How Penn State's Koby Howard Became One of the Nation's Top Big-Play Threats.

STATE COLLEGE | As soon as Penn State’s Koby Howard saw Buffalo’s coverage against, he knew he was on the same page with quarterback Rocco Becht.

Lining up in the slot, Howard faced no tight coverage from a safety, allowing him to sprint right past linebacker Joey Cheshire. He caught a pass from Becht at the Bulls’ 45-yard line and kept running for a 70-yard touchdown, his second touchdown of the Nittany Lions’ 55-13 win over the Bulls at Beaver Stadium.

“The linebacker kind of dropped, so I knew I had to go over him, and I knew Rocco was going to put it there, and that was a great touchdown,” Howard said. “It was a great connection with me and Rocco, seeing the same thing and being able to connect on it.”

The touchdown was Howard’s eighth play this season of 20+ yards, continuing his campaign as Penn State’s leading playmaker on offense. Howard, who caught three passes for 115 yards against the Bulls, quickly has become one of the nation's leading big-play threats as the Nittany Lions head into conference play against Wisconsin.

One of the nation’s top playmakers

Rocco Becht 🎯 Koby Howard

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Howard is among the Big Ten and national leaders in multiple big-play statistics. The sophomore leads the conference and ranks third nationally in average yards per catch (28.67). The next-closest Big Ten player is Oregon receiver Jeremiah McClellan, who’s still 4 yards behind him (24.3).

Howard also leads the Big Ten and is tied for the FBS lead in plays of 20+ yards (eight), 30+ yards (five) and 40+ yards (four). Howard has 12 catches for 344 yards and two touchdowns through three games, with seven of those receptions going for at least 20 yards. He has Penn State’s four longest receptions this season and six of the top seven.

Howard’s 70-yard touchdown catch came after two drives by Penn State that stalled out quickly. His 31-yard reception helped set up running back James Peoples for a touchdown in the first quarter. With Howard's early production, production, Penn State coach Matt Campbell sees the potential he can have in Big Ten play.

“I think that the more guys that you can have that are threatening you defensively with the ball, the better you're going to be,” Campbell said. “Especially if you have a guy that can distribute the football to those guys in the right moments, in the right situations.”

Meanwhile, Howard said that he’s not trying to focus on what he’s putting on tape for Big Ten defensive coordinators to study.

“I know these three games were kind of like a warm-up,” Howard said. “Honestly, no disrespect to the team that we played, but going into this Big Ten play, we have to get serious. We have to be better than we were these last three games to be able to compete in the Big Ten.”

‘None of it surprises me’

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Koby Howard reacts after making a catch vs. the Buffalo Bulls. — Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Koby Howard reacts after making a catch during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bulls at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Howard is known for his work ethic. He sets his alarm for 4:45 a.m. and arrives at the Penn State football facility between 5:15 and 5:30. Howard’s often catching passes on the Jugs machine when other players get to the building at 6.

"Every morning I come into the facility — no matter if it was in the spring, summer or even now — and I'm going to breakfast and Koby's already in there on the Jugs,” safety Marcus Neal Jr. said. “He's lifting weights early in the morning. He works like no other.”

Campbell said that Howard beats 75 percent of Penn State’s staff into the building. Because of that, Howard’s success hasn’t surprised him. And lately, some teammates have joined Howard in arriving even earlier.

“We talk about this all the time: There's a difference between good intentions and intentionality,” Campbell said. “Good intentions need to be [the] lead intentionality in your process, and Koby's a guy that lives that.

“There are some guys that saw his success, and they're joining in now in the mornings. I think that's what great players do. Great players bring others with them, and that's why I give Koby a lot of credit. I do think you certainly have to recognize where he's at.”

On the field, Howard is a versatile piece in offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser’s game plan. Penn State works Howard into the run game, with Mouser introducing a package specifically for Howard at Temple.

Howard then scored from 20 yards on a reverse for his first touchdown against Buffalo. Howard (5-11, 203 pounds) will continue to receive touches in the run game. He was happy to hear that Mouser would use him in the run game this season.

“I was really excited because I grew up playing running back,” Howard said. “Actually, that's kind of why I have this build. Playing running back is fun, and I'm looking forward to doing it more.”

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