Penn State’s Oct. 31 matchup with Purdue is looking a lot more affordable than a lot of folks probably expected.
StubHub prices for the game at Beaver Stadium are sitting as low as $14 with fees included, and that marks a 28% drop from last week’s number, before Penn State’s loss at Michigan.
That result left the Nittany Lions at 3-4 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten play. Their most recent win came more than a month ago against Buffalo, and the team’s three victories this season have come against Marshall, Temple and Buffalo.
So Penn State isn’t just chasing its first conference win - it still doesn’t have a Power 4 win on the board, either. As prices continue to slide, it’s fair to say the team’s play is driving at least part of that trend, even if plenty of other forces are in the mix.
Penn State saw the same kind of ticket movement for the White Out against USC on Oct. 10, when prices were also much lower than in past years. Still, Beaver Stadium wasn’t exactly short on energy that night.
Purdue’s presence on the schedule probably doesn’t help the market, either. It’s not the kind of opponent that usually gets fans rushing to pay top dollar, and even after wins over Illinois and Minnesota, there’s still a sense that Boiler fans may have basketball on the brain by Halloween.
Both teams are on bye this weekend, and they’ll enter the game at 3-4. Purdue sits two games ahead of Penn State in the Big Ten standings at 2-2.
The matchup is set for an unconventional 4:15 kickoff and will air on the Big Ten Network. Penn State badly needs a win to stop the slide.
In Other News...
Quinton Martin Drama Just Put Penn States Offensive Frustration In Public
Penn States offensive frustration spilled into the open after the Michigan game, when Quinton Martin Sr., the father of running back Quinton Martin Jr., took aim at quarterback Rocco Becht on social media. The post quickly turned into a public distraction for a team already dealing with questions about how it is distributing touches, and it only added to the sense that some of the discomfort around the offense has moved beyond the building.
Martin Sr. later apologized publicly to Becht, but the bigger issue for Penn State is still hanging there. Head coach Matt Campbells playing-time decisions have been under scrutiny, and Martin Jr. has seen limited carries this season, leaving his future with the program part of the conversation as well. For a team trying to steady its offense, even one familys frustration has become a revealing sign of how much tension is building around those decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Get Another Home Game Frustration Before Purdue
Penn State fans already had one unusual home date this fall, and they are getting another before Purdue rolls into Happy Valley. The Oct. 31 matchup has been set for a 4:15 p.m. kickoff on Big Ten Network, another late-afternoon slot that is not exactly the traditional look for a Nittany Lions home game.
It comes on the heels of the Wisconsin game being placed in a 5:00 p.m. window on Peacock, adding to the sense that Penn States home schedule has been anything but standard lately. The Lions will come out of a bye week to face a Purdue team that has been more competitive than expected, so the timing of this one will matter as much for the atmosphere as for the football. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Run Game Has Become A Bigger Problem Than Fans Realized
The run game has gone from a preseason strength on paper to a nagging issue Penn State has not been able to shake under Matt Campbell. Over the last three games, the Nittany Lions have averaged just 2.2 yards per carry, and in Big Ten play no running back has managed a run of 10 or more yards, a telling sign that the offense is rarely getting the kind of burst it expected from that backfield.
Penn State still has bodies and talent in the rotation, but the explosive plays never seem to arrive, leaving the ground game stuck in neutral while the staff looks for answers elsewhere. With the offense already trying to clean up broader inconsistencies, the passing game has become a bigger point of emphasis, which only adds to the pressure on a rushing attack that was supposed to help carry more of the load. [Read more 🡒]