Penn State athletics had some ups and downs over the weekend with football still struggling to get back in the win column, women's volleyball splitting its weekend on the West Coast, men's hockey remaining winless three games into the season, and field hockey locking in its postseason spot.
Here's the news you may have missed over the weekend.
Penn State football needs a win, but can't capitalize on opportunities
The Nittany Lions fell to 0-4 in the Big Ten following their Week 7 loss to Michigan on Saturday and are now 3-4 overall on the season. Head coach Matt Campbell is certain that this year is a foundation-building year for Penn State, but without a single win in the conference, it's questionable exactly what kind of structure he's building.
Quarterback Rocco Becht was 28-of-44 for 267 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He also fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Wolverines. All three turnovers resulted in Michigan touchdown-scoring drives. Becht took three sacks on Saturday as well.
Wide receiver Chase Sowell led the receiving game with 11 catches (15 targets) for 151 yards and one touchdown. Running back Carson Hansen led the run game, but only had 52 yards on 15 carries. He also had a rushing score in the contest.
Linebacker Tony Rojas had a double-digit tackle game (12) and also had the only Nittany Lion sack of the game for a loss of two yards. He had two tackles for loss as well. Linebacker Kooper Ebel (0.5), cornerback Zion Tracy (1.5), and defensive end Caleb Bacon (1.0) also had tackles for loss.
Penn State football kickoff time vs. Purdue announced
The Nittany Lions are on a bye week for Week 8, but details for their Week 9 game vs. Purdue are coming together.
Penn State returns to Beaver Stadium with kickoff slated for 4:15 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
The Boilermakers are 3-4 on the season as well, having sustained their fourth loss to Washington. They've also lost to Wake Forest, UCLA, and Notre Dame. Purdue beat Indiana State, Illinois, and Minnesota so far this season. Both teams head into Week 9 coming off of a bye.
Penn State men's hockey remains winless on the young 2026-27 season
Penn State men's hockey had its third game of the season and sustained its third loss as well. It previously played UConn and Sacred Heart on the road in Connecticut then hoped to leave Pegula Ice Arena on a high note for its home-opener vs. Quinnipiac. However, the No. 8 team in the country prevailed and left Happy Valley with the win instead.
It was a high-scoring game on Friday with the Nittany Lions putting up three goals to the Bobcats' six. Quinnipiac scored three goals in the opening period followed by two in the second and another in the third. Penn State looked like it could keep up in scoring as it put up two goals in the first period, which were the first two of the game. Justin Larose and Mac Gadowsky put the Nittany Lions up 2-0 before the halfway point of the period. Luke Misa netted the final goal of the game in the third period.
The three-game losing streak kept Penn State from receiving any votes in the updated USCHO Poll.
Up next for Penn State is a midweek contest vs. Robert Morris on Tuesday, Oct. 20. This should be the Nittany Lions' first win of the season. The Colonials are also winless after being swept by Wisconsin and Miami to open the season.
Penn State volleyball takes down another Big Ten foe
Penn State women's volleyball split the weekend in California. UCLA beat the Nittany Lions in five sets, but they bounced back with a sweep vs. USC on Saturday.
Against the Bruins, opposite hitter Kennedy Martin and outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein had double-digit kill nights. Martin led the team with 25 kills on 68 attempts for a 0.294 hitting percentage; Lauenstein had 19 kills on 54 attempts for a 0.167 hitting percentage. The two led the team in points as well (Martin, 26.5; Lauenstein, 21.5). Middle blocker Gabrielle Nichols had eight block assists and one solo block, which led the team. Setter Alexis Stucky had 49 assists and also led the team in digs with 18.
In Penn State's win over the Trojans, Martin (10 kills, 13 points) and Lauenstein (eight kills, nine points) were, yet again, the team leaders in kills and points. Nichols also had nine points off six kills, one solo block, and four block assists. Outside hitter Emmi Sellman and middle blocker Kendall Northern finished the night with 8.5 points.
The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 16 in the country on the AVCA Poll. Up next for them is No. 10 Oregon at home at Rec Hall on Friday, Oct. 23.
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