Penn State used its bye week for a hard reset, and the players came away saying the extra time was exactly what the team needed after the four-game skid.
Tight end Andrew Rappleyea described the week as a chance to take a full inventory of where things stand.
“When you take the bye week, it's a complete evaluation period,” Rappleyea said Wednesday. “Honestly, we put a cut up together of this is bad and this is good, and a lot of things you watch it’s like, ‘Damn, I didn't know it looked that bad,’ but it didn't. So then you see the things that are good, like, ‘Hey, we need more of that,’ and that's the reality of this week.”
For Rappleyea, the film session wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. Penn State needed the break to step back, look closely at what has and hasn’t worked, and start sorting through how to climb out of the slump.
The same theme showed up on defense. Alexander McPherson, whose group has generated limited pressure through the first seven games and has nine total sacks as a defense, said the bye gave the Nittany Lions a clean opportunity to examine themselves.
“It was very good for us because we could really self-evaluate and figure out what we needed to work on,” McPherson said.
Wide receiver Chase Sowell said the team used the time to study both sides of its performance and attack the small details that have been holding it back.
“You got to look back at it,” Sowell said. “You got to see what we did well and what we did bad, and hammer on the things that we did really well, and then also get the things that we did poorly, get corrected, get minor tweaks. Whether that's us meeting with the coaches or meeting as a unit and just watching old film, what was working in this offense before.”
One issue that stood out in that review was the running game. Rappleyea said there hasn’t been much successful tape to study there, even as the passing game has given the offense some identity. He said Penn State “need[s] to just run the ball down people’s throats,” while also acknowledging that hasn’t happened yet this season and that the offense has to simplify things if it wants better results on the ground.
That said, the run game may not be the first place Penn State leans this week, considering Purdue’s defense ranks No. 118 in the country against the pass.
Even with the open week, Penn State treated practice like a normal game week. The team didn’t have a Saturday opponent to prepare for, but the work on the field still came with urgency.
“I think the the biggest piece that I saw from the bye week is our football teams' demand to come out and have great practices and want to fix the problems equally from the coach's standpoint of collectively trying to fix the problem, so I think that gives me a lot of confidence, and I think we're really excited about continuing to move this thing forward from that perspective for sure,” Matt Campbell said.
In Other News...
Penn States 2027 QB Search Just Got More Interesting
Penn States 2027 quarterback board already looks different after Will Wood flipped his commitment to Boston College, and the ripple effect was immediate. The Nittany Lions responded by extending an offer to another Class of 2027 quarterback, Ben Rolapp, who is also committed to Boston College but has drawn multiple offers while building momentum off a strong 2025 season.
For a Penn State staff still sorting through its options at the most important spot in the class, Rolapps name adds another layer to a search that is still very much ongoing. Losing one commitment can tighten the timeline for the next decision, and with Penn State continuing to pursue quarterbacks for 2027, this is the kind of recruiting twist that can quickly reshape the board. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Suddenly Has A Receiver Concern Ahead Of Purdue
Penn States passing game could be facing a little more uncertainty than usual heading into Purdue, with leading receiver Chase Sowell appearing on the availability report as questionable for the first time this season. The Nittany Lions also have Koby Howard in that same category, adding another layer of concern to a receiver group that has already been dealing with attrition and lineup shuffling as the week has gone on.
Howard has missed the last four games, and even if he is able to make it back, the expectation is that his role would be limited. There are also several defensive players on both sides dealing with various injury designations, so this game is shaping up as one where depth could matter just as much as the headline names, especially if Penn State has to adjust its plan at receiver on short notice. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces Real Pressure As Offensive Concerns Keep Growing
Penn State heads into its meeting with Purdue carrying more than just the weight of a four-game Big Ten losing streak. The Nittany Lions also need their offense to look more stable, with quarterback Rocco Becht working through turnover issues and a passing game that has not given the team much cushion during this slide. There is at least some hope on the injury front, with wide receiver Koby Howard possibly back after missing four games, which could give the group a needed spark.
Purdue arrives in Happy Valley with its own long losing run against Penn State, having dropped 11 straight in the series, but Barry Odom is already talking about the challenge of preparing for the Beaver Stadium atmosphere. For Penn State, this is the kind of game that can either settle things down or deepen the unease around an offense still searching for rhythm. The matchup offers a chance to reset, but only if the Nittany Lions can clean up the mistakes that have made the recent slide so hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]