How to Watch Purdue vs. Penn State With TV, Radio, Forecast, Stats & Preview
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This weekend's game in Happy Valley is important for both Purdue and Penn State. The two teams each had a bye last week and are hoping to gather some confidence heading into the final month of the season with a win.
Purdue is hoping to keep its bowl eligibility hopes alive with a road victory over the Nittany Lions. Matt Campbell's team is just trying to win its first Big Ten game and get back to the .500 mark. A win would do plenty of good for both teams.
Here's everything you need to know before Saturday's important Halloween clash in State College.
How to follow along
- What: Purdue (3-4, 2-2 Big Ten) vs. Penn State (3-4, 0-4 Big Ten)
- When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 (Halloween)
- Where: Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.
- Kickoff: 4:15 p.m. ET
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Stream: FOX One
- TV announcers: Chris Vosters (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), Dannie Rogers (analyst)
- Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network | 96.5 FM WAZY (Lafayette), 100.9 FM WKJG (Fort Wayne), 1260 AM WNDE (Indianapolis), 99.5 FM WFNB (Terre Haute), 1450 AM WXVW (Louisville), SiriusXM Channel 257
- Radio announcers: Tim Newton (play-by-play), Mark Hermann (analyst), Joey Mulinaro (sideline), Rob Blackman (producer)
- Live stats: StatBroadcast
Forecast outlook
True football weather is in the forecast for Happy Valley on Saturday evening. Purdue and Penn State will spend a majority of the game playing in 50-degree temperatures. It will only get cooler as the sun hides behind Beaver Stadium later in the day. It will be chilly, but a nice night for Big Ten football (via weather.com).
- High temperature: 58 degrees
- Low temperature: 37 degrees
- Temperature at kickoff: 57 degrees
- Skies: Sunny, partly cloudy
- Rain chances: 0%
- Wind: Northwest at 1-5 mph (gusts up to 14 mph)
Scouting Penn State
Matt Campbell, head coach
- 1st year at Penn State, 16th season overall
- Coached at Iowa State from 2016-25
- 72-55 record with the Cyclones
- Led program to 8 bowl games in 10 seasons
- Iowa State finished 11-3 in 2024
- Coached at Toledo from 2011-15
- 35-15 record with the Rockets
- Four bowl games in five seasons
- Overall 110-34 record
- 12 bowl games in first 15 seasons
- 3x Big 12 Coach of the Year (2017, 2018, 2020)
- MAC Coach of the Year (2015)
Key players
- Chase Sowell, WR — Sowell has been Penn State's top option in the passing attack this season, hauling in 34 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns. He's listed as questionable for Saturday's game, though. If he's unable to play, it will be a huge blow for the Nittany Lions offensively.
- Rocco Becht, QB — The veteran quarterback has had a tough season since the beginning of Big Ten play. In the first three games, Becht had nine touchdown passes without an interception and completed over 70% of his passes twice. In the four conference games, he has thrown just three touchdowns with five picks.
- Benjamin Brahmer, TE — Having a big, reliable target is always an advantage in the passing game. The 6-foot-7, 250-pound tight end has been an asset for the Nittany Lions offensively, totaling 21 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Brahmer has been a nice weapon for Becht this season.
- Tony Rojas, LB — Rojas has done everything for Penn State from the linebacker position. He leads the team in tackles (56), tackles for loss (10.5), sacks (5.0) and interceptions (2). The veteran has been a major factor in Penn State's success on the defensive side of the football and is a tough player to strategize against.
- Josiah Zayas, DB — The young defensive back is tied with Rojas with two interceptions this season. He's making an impact as a freshman, adding 16 stops, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries to his pair of interceptions.
- Caleb Bacon, DE — Along the defensive front, Bacon has been one of the most productive players for Penn State. He has recorded five tackles for loss, a sack and has forced a fumble through the first seven games for the Nittany Lions. He is a physical edge who can beat guys off the line.
Boilers to watch
- Fame Ijeboi, RB — When Purdue has had success on the ground, it's largely because of Ijeboi. He leads the Boilermakers with 568 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He's a physical running back and can turn short-yardage runs into big plays at any given moment.
- Ryan Browne, QB — Browne is probably coming off his ugliest performance of the year against Washington. He's been consistent for the Boilers this season, though, throwing for 1,822 yards and 10 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He has already surpassed his touchdown total from a season ago.
- Asaad Waseem, WR — Purdue has many weapons at wide receiver, but Waseem has been the most productive through seven games. He has 588 yards on 38 receptions, averaging 15.47 yards per catch. He only has one touchdown grab, though, a number he'd like to increase in the coming weeks.
- Charles Correa, LB — A leader of the defense since preseason camp, Correa picked up where he left off last year. He covers the field extremely well from the linebacker spot and is always seemingly in the right place at the right time. He's accounted for 46 tackles, six pass break-ups, 2.5 tackles for loss and a pair of quarterback hurries.
- Hudauri Hines, DB — Hines has provided Purdue with consistency in the secondary this season. The veteran defensive back has accounted for 17 tackles, three pass break-ups and an interception. He was sidelined nearly the entire game against Washington, but appears to be back for this weekend's matchup with Penn State.
- Jojo Hayden, LB — A transfer from Illinois, Hayden has gotten better and more productive as the season has progressed. He's intercepted a pass in each of his last two games. He has also recorded a team-high 48 tackles and has consistently gotten pressure on opposing quarterbacks, credited with four hurries on the year.
Key stats
Offense
Stats (per game) | Purdue | Penn State |
|---|---|---|
Scoring | 31.3 | 28.7 |
Rushing yards | 128.43 | 130.71 |
Yards per carry | 3.65 | 3.83 |
Passing yards | 280.7 | 253.4 |
Completion % | 66.5% | 63.3% |
Total yards | 409.1 | 384.1 |
Yards per play | 5.94 | 5.78 |
3rd down % | 43.82% | 36.17% |
Red zone TD % | 61.76% | 53.57% |
Turnovers (total) | 6 | 7 |
Defense
Stats (per game) | Purdue | Penn State |
|---|---|---|
Points allowed | 32.3 | 18.9 |
Rush defense | 161.57 | 172.29 |
Yards per carry | 5.16 | 4.92 |
Pass defense | 251.6 | 141.3 |
Total defense | 413.1 | 313.6 |
Yards per play | 6.74 | 5.19 |
Sacks (total) | 8 | 9 |
Opp. 3rd down % | 48.72% | 28.74% |
Opp. red zone TD % | 71.43% | 65.00% |
Takeaways (total) | 10 | 11 |
Penalties (yards) | 6.7 (53.7) | 4.4 (44.1) |
Fast facts
Little success in Happy Valley
Purdue hasn't had much success against Penn Stat over the years. The Nittany Lions own a 17-3-1 advantage in the all-time series, with the Boilermakers' last win coming in 2004. Ironically, that victory came at Beaver Stadium, a 20-13 win for a Joe Tiller-led squad.
That's the only time Purdue has come out of State College with a win, though. The Boilers are 1-8-1 against Penn State in games played in Happy Valley. Even though the Nittany Lions are struggling this season, you can understand why this would be a signature win for Barry Odom.
A laundry list of injuries
These are two teams dealing with very different injury situations. Purdue has just two players listed as questionable on the initial availability report: wide receiver De'Nylon Morrissette and defensive back Jaden Mangham. Penn State is a different story.
There are 11 Nittany Lions listed as out, four are questionable — including star receiver Chase Sowell — and one other is doubtful. There are three players considered probable for Saturday's game. In total, 19 Penn State players were on the availability report compared to Purdue's four (Kylan Fox and Raderrion Daniels are out for the year).
The third-down thing
One thing to keep an eye on during Saturday's game is the third-down situations. Purdue's defense has been the worst in the Big Ten getting off the field, allowing opponents to convert 48.72% of the time. However, Penn State's offense is converting at just a 36.17% rate, one of the lowest in the league.
If Purdue can get off the field on third-down, it will put itself in position to get an important road win. If the Nittany Lions can stay on the field offensively, they're going to wear down the Boilermakers.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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