Penn State’s breakout wideout Koby Howard is headed for a lengthy absence, and that leaves the Nittany Lions reshuffling an offense that had just started to find its spark.
Matt Campbell said Tuesday that Howard was “dinged up” in the Week 3 win over Buffalo, then added Wednesday that Howard “will be out for an extended period of time,” while also making clear the injury is not season-ending. Howard will not play Saturday night when Penn State hosts Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium.
That’s a tough hit for a player who had quickly become the team’s top weapon. Through three games, Howard leads Penn State with 344 receiving yards on 12 catches. He also added a 20-yard touchdown run in Saturday’s win, and that may have been the play when he got hurt.
The timing is especially awkward because Howard had become the kind of receiver Penn State was looking for in James Franklin’s final year in Happy Valley. Instead, the player who fit that description turned out to be one Franklin left behind.
Now the Nittany Lions have to keep moving without him, and the roster construction around this team suddenly looks a lot more important. Penn State was already getting labeled “Iowa State East” this offseason, and the pushback to that idea was that Campbell inherited real talent from Franklin’s final roster, including Howard and tight end Andrew Rappleyea.
Rappleyea was injured Saturday as well and is questionable for Week 4. If he sits, former Cyclone quarterback Rocco Becht will likely be leaning on a familiar group of targets from last season: Chase Sowell, Brett Eskildsen, Benjamin Brahmer, Gabe Burkle and Carson Hansen, all of whom followed him to Happy Valley.
Howard’s absence also opens the door for Zay Robinson to take on a bigger role. He’s already Penn State’s primary return man, and now he’s expected to handle the slot snaps. Sowell and Eskildsen remain the main outside threats, while former Iowa State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser can also turn to Karon Brookins, another Iowa State transfer, or Amarion Jackson, the true freshman who flipped from the Cyclones to the Nittany Lions after Campbell was hired.
The run game may become even more central with Howard unavailable. Penn State’s first two games brought plenty of frustration on the ground, with Marshall and Temple loading the box and forcing the Nittany Lions to lean on explosive passing, especially when Becht found Howard downfield.
Against Buffalo, the emphasis was different, and the results were better. Quinton Martin Jr. ran for 100 yards, and four different players, Howard included, scored on the ground. But Wisconsin presents a bigger test, and doing it without Howard’s vertical threat raises the pressure on Penn State to stay balanced.
Mouser has preferred 12- and 13-personnel, and that could become even more common now. So far, those looks have helped fuel the passing game because defenses have been crowding the run. With Howard out, Becht, Sowell and Eskildsen will have to keep connecting deep, or the approach could work against Penn State instead of for it.
In Other News...
Penn State Staffer Faces Serious Off-Field Legal Trouble
A Penn State assistant coach is now dealing with an off-field situation that is drawing attention in State College and around the program. Jordan Lucas, the Nittany Lions assistant cornerbacks coach, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of DUI and three summary traffic violations after police found him asleep in a vehicle downtown with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit.
The stop came after officers found the vehicle illegally positioned in a crosswalk, with Lucas also listed as having a suspended drivers license and an expired vehicle registration. Penn State acknowledged the charges and said Lucas remains with the program while the legal matter moves forward, leaving the university to manage both the public fallout and the uncertainty around what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Offensive Line Just Got Thinner At The Worst Time
Penn States offensive line depth took another hit at an unwelcome time, with Will Tompkins ruled out for the season because of injury, according to coach Matt Campbell. Tompkins had played 31 snaps across the first three games after transferring in from Iowa State, giving the Nittany Lions another experienced body in a position group that can never have enough of them.
The setback leaves Penn State without a player it had hoped could help stabilize things as the year unfolded, and it also delays any chance to see how he might have fit into the rotation over a full season. There is still some long-term silver lining: Tompkins is expected to keep four years of eligibility after this season, so his Penn State story is far from over even if this one now pauses before it really got going. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States RB Battle Just Got Tougher To Ignore Entering Big Ten Play
Penn State spent the nonconference slate getting a closer look at four running backs, and the rotation did not make the answer any simpler. Carson Hansen, James Peoples, Quinton Martin Jr. and Cam Wallace all got chances to show what they can do, but the way those carries were distributed also made it clear this job is still open as Big Ten play arrives.
Martin stood out most against Buffalo, where his versatility in the passing game added another layer to his case, while Peoples continued to show growth and a knack for finding the end zone. Those two now look like the clearest candidates to head the depth chart, even if the staff has not committed to one lead option yet, and the coming conference games should tell whether Penn State leans toward the more dynamic all-purpose threat or the back who has been quickest to turn touches into points. [Read more 🡒]