Penn State’s season has started to feel a lot different over the last two weeks.
After dropping four straight following a 3-0 start, the Nittany Lions have now put together back-to-back wins, and Saturday’s 28-25 escape over Washington was the latest sign that they’ve steadied themselves. It wasn’t clean, and it wasn’t comfortable, but Penn State found a way to finish the job after building a big early cushion.
The first half looked a lot like the Wisconsin game earlier in the season. Penn State’s offense was moving the ball and scoring with ease, while the defense was busy hammering Washington’s offense.
Then came the flip. The offense went quiet over the final two quarters, the defense loosened up, and the Huskies clawed back into it.
Even so, Penn State held on and walked out with its second conference win.
That matters because the win came against a Washington team that is not at the very top of the Big Ten, but is still a good one. Penn State fans had been waiting for a victory over a team with some real life in it, and they got one. It may not have been pretty, and the Nittany Lions nearly let it slip away late, but the result was the only thing that counted.
There’s also a bigger picture here. For a stretch, it looked like head coach Matt Campbell and his group of Iowa State transfers were overmatched in the Big Ten.
The first four conference losses made that hard to ignore. But with two straight wins now, and those Cyclones players at the center of it, that question looks a lot less urgent.
There may not be much left to chase this season, but these wins give the program something real to build on.
One of the clearest positives came at wide receiver. Koby Howard looked like Penn State’s top target when the season opened, but he has now been out for more than two months, and Chase Sowell has taken full advantage of the opportunity.
Against Washington, Sowell put together the best game of his career: four catches, 125 yards and a touchdown. He also flashed enough on multiple highlight plays to make a strong case that Penn State may have more than one No. 1 receiver on its hands.
Not everything went smoothly, though. True freshman linebacker Josiah Zayas had a rough afternoon, and it was his first real stumble of the season.
He got juked on the opening play from scrimmage, then later looked unsure in coverage on the touchdown that cut the lead to 28-17. He also gave up another score on a fourth-quarter drive after slipping.
The talent is still obvious, but Saturday was a tough one for him.
Penn State also adjusted how it used Becht, and that wrinkle stood out. He has had some strong moments this season, but he does not look like the most natural pocket passer.
So offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser leaned into his athleticism more against Washington, sending him on bootlegs and rollouts throughout the game. It’s a tweak worth watching, because it helped Becht work on the move and may become part of the offense going forward.
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Need To Hear Franklin On Whats Going Too Far
Recent college football weekends have brought an uncomfortable reminder that the sports passion can cross a line, especially when it spills over from the field to the people around it. Reports of harassment aimed at coaches families have become part of the conversation, and it has put a sharper spotlight on the responsibilities that come with being a fan, even in places where the emotion runs deepest.
For Penn State, the issue lands with extra weight because James Franklin has long had to navigate the intensity that comes with a high-profile job in a demanding environment. The broader backdrop includes everything from coaching changes and player evaluation to the grind of attendance and travel that shapes the college football experience, but the central point is simpler: there is a difference between being invested and going too far, and Franklins view on where that line sits is worth hearing. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Suddenly Face A Scary Jack Ham Situation
Jack Ham was supposed to be part of the familiar soundtrack around Penn State football in Seattle, but instead the longtime radio color commentator and former NFL linebacker dealt with a medical emergency before the Nittany Lions game against Washington. He was transported to the University of Washington Medical Center for treatment, leaving a sudden and unsettling absence around a trip that was already far from home.
For Penn State fans, Ham is more than a voice on the broadcast. He is one of the programs enduring links to its history, and news like this lands hard because it arrives with so little detail attached. No further information about his condition has been released, which leaves the focus squarely on his recovery and on the concern that comes with waiting for an update. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Wasted A Breakout Night In Another Brutal Collapse
Shea Busch gave Penn State a much-needed spark at Pegula Ice Arena, scoring twice for the first goals of his college career in a game that looked like it might finally turn into a breakthrough night. Justin Poirier and Lev Katzin also chipped in offensively, and the Nittany Lions built a lead of two goals twice against Notre Dame, putting themselves in position to bank a result they badly needed.
Instead, the game slipped away in the kind of fashion that has haunted Penn State too often. Notre Dame answered with three straight goals to erase the advantage, then finished the comeback in overtime when Evan Werner scored the winner in a 5-4 loss. For a team that had enough offense to win, the collapse was the painful part, and it left another promising performance hanging without the payoff. [Read more 🡒]