Well, that was stressful.

Penn State football put on a masterclass in being a mercurial team during its 28-25 win over Washington on Saturday. The Nittany Lions climbed to a 28-6 lead by halftime, but a sputtering offense and multiple defensive gaffes let the Huskies tack on 19 unanswered points in the second half.

Fortunately, Penn State iced the game by holding the ball for the final 7:40 of the fourth quarter. Here’s what we noticed as Penn State notched its second straight victory to get back above .500.

The Dogs Were Barking

From my press box bird’s-eye view, I judged the number of Washington fans in the stands before kickoff, but it didn’t matter for generating crowd noise. Husky Stadium was deafening from start to finish, despite obvious chunks of empty seating.

The 70,000-capacity stadium, which hosted 67,879 in it Saturday, can be scoffed at by Penn State fans accustomed to 110,000 seats, but Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht had to stick with a silent count all game long.

In particular, the second-half crowd pops were thunderous when the Huskies scored three unanswered scores.

Chase Sowell

Penn State wide receiver Chase Sowell did not blink after his one-game absence against Purdue, collecting four catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.

Becht’s deep ball to Sowell was humming against the Huskies, giving the wideout the opportunity to show he couldn’t be stopped downfield by single coverage.

The 31-yards-per-catch performance comes two weeks after the redshirt senior recorded 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown against Michigan, and three weeks after he caught four balls for 95 yards against USC.

Sowell currently sits at 635 yards and four touchdowns on 38 receptions in 2026.

The Emerald City

It had been 105 years since Penn State played Washington in Seattle.

Matt Campbell joked to the media after the game that it was nice not to have to “take the train” this time around, as Penn State did back in 1921.

But on a serious note, the waterside stadium was surrounded by gorgeous foliage and sailgating boats packed with amped-up fans. It certainly felt unfamiliar, but it was a welcome change of pace from State College.

Final Drive Domination

After punting three times and turning the ball over on downs on a failed fourth-and-7 conversion attempt, the Nittany Lions held onto the ball for the final 7:40 of the game.

Penn State converted two third downs and a fourth-and-1 to keep the ball away from Washington, which had scored on four of its last six drives.

After blowing a 17-0 lead against Wisconsin in Week 4, it was refreshing to see Penn State’s offense end the game on its own terms this time around.

Field Goal Fireworks

I can’t speak for everyone else, but I was surprised when Husky Stadium shot off fireworks after Washington’s kicker, Tyler Robles, booted a 29-yard field goal to cap off the opening drive.

For context, Beaver Stadium ignites fireworks for touchdowns, but not field goals, so I had never seen that before.

Robles finished with three field goals, and the Washington offense threw two passing touchdowns, creating quite the smoke show on Saturday. Call me a hater, but I think that’s a little excessive.

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