Penn State Football Winners and Losers After Week 9 Win Over Purdue

The Nittany Lions found a run game but struggled on special teams.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell looks on from the sideline against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State emerged from the bye week looking like a completely different team. The Nittany Lions finally picked up their first Big Ten win against a decent Purdue squad, defeating the Boilermakers 31-17 without star receivers Koby Howard and Chase Sowell. 

So yes, this will be a rare winners-and-losers report without either Howard or Sowell. No promises next week. Here’s who’s trending up, and who's is down after a much-needed Penn State victory. 

Stock up: Penn State’s defense

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

Penn State’s defense has been a seesaw this season. Through the non-conference schedule, the first-team defense allowed just one touchdown. That unit was a force to be reckoned with — a group that could potentially single-handedly carry the Nittany Lions to a College Football Playoff berth. 

Then the fourth quarter against Wisconsin happened. The Nittany Lions allowed an eye-catching 208 yards to the Badgers, and then something changed. After that, Penn State couldn’t buy a critical stop, especially against the run. 

But against Purdue, Penn State allowed 33 rushing yards and 175 total yards, both its fewest totals since 2023. It surrendered only 32 yards on 22 plays in the second half. The Nittany Lions also generated a more consistent pass rush with six quarterback hurries, two each by Caleb Bacon and Alexander McPherson.

And that wasn’t against a subpar offense, either. The Boilermakers were the fourth-ranked passing offense (280.7 passing yards per game) in the Big Ten heading into the weekend. Things are trending up for a defense that looked like one of the most inconsistent in the conference just a few weeks ago. 

Stock up: Running back Cam Wallace

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Cam Wallace (26) is lifted into the air by offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh (68) after scoring a touchdown against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No one outside of the Lasch Football Building had Wallace headlining Penn State’s offense against Purdue. The redshirt junior and unlikely hero burst onto the scene Saturday for 135 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, adding nine yards on three catches. 

Just over two years after breaking both legs on one play, Wallace doubled his season carry total (previously 22) and helped dig a struggling running game out of a deep hole. His 135 yards were more than the entire running back room put up against Michigan and USC combined (134).

Wallace now holds two of Penn State’s four longest runs of the season (48 and 59 yards) and has given the Nittany Lions’ ground game more explosiveness. Continued success from him completely changes the outlook on offense. 

Stock down: Cornerback Josiah Zayas

Northwestern Wildcats running back Caleb Komolafe (5) is pushed out of bounds by Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Josiah Zayas (17) during the second half at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Zayas hasn’t just been reliable in the nickel position; he’s made some highlight-reel plays, like his one-handed leaping interception against Michigan or his one-handed pick-6 against Wisconsin. 

But against Purdue, Zayas had some freshman moments. For the Boilermakers’ only offensive score of the game, he was beat deep, drew a pass interference and allowed a strange-looking touchdown. The whole sequence was a mess. 

He was also targeted earlier in the drive, which resulted in a 38-yard completion, meaning he allowed two catches for 71 yards and a touchdown in the span of four plays. He was solid throughout the rest of the game, but we saw one of the first blips of Zayas’ young career. 

Stock down: Penn State’s special teams

Penn State Nittany Lions kicker Ryan Barker (94) attempts a field goal vs. the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Special teams seemed like the one guaranteed strength heading into a season with severe roster turnover, particularly after head coach Matt Campbell gave up part of his office for the unit. But that hasn’t been the case. After leading the nation in special teams efficiency last year, according to ESPN’s College Football Power Index, the Nittany Lions rank 91st this season.

Campbell’s decision to bring back Barker from the 2025 Penn State roster was one of the most underrated roster moves of the offseason. Barker was tied for the best field-goal percentage in the FBS in 2025 (94.7 percent, and his career field-goal percentage was 89.2 percent, the highest in program history. 

While he still sits atop the Penn State leaderboard, that mark has dipped to 84.9 percent (45-for-53). Barker missed two against Purdue (albeit one from 55 yards) and is just 12-for-16 this season. 

Aside from Barker’s mishaps, punter Nathan Tiyce hasn’t done particularly well flipping field position. The sophomore is averaging just 40.8 yards per attempt, 10th in the Big Ten. And it’s not that he has zero power; Tiyce has punts of 54, 55 and 60 yards this season. He’s just been wildly inconsistent. 

Further, the Nittany Lions allowed a blocked punt for a touchdown after a failure in protection by redshirt senior Dom Rulli. It was the first special teams score surrendered by Penn State since 2019, a span of 97 games. 

Penn State compensated earlier by converting a deft fake field goal on fourth-and-7, but overall, its special teams have been a disappointment.

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