Matt McGloin, getting his first start of the season, passed for two touchdowns in Penn State’s 34-24 win over Northwestern at Ryan Field on Saturday.

Penn State (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) won its sixth straight game and improved to 11-3-1 in the all-time series with Northwestern. The Wildcats (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) dropped their fifth straight loss.

The vote of confidence sparked McGloin, who has been battling Robert Bolden for the No. 1 spot. He finished with 192 yards passing, including a 45-yard bomb to a streaking Devon Smith, who outran two defenders and caught up with the football in the end zone for a first-quarter score.

Northwestern threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Nittany Lions’ sixth-ranked defense. Quarterbacks Dan Persa and Kain Colter alternated under center, while also splitting time at receiver.

That worked for the first half, as Northwestern scored 24 points before the PSU defense tightened in the final two quarters. The Nittany Lions recorded seven sacks and one interception.

Persa passed for 294 yards and one touchdown, while adding a 1-yard rushing touchdown to open the scoring. He left the game in the fourth quarter with a turf toe injury. Colter was a triple-threat, passing for 18 yards, notching 43 yards and a touchdown as a receiver, and rushing for 79 yards and a score.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno recorded win No. 408 and tied Eddie Robinson (Grambling) for the second most career coaching victories for all NCAA divisions. John Gagliardi, coach of Div. III St. John’s (Minnesota), is the leader with 481 wins. It was also Paterno’s 700th game as a coach or assistant at Penn State.

Nittany Lions running back Silas Redd rushed for one touchdown and a career-high 164 yards. It was Redd’s fifth 100-plus-yard game of the season and his fourth in a row.