NORTHWESTERN Happy Valley victory possible

The Wildcats are 0-4 all-time in road games against Penn State.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Northwestern football has come a long way in the last decade. They've beaten Michigan in the Big House, been to the Rose Bowl and won or shared the Big Ten title three times.
But when the Wildcats (4-4, 3-2) visit Penn State (2-6, 0-5) on Saturday, they'll have a chance to do something no previous Northwestern team has done -- win in Happy Valley.
Northwestern is 0-4 at Penn State, where the Wildcats have been outscored 169-36. But this year the roles are reversed. Northwestern is in the hunt for a bowl bid, while the Nittany Lions are in a free fall.
"They're probably thinking that this is the year they can get that win. I mean, they've beaten some good football teams, and we haven't," Penn State quarterback Zack Mills said. "They beat Ohio State, and we didn't. They beat Purdue, and we didn't. They probably have a lot of confidence coming in here."
After a 1-3 start, the Wildcats have won three of their last four games. Northwestern's upset victory over then-No. 7 Ohio State sent the Buckeyes tumbling in the rankings, and last week's victory over then-No. 17 Purdue knocked the Boilermakers from the Top 25.
More importantly, Northwestern held the vaunted Purdue offense to just 10 points, its lowest output of the season, meaning an improving Wildcat defense will square off against a Penn State offense that has often proved to be inept.
Concerns
But the Wildcats are more concerned about their own offensive woes. Northwestern has averaged just 12.5 points in their last two games, just over half what it averaged in the first six games.
"We're notorious for killing ourselves. It's almost like we enjoy it," offensive tackle Zach Strief said. "It's usually 10 guys doing something right and one guy messing up."
Not only that, but the Wildcats have yet to win on the road this year, where they're 0-3.
Northwestern coach Randy Walker isn't worried about a road game. He doesn't think home field constitutes much of an advantage in football, and blames his team's losses on "who we play and how we play, more than playing on the road."
But he also doesn't think a shot at a history-making win will make much of a difference, either. His Wildcats still have to beat Penn State on the field before they can think about history.
"It's about this year and it's about who shows up on both sidelines and comes to play," Walker said. "And we need to play our best football game of the year to have a chance to win, and I think we know that. I think we expect to do that."