UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State knew before Saturday that replacing wide receiver Koby Howard wasn’t going to be a one-man job.
Howard had emerged as the Nittany Lions’ premier explosive threat through three games, catching 12 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns. His 28.7 yards per reception ranked among the best marks nationally, and his absence against Wisconsin created opportunities throughout Penn State’s receiving room.
Those opportunities came.
The production didn’t.
Chase Sowell did his part, catching six passes for 70 yards on nine targets. Outside of Sowell, Penn State’s wide receivers combined for zero receptions in a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin.
Brett Eskildsen was targeted six times without a catch. Freshman Zay Robinson received one target and finished without a reception. Sowell accounted for all six catches and all 70 receiving yards produced by Penn State’s wide receivers.
That caught head coach Matt Campbell’s attention.
“Would I say I’m a little bit surprised? I would say I’m a little bit surprised that those are the statistics in the game,” Campbell said. “I think there was just a weird flow to the game, especially in the first half of the football game, where you’re in more situational football. I think some of it will be really interesting to see what happened in the second half.
“I think I’ll have a better answer for you guys on Tuesday to that question. We’re going to have to have more production from the receiving room and from the other players on the opposite side of the ball. That would cut it up.”
The numbers suggest this was about more than simply distributing the football.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Eskildsen ran 27 receiving routes and was targeted six times. Four of those targets traveled at least 20 yards downfield. None were completed. His average depth of target was 25.7 yards, showing Penn State wasn’t merely using Eskildsen as another body on the field. The Nittany Lions were actively trying to replace some of the vertical element Howard normally provides.
It never materialized.
Eskildsen finished with a 50.5 receiving grade. Robinson ran 11 routes and received just one target, also without a reception. Amarion Jackson, another young receiver Penn State had discussed as an option without Howard, didn’t record a target.
That left Sowell carrying virtually the entire position.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Even his production illustrates how dramatically the passing game changed without Howard. Sowell caught one pass of 20-plus yards, a 22-yard completion. He was targeted twice at that depth. He was far more effective in the intermediate portion of the field, catching two of three targets between 10 and 19 yards for 35 yards.
Before Howard’s injury, Penn State possessed a receiver who routinely changed the geometry of the field. Through three games, Howard and Rocco Becht had connected on seven completions of at least 30 yards.
Against Wisconsin, Penn State’s entire passing offense produced only 114 yards. Becht completed 12 of 29 passes, averaged 3.9 yards per attempt and didn’t throw a touchdown. Penn State generated only five passing first downs.
Tight end Benjamin Brahmer helped early, catching four passes for 36 yards, but Wisconsin increasingly took him away after three of those catches came in the first quarter. Quinton Martin added two receptions for five yards. Beyond them, there was nothing to supplement Sowell.
The consequences became especially noticeable when Penn State needed offense most.
The Nittany Lions went 0-for-5 on third down in the fourth quarter and possessed the ball for only 5:36. Their final four possessions before the last-minute desperation drive gained five, minus-one, six and then 42 yards after Wisconsin had taken the lead.
Howard’s absence doesn’t explain every offensive failure. Becht missed throws, protection broke down at times and the running game averaged only 3.3 yards per attempt.
But Wisconsin provided Penn State with its first look at what life without Howard actually requires.
Before the game, Campbell had praised the depth of the room. He called Sowell’s development better than he expected, described Eskildsen as a dynamic player and pointed toward Robinson as another emerging piece.
Sowell validated that confidence Saturday.
Nobody else did.
And with Howard expected to remain unavailable for an extended period, that’s the problem Penn State has to solve. The Nittany Lions don’t necessarily need another receiver to become Howard.
They need Wisconsin to be the last time that losing Howard means losing almost everyone else with him.
