Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 6 41 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M TOP FIVE PLAYERS 1. Chase Sowell | WR | R-Sr. Sowell takes the No. 1 spot for the second month in a row, despite missing the Purdue game with an injury. Against Michigan and Washington, he to- taled 15 catches for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns. His one-handed reception for 36 yards in the third quarter of Penn State's clash with the Huskies was one of the great catches of the season. 2. Audavion Collins | CB | R-Sr. Collins is having an All-America-caliber season. His 10 pass breakups through nine games underscore his value to a defense that was allowing only 144.8 passing yards per game to rank third in the FBS. 3. Rocco Becht | QB | R-Sr. Becht bounced back from a 3-turnover game at Michigan with strong showings in wins over the Boilermakers and Huskies. He completed 32 of 51 passes (62.7 percent) for 415 yards, with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions, in those wins, including 5 completions of 20 or more yards in the 28-25 vic- tory at Washington. 4. Tony Rojas | LB | R-Jr. Rojas tied for the team lead with 8 tackles at Washington, raising his season totals to 66 stops and 11.5 tackles for loss. He's now one of only seven Big Ten linebackers since 1956 to amass at least 24 tackles for loss and 6 inter- ceptions in his career. 5. Carson Hansen | RB | Sr. The veteran running back had a season-high 96 yards against Purdue, then followed up with 119 yards at Washington. Through nine games, he led Penn State with 493 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. KEY MOMENT Penn State was reeling late in its matchup at Washington on Nov. 7 after taking a 28-6 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Huskies had held PSU scoreless in the second half, whittling the visitors' lead to three points in the process. The Lions needed first downs when they took possession with 7:40 remain- ing in what had turned into a one-score game. Hansen supplied a big one when he burst free for 36 yards on a second-and-6 play. His dash to the Hus- kies' 22-yard line put Penn State in a good spot, but the Lions still needed to convert on fourth-and-1 at the 3-yard line if they were going to run out the clock. They called a quarterback sneak, and Becht followed redshirt sopho- more center Brock Riker into the line, picking up a first down that allowed Penn State to leave Seattle with a 28-25 victory. BEST HIGHLIGHT It was heartening to see Cam Wallace finally given his chance to shine. The redshirt junior running back had carried only 24 times in his first three seasons with the Nittany Lions and had briefly entered the transfer portal last January. Coming out of PSU's bye week, he was given a bigger role in the hope that he could energize a struggling ground game, and he delivered against Purdue. His best run of what turned out to be a career day was a 48-yarder. Wallace finished the game with 135 yards on 22 carries, and he followed that performance with a 46-yard touchdown run at Washington the next week. BOLD PREDICTION The Nittany Lions will qualify for a bowl game. That prediction may not meet the dictionary definition of bold, given Penn State's combined all-time record of 77-5-1 against its last two opponents, Rutgers and Maryland. In fact, the Lions may have already hit the six-win threshold, given that they went into their home game against Minnesota on Nov. 14 needing just one victory. Wherever they go, it's not going to be the kind of postseason setting that everyone around the program was hoping for back in August. But it'll be a valuable experience for the returnees, particularly backup quarterback Alex Manske. The redshirt freshman missed spring practice and had played only 45 offensive snaps through nine games, the most recent coming against Buffalo in the nonconference finale. A contender for the Lions' starting job next year, Manske needs as many reps as the staff can give him. Bowl practices would surely prove invaluable. — Matt Herb PENN STATE FOOTBALL SUPERLATIVES G A M E S 7 - 9 Through nine games, redshirt senior Chase Sowell was the Nittany Lions' leading receiver with 38 catches for 635 yards. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL