Penn State Football: 5 Players to Watch vs. Northwestern

Penn State plays it's biggest game of the year to date when the No. 24 Northwestern Wildcats travel to Beaver Stadium. The Wildcats are 5-0 on the season and will look to stay unbeaten against the 3-2 Nittany Lions.

The Lions enter the week on a three-game winning streak after starting the season 0-2.  Penn State has outscored the opposition 93-27 in the three victories.

The offense has been rolling behind the senior leadership of quarterback Matt McGloin. McGloin has meshed well with new head coach Bill O'Brien and seems to be a perfect fit for O'Brien's NFL-style passing attack.

Northwestern won't be an easy opponent. Penn State is going to have to play solid in all facets of the game in order to come out on top.

The following slides highlight five important players who are worth watching against the Wildcats.

RB: Zach Zwinak

Sophomore running back Zach Zwinak has made the most of his opportunities in 2012. Due to injuries to running backs Bill Belton, Derek Day and Michael Zordich, the hard-running Zwinak has seen his playing time increase.

Zwinak is a big, powerful back who has carried the ball 37 times in the last two games. He has racked up 194 yards and two touchdowns in those appearances.

Running back Bill Belton returned from injury in Week 5 and got the start at Illinois, but it was Zwinak who earned a team-high 19 carries in the game and scored two touchdowns.

Coming off his big Week 5 performance, look for Zwinak to play a large role in the Penn State ground attack against Northwestern.  

LB: Michael Mauti

Senior linebacker Michael Mauti was angered this summer when the Illinois coaching staff showed up on campus to recruit Penn State players. He took out that anger last Saturday with a monster game against the Illini.

Mauti finished the game with two interceptions, six tackles and assisted on a sack.

That performance earned the defensive leader Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors (an honor he also earned two weeks ago against Navy) and the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week title.

If Penn State hopes to compete with Northwestern in Week 6, Mauti will need another solid game. The Wildcats enter the matchup with the ninth ranked rushing attack, led by running back Venric Mark.

PK: Sam Ficken

Sam Ficken bears watching in Week 6 for the simple fact that he could play an important role in the outcome. This game could easily come down to a kick.

It's no secret that Ficken has struggled this year. He has converted on just two of eight field goals and 15 out of 17 extra points. Despite the struggles, head coach Bill O'Brien has continued to stick with the sophomore kicker.

Chances are in Week 6 that O'Brien could be faced with a difficult question: Go for it on fourth down or attempt a chip shot field goal?

If Ficken can convert on a few early field-goal attempts, it may give him confidence for later in the game.

With the debacle at Virginia (four missed field goals and a missed extra point) still fresh in their minds, Penn State fans hope that Saturday won't come down to Ficken's leg.

TE: Matt Lehman

Junior tight end Matt Lehman is coming off his best game of the season. In Week 5 against Illinois, Lehman caught five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Lehman caught one pass for a 14-yard touchdown in Week 1, but has been overshadowed by Kyle Carter since then. Although Carter is the second leading receiver on the team, it was Lehman who was quarterback Matt McGloin's favorite target against the Illini.

Lehman could be a factor once again in Week 6. With defenses focusing on Carter and Big Ten leading receiver Allen Robinson, Lehman makes a good option for McGloin.

Look for Lehman see targets in the red zone and capitalize with a touchdown.

QB: Matt McGloin

The Penn State offense will go as far as McGloin takes it. The senior quarterback is having a stellar season for the Nittany Lions. McGloin leads the Big Ten in passing yards with 1,217 and is second with 10 touchdowns.

In Week 5, McGloin only threw for 211 yards and a touchdown, but he added two rushing touchdowns for the second straight game.

Against Northwestern, McGloin will look to spread the ball around to all of his weapons and continue to stay away from the mistakes in order to lead the Nittany Lions to the upset victory.