Purdue heads into Saturday’s game at Penn State with a thinner lineup than it would like, and the latest availability report tells the story.
Receiver and captain De'Nylon Morrissette and safety Jaden Mangham will both be out against the Nittany Lions. That’s a hit on both sides of the ball for the Boilermakers, who are also getting a couple of pieces back this week after long absences.
Morrissette has totaled 8 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown this season after missing all of 2025 following tightrope surgery to repair multiple torn ligaments in his ankle. Mangham, in his first year at Purdue after transferring from Michigan, has posted 30 tackles and a pass breakup.
There is at least some good news for Purdue in the secondary. Mister Clark, who started the opener against Indiana State and finished with five tackles, two for loss and a sack, is not listed on this week’s report. Clark has been sidelined since that Week 1 win and had been wearing a brace on his wrist, but he was a full participant during Tuesday’s media viewing period of practice.
With Clark out earlier, Smiley Bradford and Winston Berglund handled the nickel/outside linebacker work. Now, with Mangham unavailable, Clark’s return gives Purdue more flexibility in the back end.
Up front, Joey Tanona is also off the availability report for the first time this season. Tanona started all 12 games at left tackle last year but has not played in 2025 after suffering an ankle injury early in fall camp. Nuku Mafi, a sophomore transfer from Oklahoma State, has started all seven games at left tackle in his place.
In Other News...
Purdues Bye Week Brought More Frustration Than Hope At Penn State
A bye week was supposed to offer Purdue a reset, but the trip to Penn State only deepened the frustration. The Boilermakers fell 31-17, slipping to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play as Penn State leaned on its running backs, with Cam Wallace and Carson Hansen helping power the victory on the ground.
Purdue did find a couple of jolts to hang onto, mostly through special teams and one desperate offensive strike, but the overall picture was bleak. The offense struggled to generate much of anything against a Penn State defense that kept the Boilermakers out of the red zone, leaving Purdue to leave Happy Valley with more questions than answers heading into the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Purdues Bowl Push Suddenly Looks Tougher After Another Familiar Loss
Purdues path to bowl eligibility took another hit in a game that looked familiar in all the wrong ways. Penn State leaned on a ground game that kept the Boilermakers on their heels, and the Nittany Lions defense steadily squeezed the offense after the opening quarter, leaving Purdue searching for answers as the game wore on.
What makes the setback sting is how little margin remains now. Purdues run defense had trouble getting Penn State off schedule, and the offense never found enough rhythm to stay in the fight, which turns the next stretch of games into must-haves if the Boilermakers want to keep their postseason hopes alive. [Read more 🡒]
Purdues Penn State Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem Than The Score
Purdues trip to Beaver Stadium on Oct. 31 ended in a 31-17 loss to Penn State, but the score only told part of the story. The Boilermakers had a hard time finding any rhythm on offense, while the defense spent too much of the afternoon trying to slow Penn State after the Nittany Lions got going on the ground early.
There were bright spots in the kicking game, which has been one of the cleaner areas for Purdue at times this season, but they were not enough to change the feel of the day. Even with that lift, the overall performance from the coaching staff and the team came away looking rough, leaving Purdue with more to sort through than just another loss in the Big Ten column. [Read more 🡒]