Northwestern is scheduled to open the new Ryan Field on Friday against Penn State, bringing football back to the Evanston stadium site exactly 100 years after the original venue’s first game.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. Eastern, or 7 p.m. Central, with the game televised by FOX. The October 2 matchup begins Northwestern’s home schedule at the rebuilt stadium after the Wildcats played their first two home games at their temporary lakefront venue.
Northwestern enters at 2–1 after losing 29–23 at Indiana last Friday. Quarterback Aidan Chiles threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns in that game and added a rushing touchdown.
Griffin Wilde caught both of Chiles’ touchdown passes. Luke Dehnicke finished with seven receptions for 140 yards as the Wildcats lost their conference opener on the road.
Penn State is 3–1 after a 24–20 home defeat against Wisconsin on Saturday. The Nittany Lions forced three interceptions but could not protect their lead through the final quarter of their Big Ten opener.
Freshman cornerback Josiah Zayas returned one of those interceptions 51 yards for his first career touchdown. Daryus Dixson and Tony Rojas also intercepted passes, with the first two takeaways coming on consecutive Wisconsin possessions.
Penn State leads its series against Northwestern 16–6 and has won seven of the 10 meetings played on the road. The Wildcats won the most recent matchup 22–21 during the 2025 season.
Friday’s game will be Penn State’s latest appearance on a Friday night. The program’s game notes list a 17–8–1 record in Friday games and wins in each of its three previous Big Ten road games played on that day.
The opening date matches the original stadium’s first game on October 2, 1926. Northwestern announced in February that it would play its early home fixtures at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium before moving into Ryan Field for the Penn State game.
Northwestern and Penn State both begin Friday’s matchup seeking their first conference victory of the season, with the Wildcats hosting the first football game in the new building.
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This page is an original Sporting Page summary. The reporting remains with Penn State game notes.
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