Penn State wide receiver Koby Howard's status for Saturday's game against the Wisconsin Badgers is still uncertain.
Penn State can't afford to not have wide receiver Koby Howard on Saturday against the Wisconsin Badgers. As things stand on Tuesday, Howard's status for the game is still uncertain as he recovers from an injury he sustained against Buffalo.
Head coach Matt Campbell didn't go into detail about the injury, as all he said was that Howard got "dinged up" on his long 70-yard touchdown last week.
Candidly, it doesn't sound all that serious, and it does feel like there is a bit os posturing from Campbell and the Nittany Lions staff.
Regardless of whether it is true or not, there is still a ton of time between Wednesday and Saturday for him to get it right, and he needs to use every single second that he can.
Howard has been chief among all of the bright spots already in the Penn State season. He has 12 catches for 344 yards and two touchdowns. He has four more catches than Chase Sowell, who is second, while having more than double his yards.
He is the main catalyst on the Nittany Lions offense, and losing him would be a major blow for Campbell, quarterback Rocco Becht, and the entire Nittany Lions offense.
I truly do not think that he will miss Saturday's game; it is too important, but if he does, the Nittany Lions have to find answers elsewhere.
The first place that they will need to look is in the backfield to their lead backs, Carson Hansen, Quinton Martin Jr., and James Peoples. Combined, those three have 439 yards and four touchdowns. They will be relied upon heavily by the offense.
Then, the pass-catchers all have to elevate their games. Sowell will take a primary role while tight end Benjamin Brahmer has to take that next step and show that he can be an elite tight end in the Big Ten and America at large.
Finally, if his top wide receiver is out, Rocco Becht will have to play a flawless game. He needs to play like the veteran that he is and really shepherd this team to a hard-fought victory.
Make no mistake about it, Penn State has its hands full on Saturday. This is a Wisconsin team that knows that their coach is on the hot seat, and they are playing for his future and his job.
A win on Saturday would be massive for whichever team that does it, and for Penn State, they will be hurting badly if Howard is a scratch.
