​EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 02: The Northwestern Wildcats celebrate after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ryan Field on October 02, 2026 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images Wind back the clock four years: Northwestern falls 41-3 against Illinois at the old Ryan Field. With the loss, the ’Cats finish their 2022 campaign 1-11, their lowest win total since 1989, when the team went 0-11 under Francis Peay and somehow decided not to make a leadership change at the end of the season.Two years later, with construction of the new Ryan Field underway, NU closes out its 2024 season getting outscored 119-41 against Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois, finishing the year with a 4-8 record.And now, somehow, some way, to the disbelief of even the most diehard purple-clothed fans — that watched in horror as the ‘Cats got drudged through the mud year after year by the Big Ten’s best — the ‘Cats have come alive. A brand-new, top-of-the-line stadium and a 21-point victory over Penn State, one of the perennial powerhouses of the Big Ten. All in one night.“You could tell in our guys’ eyes they knew it was going to be something special,” said David Braun in his postgame interview. “They had no clue it was going to be this special.”And neither did we.Here are three takeaways from NU’s breakout performance as one of the Big Ten’s best:1. Chip Kelly’s still got itAs Coach Dan Casey put it on X, in a tweet that saw nearly one million views, the Wing-T is alive and well.Equipped with the tools that have always defined his offenses — a good offensive line, elite running backs and a mobile quarterback — Chip Kelly continues to innovate as a signal-caller and currently has NU averaging 437.8 yards per game, its highest mark since the high-flying 2005 team that averaged 500.3 yards per game. Against Penn State, Kelly reached into his “bag” and pulled out the Wing-T, a run-heavy offensive scheme that leans on backfield misdirection and front line movement to create big holes for ball carriers.Check out this play, a 47-yard rush up the gut by Joseph Himon II, that set the ‘Cats up for their first ever touchdown in the new Ryan Field.Chip Kelly is in his bag for Northwestern. This offense is beautiful pic.twitter.com/vcD6dGsioE— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) October 3, 2026LOOK AT THE MOVEMENT FROM THOSE LINEMEN! Kelly moves the center to seal Penn State’s left-side interior linemen and pulls the left and right guards to wipe out the right side Nittany Lion linemen, while pushing the left and right tackles downhill to sandwich Penn State’s left-side linebacker (No. 8 in white). The movement gives the ‘Cats’ blockers a couple steps of momentum and the ideal blocking angles, allowing for the 0-line to carve out a big opening for Himon II.A problem with these plays can be that the pulling of the front linemen gives the o-line more time to respond to the play before getting blocked. Howe