Cam Wallace leads Penn State past Purdue to snap 4-game skid

Field Level Media|published: Sat 31st October, 20:11 2026

Oct 31, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Cam Wallace (26) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Cam Wallace rushed 22 times for 135 yards and a touchdown Saturday as Penn State snapped a four-game losing streak with a 31-17 win over visiting Purdue in State College.

Carson Hansen added 96 yards and a score on 17 attempts for the Nittany Lions (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten Conference), which pounded out 269 yards on the ground. Penn State dominated possession, controlling the ball for 43:27 and converting eight of 16 combined third- and fourth-down opportunities.

Quarterback Rocco Becht turned in an efficient outing, going 16 of 24 for 175 yards with a touchdown. Penn State won the yardage battle 457-175 to earn its 12th straight win against the Boilermakers.

Ryan Browne completed just 10 of 29 passes for 142 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Purdue (3-5, 2-3). The Boilermakers rushed for just 33 yards and weren't able to consistently sustain drives, going only 2 of 11 on third down.

Becht opened the scoring at the 5:13 mark of the first quarter with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Rappleyea, capping a 96-yard drive that lasted 6:06. Purdue tied it with 3:09 left in the quarter when Browne hooked up with Xavier Townsend for a 33-yard scoring strike.

The Nittany Lions took a 14-7 edge when Becht rushed for a 6-yard touchdown with 50 seconds remaining in the period. They averaged 10.7 yards per play in the period.

Special teams helped the Boilermakers tie the game with 8:52 left in the second quarter. Bisi Owens blocked a punt and teammate Jalil Hall recovered it, running 31 yards to even the score at 14.

However, Penn State regained the lead for good on a 65-yard, 15-play drive that chewed up 7:04. Hansen cashed it in with a 1-yard run, giving Penn State a 21-14 halftime lead.

Ryan Barker converted a 44-yard field goal at the 2:11 mark of the third quarter to make it 24-14, followed by a 2-yard touchdown run from Wallace with 9:23 left in the game for a 17-point lead.

Jacobo Echeverria Lozano hit a 49-yard field goal with 6:13 remaining for Purdue.

--Field Level Media

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