Does that say… a Big Ten win?!

Penn State football downed Purdue 31-17 behind its strongest rushing performance of the season. Running backs Cam Wallace and Carson Hansen combined for 231 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, with Wallace accounting for 135 of those in his long-awaited breakout game.

Matt Campbell’s first Big Ten win rejuvenated the Penn State faithful, bringing a lot of hot takes going into Washington.

Here’s how our staff reacted to some of them.

Despite Cam Wallace’s Game, Penn State Still Has To Maintain Touches For James Peoples & Quinton Martin Jr.

Cadyn Gill: Much of my recent coverage has focused on Campbell not dishing out unwarranted playing time. If guys aren’t seeing the field, it’s because they haven’t shown enough in weekly preparation.

So while I’m a big James Peoples fan and think he could help this offense, particularly in the passing game, I trust Campbell to put the guys working the hardest on the field.

Last week, that was Wallace and Hansen. If they sustain a heavy workload again against Washington, they deserve to headline the backfield until Peoples or Quinton Martin Jr. elevate their preparation.

Jamie Lynch: News flash: you don’t need a four-running-back rotation just for the heck of it.

Campbell clearly saw something in Wallace during practice last week, and his decision to increase his touches proved well worth it.

That’s not to mention Hansen, who also had his most successful performance to date. Something must have clicked for him and the offensive line, but if he keeps producing, the Penn State running back room might be in good hands after all. 

Slotting Martin and Peoples into the equation against Washington is not worth messing up the momentum, in my opinion. If the ground game stalls once again, we can go back to this conversation.

Oscar Orellana: Wallace did what no Penn State running back has done so far this season — tout the rock with extreme efficiency and explosiveness.

Campbell and other players harped all postgame about how much Wallace deserved his shot because of how hard he works throughout the week. Yet, the whole situation had me thinking, “What are Peoples and Martin doing to not get any involvement in the game plan?”

It’s kind of a useless thing to ponder, though. If Wallace and Hansen can run the ball as they did on Saturday for the rest of the season, there’s no need to involve Peoples and Martin. They certainly had their shots to make an impact (Martin less so, but my point still stands).

Keep going with Wallace and Hansen. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Taylor Mouser Needs To Give Audavion Collins The Ball More

Cadyn Gill: I audibly criticized the StatBroadcast people for listing cornerback Audavion Collins as the ball carrier on that jet sweep, rather than receiver Zay Robinson. Little did I know I was the one who was loud and wrong.

Regardless, Collins possesses legitimate, game-breaking speed, which is always fun to have on offense. But Collins has been not only one of Penn State’s best defensive players, but also, statistically, one of the best cornerbacks in the country.

Sure, Mouser can mess around and give him one snap a game to see if he can spark an explosive play, but let’s not risk injuring our 5-foot-11, 183-pound elite cornerback on a tackle.

Keep the main thing, the main thing, and feed Koby Howard and Chase Sowell when they get back.

Jamie Lynch: I don’t think we should come to conclusions like this after one jet sweep. 

Collins will likely be a first-round NFL draft pick this season after proving to be a star corner for Penn State, but as Cadyn said, I don’t think it’s wise to risk injury on one of the Nittany Lions’ top guys.

Mouser has a running game headed in the right direction and a receiving corps that is poised to get two of its top guys back. Stay the course for now.

Oscar Orellana: I completely thought Robinson ran the ball on that play to open the fourth quarter, but it turned out to be Collins.

The star defensive back looked amazing in space and picked up 11 yards for the Nittany Lions on a jet sweep. I really admired the different things Mouser tried on Saturday, and this was one I am completely on board with.

Get weird, Mouser.

Give Collins the ball more and make him a two-way threat. Don’t abuse it, but keep trying it out and see if you can generate some more explosiveness in that way.

Penn State Doesn’t Need A Top Wide Receiver To Be Successful Down The Stretch

Cadyn Gill: I get it. It was refreshing to see such a poor-performing unit explode for 260+ yards. But Amarion Jackson was Penn State’s leading wide receiver against the Boilermakers with just two catches for 31 yards.

No disrespect to the Boilermakers, but a better-coached defense should have slowed the Nittany Lions by loading the box to stop the run and forcing the only healthy receivers, Robinson, Jackson, and Brett Eskildsen, to beat them for four quarters.

Sowell and Howard on the field take enormous pressure off Penn State’s run game, and they also give Rocco Becht legitimate man-coverage beaters to exploit.

Campbell crowned “complementary football” as the biggest factor in the victory over Purdue. To do that, you need an offense that can beat defenses in multiple ways to sustain drives and rack up points.

Jamie Lynch: Becht had just 175 yards through the air on Saturday against Purdue, and 103 of those were to his tight ends. 

Sure, Penn State won the football game, but that won’t be sustainable as long as Howard and Sowell are sidelined. 

Sowell proved to me during the Michigan game that he has what it takes to be a star for the Nittany Lions, and his presence on the field will be crucial for Penn State down the stretch.

Wallace’s potential emergence as the starting running back doesn’t eliminate the need for a strong passing attack.

Oscar Orellana: While Penn State had obvious success pounding the run game against the Boilermakers, it still felt like Howard and Sowell were missing.

Jackson led the Nittany Lions’ receiving corps with two receptions for 31 yards, behind tight ends Benjamin Brahmer, Andrew Rappleyea, and running back Wallace.

Eskildsen really played no role in the game besides one catch for 17 yards at the end of the third quarter. As good as Wallace and Hansen were, a combined four catches for 17 total Becht completions to receivers exclusively is not a recipe for long-term success.

All of Penn State’s remaining opponents rank in the bottom half of the Big Ten in run defense, though, so that’s at least reassuring. Either way, offenses need to be balanced. I think the unit can take Saturday as a big step toward that balance and truly unleash itself through the air and on the ground once Howard and Sowell get back on the field.

Andrew Rappleyea Is The Best Tight End On The Team

Cadyn Gill: I’ve been largely impressed with Rappleyea’s ability to box out defenders over the middle and be a consistent pass catcher for Becht.

But I’m hesitant to crown him the best tight end on the team, because I know how much of a mismatch Brahmer and his 6-foot-7 frame is for defenders.

Of course, it’s a great problem to have two tight ends fighting to be the top dog in the room, but I’d love to see Brahmer get more targets, especially in the red zone.

Watching Mouser’s offense, there are certainly ways to be more creative with Brahmer, like pulling him across formations on RPOs to freeze defenses.

Fire up some creativity and scheme the ball to your playmakers!

Jamie Lynch: I’ve been high on Rappleyea since last season and thought he was due for a big season in 2026.

While he received limited targets in the first few weeks of the season, he has clearly emerged, to me, as this team’s top tight end. 

Rappleyea can do it all, and his blocking is about as good as you can ask for from a tight end. He’s tied with Brahmer for the team lead in touchdowns, but as of right now, I trust the Becht-Rappleyea connection more when push comes to shove.

Oscar Orellana: I’ve seen enough. I was very much on the Brahmer train, but Rappleyea has proved over the last few weeks he has a really solid connection with Becht and makes things happen no matter what.

They’re pretty similar statistically, especially on Saturday, but Rappleyea looks and feels more effective week in and week out. His blocking is solid, he wiggles free in space, and he’s a reliable receiver. He’s becoming Becht’s favorite non-Sowell target, which is a little surprising given Becht’s previous time with Brahmer and Gabe Burkle.

The Season Is Still Lost Because Penn State Didn’t Beat One Of Its Premier Matchups

Cadyn Gill: Define lost.

Penn State isn’t making the college football playoffs, which is a major letdown to some. But it could secure the consolation prize of bowl eligibility with two more wins against any of Washington, Minnesota, Rutgers, or Maryland.

Playing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl or the Cactus Bowl doesn’t make the close losses to Wisconsin, USC, or Michigan feel any better, but it would at least show some resiliency from Campbell and his squad after such a rough opening chapter.

Furthermore, Campbell winning out to go 8-4 would be extremely effective at regaining the trust lost by the maddening four-game skid.

Jamie Lynch: I don’t even know what this means, to be honest.

Heading into the season, there was no way to know how Campbell’s first year in Happy Valley would play out. There were too many moving pieces to make an accurate prediction about how everything would mesh.

That being said, looking at the schedule and the shortcomings of Michigan and USC, I would’ve expected at least one win against the so-called premier teams.

I don’t think the season is lost, though. Penn State can still qualify for a bowl game and finish with a respectable 8-4 record if everything goes to plan.

It was a weird year, as expected, so it’s best to just embrace the ride.

Oscar Orellana: The one thing Penn State is playing for now is bowl eligibility, so they can go into the offseason refreshed and ready to hit the portal.

The win against Purdue was monumental for establishing Campbell’s culture within the program. A win against anybody, at this point, would have done that. That’s a saved season.

The only way the season would’ve been completely lost is if Penn State lost out and had absolutely no redeeming qualities. The Nittany Lions showed resilience and faith in the process, and that culminated with the big win on Saturday.

In my eyes, it doesn’t matter if it came against Northwestern, USC, or Michigan. All Penn State had to do was reach the one-win Big Ten mark and let the rest of the year pan out positively.

Everybody knew after Wisconsin this team wasn’t going to compete for the Big Ten title. Building on the Purdue win and making a bowl push is success for this specific squad.

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