Penn State Football vs. Purdue Game Preview

The Penn State Nittany Lions have struggled this season, to say the least. The Nittany Lions are 3-4, have lost four games in a row, and have been without star wide receiver Koby Howard. Chase Sowell has really stepped up in Howard’s absence, but Sowell and Howard are both questionable to play Saturday against Purdue. 

The  Purdue Boilermakers are also 3-4 looking to finally get an even record with a win over Penn State. The game is at State College, which will make things tougher for the Boilermakers, but the Nittany Lions have looked very bad this season. The game time is set for 4:15 pm EST, and both teams look to get away from their losing records and improve to 4-4. 

Keys for a Penn State win begin with the offense. The offense has looked very underwhelming this season, and it has caused them to lose a lot of games, but if they can take advantage early and put their foot on the gas against Purdue, then they should be fine. The defensive line is another key because they have struggled a lot with the absence of Max Granville. The pass rush and run defense have both been incredibly poor this season, and if they are poor again, there is no reason the Boilermakers could not win this game. 

Keys for Purdue start with the energy, and it matters a lot. The Boilermakers are traveling to one of college football’s electric atmospheres, and they will have to bring the energy to quiet the crowd down early. The next key is if they can run the ball and overwhelm the Nittany Lion defense early, considering the Lions' offense has had their struggles. 

Both teams are hungry for a win, and Penn State coach Matt Campbell is still searching for his first Big Ten win as the head coach. This could finally be his week to do it, but they will have to overcome an energetic Boilermakers team. 

Photo Creds: Penn State Athletics