Penn State’s passing game has been hampered in Big Ten play by Koby Howard’s absence. Heading into Week 9, Howard is the closest he’s been to taking the field since his Week 3 injury and islisted as questionable for the showdown with Purdue.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that Chase Sowell, who has replaced Howard as quarterback Rocco Becht’s No. 1 target, is also listed as questionable. Sowell played the best game of his season in Week 7, hauling in 11 of 15 targets for 151 yards and a touchdown. Yet, coming off Penn State’s lone bye of the season, his status appears to be in doubt.
There’s a chance that both are able to take the field, and Becht has his full complement of weapons for the first time against a Big Ten opponent. However, it appears just as possible that both wide receivers miss the game, leaving the Nittany Lions out of answers on the outside.
Initial availability reports for Penn State and Purdue. Pretty stark difference in amount of players. pic.twitter.com/1loxNJq6xY
— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) October 29, 2026
Penn State’s passing game can’t operate if Howard and Sowell both miss the game
Sowell’s name appearing on the injury report was a surprise. He was banged up against Michigan, but returned quickly and didn’t appear to be limited. He also spoke with the media on Tuesday, and there were no reports of any lingering injury. It could have occurred in practice or is an injury that has carried over from that Week 7 matchup when he shouldered a massive workload.
Sowell has emerged as the team’s leader in receiving yards, but Howard is still No. 2 with 344 yards on just 12 catches. WR2 Brett Eskildsen has 22 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown, and has caught just 62% of his targets, including a 14.3% reception rate on throws over 20 yards downfield.
Eskildsen was primarily expected to be utilized as a downfield threat for this offense. However, his average depth of target has gradually shrunk as offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser began to recognize that he couldn’t separate from Big Ten defensive backs the way he could in the Big 12.
Penn State tight ends haven't lived up to their billing
The tight ends, Andrew Rappleyea and Benjamin Brahmer, have remained a key piece of the passing game, but neither has been especially dynamic. Against Michigan, Rappleyea was targeted nine times, but those efforts yielded just seven catches for 34 yards. For the season, the redshirt junior tight end is averaging just 5.3 yards per target and only 1.18 yards per route run. Brahmer is at 1.13 yards per route run.
Both rank in the bottom half of Big Ten tight ends by yards per route run and are outside the top 10 in yards per reception. The TE-centric passing game hasn’t panned out the way many would have expected, so it’s vital that Penn State has at least one of its top two wide receivers on the field, even against a Purdue defense that ranks No. 126 in opponent EPA/dropback.
Flat out, there isn’t much receiving talent on this team, especially when Howard can’t go. He lived up to the hype through the first three weeks, but Penn State’s longstanding wide receiver problems aren’t necessarily solved. Sowell has been the only difference-maker at the position, and even he wasn’t particularly exceptional until Week 7.
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