Breaking Down the Good, Bad and Ugly of Penn State's Win Over Purdue

STATE COLLEGE | The Matt Campbell era at Penn State had a rough start. The Nittany Lions were 0-4 in Big Ten play entering this weekend, but they could be starting a turnaround now.

Campbell and Penn State earned a 31-17 win over Purdue on Saturday, improving to 4-4 and 1-4 in conference action. It was the Nittany Lions’ first victory over a power-conference opponent this season.

It wasn’t a fully perfect game, but it’s a positive result after a lackluster month of play. Here’s the good, bad and ugly from a game that saw some key improvements on offense and defense.

Good: Cam Wallace leads effective run game

Cam's the man 😎 pic.twitter.com/le5kXwDedE
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) October 31, 2026

Penn State’s run game hadn’t been producing in Big Ten play, but that changed Saturday. Running back Cam Wallace rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, which matches his total number of attempts through seven games this season.

It might’ve been a surprise to those outside the program to see Wallace, regarded as the fourth-string running back, have that much of an opportunity. But he stood out in practice during the bye week.

“I had some great days of practice,” Wallace said. “I prepared for this moment, so it wasn't anything new when this moment came.”

Wallace led a resurgent Penn State run game, which totaled 269 yards with a 5.3 yards-per-carry average. For reference, the Nittany Lions averaged just 2.5 yards per carry in their first four Big Ten games.

Good: Defense has stout performance

Penn State Nittany Lions safety Jeremiah Cooper (4) celebrates an interception against the Purdue Boilermakers. — Penn State Nittany Lions safety Jeremiah Cooper (4) celebrates an interception against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State’s defense prevented Purdue from making this game close in the second half by allowing only 32 total yards. That accomplished what the defense was looking for over the bye-week practices.

“We just emphasized finishing,” safety Jamison Patton said. “I feel like we've struggled at finishing games, and that was our emphasis. I think that showed today.”

Patton was one of the main reasons for keeping Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne at bay. Patton had one of Penn State’s two interceptions on Browne, who completed only 10 of 29 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. Browne went 2-for-14 against Penn State in the second half.

Even that touchdown score was somewhat lucky. It wasn’t a good pass because Browne just heaved it up deep to receiver Xavier Townsend. If cornerback Josiah Zayas turned around, it’s likely that this would be an interception instead of a 33-yard touchdown.

Defensive end Yvan Kemajou was disruptive with a sack to highlight his three-tackle day. The Boilermakers had just 33 rushing yards as the defense was on point overall.

Better: Rocco Becht doesn’t make costly mistakes

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht (3) runs with the ball against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The story of the Michigan loss was quarterback Rocco Becht, who had three turnovers that led to all of the Wolverines’ 21 points. But Becht didn’t turn the ball over against Purdue, a step in the right direction for the redshirt senior.

Becht didn’t light up the stat sheet but still completed 16 of 24 passes for 175 yards. He produced two touchdowns, with one coming on a 4-yard pass to tight end Andrew Rappleyea and the other happening on a 6-yard rush.

“I thought Rocco was outstanding,” Campbell said. “I thought he played the type of football that we've seen him play a lot of, but he played it for four quarters and really did a great job with his consistency.”

Bad: Receiver room disappears without Chase Sowell, Koby Howard

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers. — Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State’s receivers weren’t very involved in the passing game. The successful run game mitigated that, but this could still become an issue with leading receivers Chase Sowell and Koby Howard out.

Campbell said postgame that he thinks Sowell and Howard are close to returning. But if they don’t for next week’s game against Washington, a receiver might need to step up more.

Freshman Amarion Jackson made his first career start and finished with two catches for 31 yards. That those were the team highs among receivers doesn’t feel sustainable if Penn State wants to turn this victory into a win streak. So either someone needs to take on a larger role, or Sowell and Howard need to return. That said, Campbell is high on Jackson.

“I thought Amarion stepped up,” Campbell said. “[He’s] another young man that's really showcased himself in practice over the last couple weeks, waiting for his opportunity.”

Bad: Beaver Stadium had an attendance issue

Announced attendance for Penn State-Purdue (tickets sold, teams, stadium staff, etc.): 102,041 pic.twitter.com/hNhUGbRZEa
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) October 31, 2026

Penn State announced an attendance of 102,041 for the game, but the actual crowd at Beaver Stadium didn’t reach that number. The student section was nowhere close to being full, and there were plenty of open seats in the upper decks.

Penn State’s attendance figures count tickets sold instead of scanned, hence the number above 100,000. This still was the lowest announced attendance since Nov. 30, 2019, when Penn State played Rutgers in front of an announced crowd of 98,895 during Thanksgiving week.

There was likely less attendance Saturday because the Nittany Lions and Purdue were both 3-4 heading into the weekend, and the game took place on Halloween. Still, the game against Wisconsin last month had similar attendance issues.

This trend has to be alarming for Athletic Director Pat Kraft, who is overseeing a $700 million renovation project to Beaver Stadium. Big Ten games not coming close to selling out this season could be an ominous sign of what’s to come next season, when the renovations are complete.

Ugly: Special teams made several miscues

IT'S BLOCKED!@BoilerFootball takes it to the house off the blocked punt pic.twitter.com/NUNYmisCVW
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 31, 2026

Penn State’s special teams didn’t have a good day. The unit caused a moment that could’ve been a turning point had the Nittany Lions lost. Purdue blocked a punt in the second quarter, returning it 31 yards for a touchdown that tied the game 14-14.

Further, kicker Ryan Barker went 1-for-3 on field goals. He missed one short from 55 yards away, which would’ve been a career long, and another wide left from 42 yards out.

Now, the unit did correctly execute a fake field goal in the first quarter with holder Nathan Tiyce flipping a pass to tight end Ben Brahmer for 13 yards and a first down. That drive led to a touchdown, but the other special teams mistakes outweigh the positives.

Up next

Penn State visits Washington on Nov. 7 for a 3:30 p.m. ET kick at Husky Stadium in Seattle. FS1 will televise. Washington scored two touchdowns, one on a pick-7, in the final 1:30 to beat Nebraska 17-14 and improve to 5-3.

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