Final: Penn State 31, Purdue 17. On Saturday, October 31, at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, Penn State moved to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten. Purdue fell to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten. The Penn State recap and the Associated Press agree on the final. The AP describes it as Penn State’s first Big Ten win under Matt Campbell.
The result closes a four-game conference losing streak. It also changes the depth-chart conversation from Friday’s availability report to what the official recap actually credits. One home win does not publish a new two-deep. It does replace the pregame question of whether the game had been played.
Wallace and Hansen Carried the Ground Game
Penn State finished with 457 total yards: 269 rushing and 188 passing. Cam Wallace ran for a career-high 135 yards on 22 carries and scored on a 2-yard rush. Carson Hansen added 96 yards on 17 carries and a 1-yard touchdown run.
That is a different backfield picture from Michigan, when Penn State managed 65 team rushing yards and Wallace did not have a recorded carry. Wallace had the larger share against Purdue. Hansen still had 17 carries and a short touchdown, so the game does not remove him from the rotation. The running back tracker now uses these two lines as the latest verified workload. It does not turn Wallace’s career high into a permanent ranking above Hansen, James Peoples or Quinton Martin Jr.
The official recap is also the limit of the rushing detail used here. It does not supply a carry line for every other back, and this page does not fill that gap from an unofficial chart.
Becht’s Line, Without Howard and Sowell
Rocco Becht completed 16 of 24 passes for 175 yards. He threw a 4-yard touchdown to tight end Andrew Rappleyea and scored on a 6-yard run. The quarterback tracker still lists him as the starter. Campbell’s October 20 comments remain the last staff statement used here; the Purdue recap does not announce a different quarterback.
Penn State played without wide receivers Koby Howard and Chase Sowell. StateCollege.com reported that the final Big Ten availability report, posted at 2:15 p.m. ET, listed both receivers out. PennLive also reported that Penn State won without them. Howard had not played since the September 19 win over Buffalo. Sowell had been questionable on Friday’s report after catching 11 passes for 151 yards at Michigan. The Michigan receiving breakdown keeps that earlier game separate from Saturday’s absence.
The official recap does not add a target chart. It credits Rappleyea with the scoring catch and says Benjamin Brahmer led the receiving corps. Those are role notes for one game, not a new receiver ranking and not a season-ending injury label for Howard or Sowell. The pass-catcher tracker keeps the Michigan target sample as the last full receiving line and records both wide receivers as out for this completed game.
Defense: 33 Rushing Yards, Two Interceptions, a Sack
Penn State held Purdue to 33 rushing yards. Jamison Patton and Jeremiah Cooper each intercepted a pass. Yvan Kemajou recorded a sack. Those are the defensive facts in the verified recap. They show a cleaner run-defense day than Michigan, when the opponent rushed for 211 yards. They do not name a new starting front, a snap count, or a tackle leader for this game.
Friday’s availability report remains a pregame document. It had listed several defensive players as probable or out before kickoff. The completed recap supersedes that report only where it names a play. Kemajou’s sack and Cooper’s interception confirm that those two played. The report does not convert Friday’s probable tags into a published Washington depth chart. The defensive tracker keeps that distinction.
| Player or unit | Against Purdue | What it does not settle |
|---|---|---|
| Cam Wallace, running back | 22 carries, 135 yards, 2-yard touchdown | One career high does not lock the carry order for Washington. |
| Carson Hansen, running back | 17 carries, 96 yards, 1-yard touchdown | He still had a large share beside Wallace. |
| Rocco Becht, quarterback | 16 of 24, 175 yards, touchdown pass; 6-yard rushing touchdown | The recap does not announce a quarterback change. |
| Andrew Rappleyea, tight end | 4-yard touchdown catch | A scoring catch is not a full target chart. |
| Howard and Sowell, receivers | Ruled out | Absence for this game is not a season-ending diagnosis. |
| Penn State run defense | 33 rushing yards allowed; Patton and Cooper interceptions; Kemajou sack | One home result does not erase the Michigan rushing total. |
Next: at Washington
Penn State visits Washington on Saturday, November 7, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Penn State’s 2026 schedule lists the game at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium in Seattle and shows the kickoff as 3:30 PM EST on FS1. In November that listing is 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Minnesota on November 14, Rutgers on November 21 and Maryland on November 28 were still without an announced kickoff time on that schedule page.
The 2026 schedule on this site carries the Purdue result and the Washington window. The archived Purdue kickoff guide keeps Friday’s availability report and the October 26 series notes, marked as pregame. Washington-week injury designations are not included here.
Sources
- Penn State recap, October 31, 2026: 31-17 final; records of 4-4 and 1-4 for Penn State, 3-5 and 2-3 for Purdue; Wallace’s 135 yards on 22 carries and 2-yard touchdown; Hansen’s 96 yards on 17 carries and 1-yard touchdown; Becht’s 16-of-24 line for 175 yards, 4-yard touchdown pass to Rappleyea and 6-yard rushing touchdown; 457 total yards, 269 rushing and 188 passing; Purdue held to 33 rushing yards; Patton and Cooper interceptions; Kemajou sack; Brahmer leading the receiving corps.
- Associated Press: 31-17 final, Wallace’s 135 yards and a touchdown, and Penn State’s first Big Ten win under Matt Campbell.
- StateCollege.com: final 2:15 p.m. ET availability report listed Chase Sowell and Koby Howard out.
- PennLive: Penn State won 31-17 without Howard and Sowell.
- Penn State 2026 schedule: Purdue result and Washington on November 7 at 3:30 PM EST on FS1 at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.