SEATTLE - Chase Sowell keeps turning into the kind of receiver Penn State can’t afford to lose.
The senior transfer delivered again Saturday in the Nittany Lions’ 28-25 win over Washington, stacking another long touchdown catch on top of a one-handed grab that looked like it belonged on a highlight reel. He finished with four catches for 125 yards, despite being listed as questionable all week because of an ankle injury that still isn’t fully healed.
That has become the story with Sowell: the injury, the production, the refusal to come off the field. He has gone over 100 receiving yards in back-to-back games, and now leads Penn State with 38 catches for 635 yards and four touchdowns, with at least three games still left. For a team that has gone through a four-game losing streak and needed someone to steady the offense, he has become the most dangerous and trusted option on the field.
Sowell wasn’t supposed to be this kind of force when he followed coach Matt Campbell to Penn State last winter. He was a promising addition, sure, but not necessarily the player who would take over games and keep defenses in panic mode.
Yet that’s exactly what has happened. Defenders have been forced into grabbing his jersey and taking penalties just to keep him from breaking loose.
He also said his coaches had to make him sit out the Purdue game because of the ankle.
“I’m kind of just too competitive in a sense,” he said after the win at Washington. “I'm the kind of a guy, you’ve got to kill me to take me off the field, or I’ve got to literally be dragged off the field to not even play.”
There’s more to Sowell’s impact than the numbers. He’s also becoming one of the most visible voices in the locker room, especially for Penn State’s younger receivers like Zay Robinson and Amarion Jackson, as well as sophomore Koby Howard, the team’s No. 1 wideout who has missed the past six games with an injury.
“We’re starting to build a different narrative in that (receiver) room” Sowell said, “and there’s a different standard now. Just watching those guys get their opportunities and capitalize on them (has been) a great thing.”
His path to this point has been anything but straightforward. Sowell is at his fourth college team in five years, after starting at Colorado, then moving on to East Carolina before standing out for Campbell last fall at Iowa State while dealing with more injuries. Now he’s become Penn State’s leading receiver and, in the process, one of the most reliable big-play threats the Lions have had since Jahan Dotson in 2021.
Saturday also brought a moment Sowell owned immediately. Late in the game, while defending quarterback Rocco Becht after a tackle shot to the head, he shoved a Washington player and drew a penalty.
“It was a selfish move, being a vet, it was dumb, emotional,” Sowell said.
He then explained why he reacted that way.
“Seeing some of (my teammates) and how they work their butts off ... and I just want to see life after football for them, that’s a big thing for me. I want to see some of these guys’ kids one day, I want to see their wives.
I want to see their lives after football. So, there’s a certain extent where you got to protect your guys.
And I didn’t like (that hit on Becht). I thought it was uncalled for, after the whistle and after the slide.
“I got to be smarter, but I told guys (in the locker room), 'I would do the same thing for a lot of you all …”
Even with only a few games left in his Penn State career, Sowell sounds like a player still figuring out how far he can go. On the field, that means more yards, more contested catches and more broken coverages. Off it, it means a veteran trying to lead a younger receiver room while learning from his own mistakes.
He’s the receiver who keeps making you ask the same question: what will he do next?
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Got A Scary Jack Ham Update
Penn State fans got a jolt before kickoff when Hall of Famer Jack Ham was hospitalized in Seattle after a medical emergency ahead of a Penn State game. Ham, who starred for the Nittany Lions before becoming a longtime Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, has remained a familiar presence around the program for years as a color commentator on Penn State football radio broadcasts.
Matt Campbell later offered a reassuring update, saying Ham is making great progress and remains in stable condition. For a fan base that has heard Hams voice and seen his connection to the program for so long, the news brought an immediate wave of concern, and then some relief as his condition improved. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Got Another Big NFL Reminder This Weekend
Former Penn State players kept popping up all over the NFL scoreboard in Week 9, another reminder of how much pro talent has come out of Happy Valley. Kaytron Allen chipped in on special teams for the Miami Dolphins with a 46-yard fake punt run and picked up his first career reception, while Saquon Barkley found the end zone for the Philadelphia Eagles. Elsewhere, Parker Washington hauled in a touchdown for the Jacksonville Jaguars, adding to a weekend that kept Penn State fans checking box scores well after the college games were over.
The biggest late-game swing came from Juwan Johnson, who caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime for the New Orleans Saints, while Dani Dennis-Sutton added tackles and a sack for the Green Bay Packers. It was the kind of scattered but steady showing that underscores how deep Penn States NFL footprint remains, with alumni contributing in every phase and at every level. For a fan base that tracks its former stars closely, this was one of those weekends that made the pro schedule feel a little like a reunion. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Bowl Projections Just Sparked A Travel Debate Among Fans
Penn States latest win pushed the Nittany Lions to five victories and put them within striking distance of bowl eligibility with three games left, which is exactly the point in the season when the projection chatter starts to heat up. National outlets have already begun slotting Penn State into a range of possible postseason destinations, with names like the Fenway Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Dukes Mayo Bowl and First Responder Bowl all showing up in the early guesses.
The travel conversation is part of the fun, but it is also a reminder of how much can still change before any real planning begins. Depending on how Penn State finishes, the matchup and location could shift along with it, and every projection remains speculative until bowl eligibility is officially secured. For fans, the next few weeks will decide not just whether there is a bowl trip, but what kind of trip it might turn into. [Read more 🡒]