pass from Siemian to Tony Jones with 30 seconds left in the half.

The late touchdown drive was a great sign for the Wildcats' offense, as prior to that, they had managed just 57 yards of total offense. Northwestern will get the ball first in the second half and look to build off that final drive.

Northwestern vs. Penn State score: Nittany Lions grab 3-0 lead after first quarter

Through one quarter, the high powered offensive attack of the No. 24 Northwestern Wildcats has been stymied by the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions lead 3-0.

One week after posting a school-record 704 yards in their Big Ten opener against Indiana, Northwestern managed only 12 total yards in the first against Penn State. Quarterback Trevor Siemian had just two yards passing, while Venric Mark and Kain Colter combined for 10 yards rushing. The Wildcats have yet to convert a third down opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Penn State offense has done an excellent job controlling the ball, holding possession for 80 percent of the quarter. Quarterback Matthew McGloin completed 10-of-13 passes in the opening frame for 75 yards.

Penn State threatened to put up six late in the first quarter, but settled for a 21-yard field goal by Sam Ficken after a drop in the end zone.

Northwestern Vs. Penn State 2012: TV Schedule, Game Time, Spread And More

Northwestern tries to stay undefeated as the team travels to Penn State Saturday.