Penn State Given Good Chance to Stop Losing Streak vs Purdue

The Penn State Nittany Lions are getting ready to take on the Purdue Boilermakers this week, with the team coming off a much-needed bye week.

Penn State will be entering the game having lost four straight, with the program sitting with a record of 3-4 on the season. After a hot start to the year, the Nittany Lions have fallen back down to earth, showing real signs of concern.

The team is hoping that the bye week helps to reset some things for the program, giving the team some extra rest. Entering the game against Purdue, Penn State has gone 0-4 in Big Ten play, and the team will be looking to stop the bleeding.

As for the Boilermakers, they will be coming into the matchup with a record of 3-4 on the year, going 2-2 in Big Ten games. Purdue has the ability to make life tough on Penn State, but the Nittany Lions are still favored to win entering the game.

Coming into the contest, the Nittany Lions are being given a good chance to stop the losing streak at home. According to ESPN's matchup predictor, Penn State has been given an 81.2 percent chance to get the victory over Purdue.

For the Nittany Lions to stop the bleeding this week, the offense is going to have to come alive again. During the strong start to the season, Penn State was able to generate a lot of scoring, but it has slowed up lately.

Quarterback Rocco Becht is going to have a lot of pressure on his shoulders this week, especially with there being calls for his job. So far, Penn State head coach Matt Campbell has held off the calls to bench Becht, but another poor performance could force his hand.

On the year, Becht has thrown for 1,664 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions over seven games played. But during the losing streak for the Nittany Lions, Becht has only thrown over 250 yards once.

Against Purdue, Becht is going to have to push the ball down the field, proving that he should remain the starter. Becht followed Campbell to Penn State from Iowa State, but his play has recently hurt the team.

The entire Penn State team has been put on notice, and Campbell will try to have his guys ready to go. If the Nittany Lions can get a win, it could help build some needed momentum for the rest of the season.

Kickoff for the game between the two sides is set for 1:15 p.m. PT/4:15 p.m. ET from Beaver Stadium.