Penn State head coach Matt Campbell is a perfect 3-0 in his first season with the Nittany Lions. But what looms now is the first real test on his schedule, as Wisconsin visits Beaver Stadium on Saturday to open the Big Ten season.
Where is this Penn State team trending as conference play approaches? Here's our Week 4 Stock Up, Stock Down look at the Nittany Lions, starting with the player who could see a larger role this weekend.
Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Zay Robinson (2) returns a punt against the Buffalo Bulls at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Robinson started returning kickoffs and punts in high school and loved it right away. Who wouldn't when you're as good at it as Robinson? He totaled 133 all-purpose yards last Saturday against Buffalo, which included eight punt returns for 109 yards and one kickoff return for 17 yards.
The redshirt freshman from Des Moines, Iowa, is as shifty as it gets in the open field. He's been close to breaking a few returns for touchdowns. Yet, he's still fifth in the Big Ten in yards per punt return with 13.2.
"You got to see how dynamic he is with the ball in his hand and even his receptions this year," Campbell said. "... It's not just the catch. It's the catch and the run after, the ability to express the football forward."
Offensively, Robinson has built a good rapport with quarterback Rocco Becht . In his six snaps against Temple , Robinson caught three passes for 34 yards, including a 22-yarder he hauled in between five defenders.
He tallied one catch for seven yards against Buffalo but had a nice grab on third-and-long called back because of a holding call. With receiver Koby Howard out for Saturday's game against Wisconsin, and fellow receiver Brett Eskildsen playing "really limited" the past two weeks according to Campbell, Robinson could play a larger role against Wisconsin.
"Obviously, Zay Robinson's been a great piece [of the offense]," Campbell said. "Him and Koby have kind of been a 1-2 punch in the slot at times, and both of them made some really big plays in some critical moments."
Neal was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded safety nationally of Week 3 at 91.6. That was a major turnaround from the Temple game, where he was Penn State's lowest-graded defensive player (37.4).
The junior made two tackles and forced two fumbles (recovering one) against Buffalo, putting together the best game of his early Nittany Lions tenure. His performance earned him a spot on PFF's national team of the week .
The former Iowa State Cyclone was Penn State's second-highest rated defensive transfer, according to 247Sports, and was expected to anchor the Nittany Lions' secondary. He played the part on Saturday after two uneven showings to start the season.
Neal is on pace for 72 tackles, which would be five fewer than his career high he set last year. He also has surpassed his personal best in forced fumbles (two). Neal has yet to record a sack or tackle for loss this season after leading Iowa State with 11 last year. But after his game Saturday, it won't be shocking to see him disrupt plays in the backfield soon.
Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Koby Howard (6) runs for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bulls at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Nittany Lions have been dealing with injuries to key players early in the season.The most notable is defensive end Max Granville, who's out for the season because of an injury he sustained in practice before the Temple game. He was trending toward becoming Penn State's best edge rusher.
Then this week, Campbell said that Howard, who is averaging 114.7 receiving yards per game and is third in the country in yards per reception (28.7), will be out for an "extended period of time" after getting hurt against Buffalo. Penn State will release its first Big Ten availability report Wednesday night.
"We probably don't know exactly where he'll be by the end of the week," Campbell said. "Probably have a better idea, kind of went through a couple of things yesterday. And just trying to gauge exactly where he is as we kind of get ourselves ready for the end of the week."
Campbell also called starting tight end Andrew Rappleyea questionable after he left the Buffalo game in the first half and did not return. Penn State's head coach also noted that wide receiver Brett Eskildsen has been hurt and limited the past two weeks. Eskildsen, arguably the fastest player on the team, has averaged 9.2 yards per reception and 27.6 yards per game while not being used as a deep threat.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/pennstate as Penn State Football Stock Up, Stock Down Report Entering Week 4 .
