Make that two Big Ten wins in a row for Matt Campbell.

It was a tale of two halves in Seattle on Saturday. The offense exploded in the first half, putting up 28 points, but in the second half, the Nittany Lions went cold and failed to score in the final two quarters. The defense suffered a similar fate, falling off quickly from a suffocating opening 30 minutes.

Here’s a quick review of each position group’s performance against Washington.

Quarterbacks: B

The Rocco Becht-Chase Sowell connection is elite, folks. Becht’s top receiver was back in action Saturday, and the duo looked seamless. 

Becht’s accuracy was on point downfield, especially in the first half, dropping one in the bucket on a deep ball to Sowell and launching another into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown.

In the second half, Becht stalled and accounted for just 47 passing yards. However, this marked the second week in a row the Nittany Lions didn’t turn the ball over.

Running Backs: A

The Carson Hansen game.

After a near-100-yard performance in Penn State’s win over Purdue, Hansen seemed poised for another big game against a struggling Husky defense. And boy did he deliver.

Hansen tallied 119 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. He also broke free for a 36-yard dash on the last drive of the game.

Cam Wallace also had a strong game, accumulating 56 yards on seven touches, including a 46-yard touchdown burst.

Wide Receivers: B+

It’s a darn shame Sowell doesn’t have another year of eligibility because he’s a real difference-maker. With the sample size on Koby Howard still being too small, Sowell is clearly the best wideout Penn State has had since Jahan Dotson.

Sowell left Husky Stadium on Saturday with 125 yards on four catches and a touchdown.

Elsewhere, the Nittany Lion wideouts have been relatively quiet. Brett Eskildsen and Zay Robinson each had two catches for 35 and 30 yards, respectively. Robinson also caught a touchdown.

Tight Ends: B

Benjamin Brahmer led the tight ends in receiving yards, picking up 36 on four catches. He remains a reliable target for Becht.

Andrew Rappleyea had two catches for 16 yards but dropped a would-be touchdown in the red zone.

Offensive Line: B-

It’s clear the offensive line had a revelation last week in run blocking, as their work up front paved the way for another successful day on the ground. 

That said, Becht was sacked three times, though the O-line wasn’t entirely at fault for all of them. A bad snap by Brock Riker to open the game led to a 7-yard loss, but the Nittany Lions quickly recovered.

Front Seven: C+

Penn State got home to Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. just once, courtesy of a sack shared by Ty Blanding and Yvan Kemajou. It’s a disappointing stat considering how bad Washington’s offensive line has been in pass protection this season, surrendering 26 sacks through eight games before Saturday.

It’s also worth noting the mess that occurred on Washington’s 2-point attempt on the final touchdown of the game. The Huskies’ receiver made a great catch in the end zone, but the Penn State defense should never have allowed that throw.

Tony Rojas led the tackles chart once again, with eight total, five solo. He also notched a tackle for loss and nearly forced a safety on a strange play in the Washington end zone. Kooper Ebel also had eight total tackles, four solo.

Secondary: B-

The Nittany Lions defensive backs did a great job in the first half containing the Washington air attack, allowing just 36 yards.

The Huskies adjusted, stretching the field horizontally in the second half, as Williams threw for 136 yards in the final 30 minutes.

Ibn McDaniels, however, came down with a momentum-slashing interception to open the fourth quarter. Jamison Patton also had a strong showing, recording five solo tackles and a pass breakup. 

Rising star cornerback Josiah Zayas had a rough day at the office, blowing up his coverage on two of Washington’s second-half touchdowns.

Special Teams: B

Penn State special teams didn’t get a chance to bring back a single punt or kickoff on Saturday. Zay Robinson, if you’re reading this, we miss watching you return punts.

Place-kicker Ryan Barker didn’t get a chance to kick a field goal either, but he was perfect with his extra-point attempts, as expected.

Punter Nathan Tiyce’s range isn’t great, but his performance was on par with his season standard.

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