'This team fights, no matter what': Penn State players vow unity vs. Northwestern

This Penn State football team cannot afford to break apart now, of all times.

That’s the message two of its leaders gave Tuesday to how these Nittany Lions can possibly fix their myriad of problems and push ahead to save their season.

It’s new territory, of course. Only a handful of players are still around from the last time Penn State experienced high national rankings and expectations crash and burn before the middle of October.

This season suddenly is on a narrow edge after a double-overtime defeat to No. 2 Oregon and a shocking beatdown by previously winless UCLA. Penn State’s College Football Playoff and national championship hopes are on life support before the midpoint of the season.

Desperate, second-half comebacks attempts ended in frustrating failure. Where will these seemingly crippled Lions head as they prepare for underdog Northwestern on homecoming?

“I think this team fights, no matter what. Obviously, the past two (games) haven’t gone our way, but I don’t think you’ve seen quit in us,” senior offensive tackle Drew Shelton said during a Zoom call with reporters. “For us to continue to fight, that’s the positive side I’ve seen.

“We’ve come together as leaders in the locker room, pushed to keep trying to keep this group together. I think we’ve done a good job of it so far. We’re just going to keep going … ”

When asked to describe his team in one word, Shelton replied, “Hungry. A group of guys who want to get back to going 1-0 each week. I don’t think there’s a better group of guys I’d rather be doing this with.”

Senior safety Zakee Wheatley was one of the few Lions who experienced that 2021 season meltdown. Back then, PSU lost a close, top-five matchup, followed it up with an embarrassing defeat to a big underdog, then nosedived.

One word for this team, now?

“Family. Obviously, during times like this, we got to stick together, which we obviously are doing. But family,” Wheatley said.

A bit later he said it wouldn’t be hard to prepare for Northwestern.

“Can’t go in the past,” Wheatley said. “Only thing we can do is control the controllable and move forward and go 1-0.”