Penn State vs. Washington Football Preview 11/7/26

The Penn State Nittany Lions are back in action on Saturday on the road against the Washington Huskies after picking up their first conference win of the season over Purdue. The Huskies are 5-3, while the Nittany Lions sit at 4-4, looking to get back to a winning record.

For Penn State,  wide receiver Chase Sowell is expected to play, while other star wide receiver Koby Howard remains questionable after missing the past six weeks. For Washington, running back Quaid Carr and wide receiver Christian Moss both remain out. 

The keys to watch begin with how Penn State’s offense flows. They get back Sowell, who has been heating up, before missing Saturday’s game against the Boilermakers. The next thing to watch is the Huskies' offense as well, because they have four wide receivers who each have over 200 receiving yards this season, and how the Nittany Lions' cornerbacks can play man coverage and prevent that. The last thing to watch is the Nittany Lions defensive line. The pass rush and run defense have had very bad games, especially against Northwestern in early October, and the question is whether the Lions can control the game and plug holes to help give the offense breaks. 

A few things to watch out for, beginning with the Lions, is the running game, which has struggled all season long up until the Purdue game. Another thing is if the Nittany Lions defense can set the standard early and create stops or turnovers to help out the offense right away. For Washington, can they use Penn State’s defensive line struggles to their advantage to win time of possession and have success in the ground game? 

Coming into the game, Washington is the favorite to come out with a win, but Penn State is coming off their first conference win under head coach Matt Campbell, and they look to build that momentum as the season begins to wind down. The game is scheduled for 3:30 pm  Eastern time and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. 

Photo Credits: The Seattle Times