⚡ CFB Dashboard

- Matt Campbell confirmed Penn State defensive end Max Granville injured himself in practice during the week and will miss the rest of the 2026 season. This is a confirmed season-ending availability loss, not a questionable designation. Campbell did not identify the injury or announce a replacement in this interview. - Campbell said Penn State failed on three goal-line runs against Temple: a poor first run, an interior loss on the next, and a right-guard defeat on the third. He saw improved physicality and some good Carson Hansen runs overall, but said execution still lagged the offense's standard. He did not announce an offensive-line change. - Campbell said Penn State defensive back Zion Tracy was getting back to full strength and health and praised his coverage along with AC Collins's play. He nevertheless criticized two roughly 40-yard gains caused by missed detail and tackling, plus rushing opportunities conceded to Temple. The positive secondary assessment did not mean the defense had eliminated explosive-play or run-fit concerns. - Gabe Burkle returned for Penn State, and Campbell said his point-of-attack blocking and receiving threat expanded the available formations and personnel packages. He also praised Ben Brahmer's production and Rapp's C- and D-gap blocking. The tight-end group offers ways to vary heavy personnel without relying on every player to contribute primarily through catches. - Campbell kept Penn State moving before halftime because he expected a favorable two-high coverage look against tempo and trusted the called play despite the running clock. The touchdown and another early in the second half produced a 14-point swing across the surrounding eight minutes. That successful sequence is not evidence that every offensive drive was efficient.

- Injury: Wrote more this week on feedback from Jeremiah Cooper's return and what comes next

- Injury: I don’t think we want to move our starting Mike to cover for a situational edge rusher.

- Intel: What I've heard from people who know football better than me is that their specific statistics and such are pretty accurate but the grading for specific players is hard to be fully accurate because...

- Penn State's Temple depth chart is Lions247's projection, not an official team release. At tight end, Gabe Burkle is practicing after ACL recovery and warmed up but did not play against Marshall; Matt Campbell says he should be available for Temple. Cooper Alexander did not dress for the opener after an unspecified preseason injury; the article supplies no return date. - Penn State OL depth remains affected by injuries. Campbell calls Owen Aliciene questionable for Temple after he missed Marshall; Garrett Sexton played second-team right tackle in the opener. Dominic Rulli projects as the backup center when healthy, but offseason injury issues limited his Marshall role to special teams. - Penn State DTs Alijah Carnell and Armstrong Nnodim missed Marshall with unspecified injuries, and Campbell lists both as questionable for Temple. DE LaVar Arrington II is reported out 4-6 weeks following late-camp clean-up surgery. These are the report's availability assessments, not confirmed game-day absences for the two tackles. - Lions247 expects Penn State to use primarily a two-linebacker set, with Caleb Bacon mainly at defensive end despite his SAM listing. Alex Tatsch missed Marshall while returning from injury, but Campbell says he is available for Temple. That availability does not establish a starting role or snap count. - Penn State freshman Josiah Zayas started at nickel against Marshall. Zion Tracy played 18 snaps with a splint on his left hand and also worked at corner; Lions247 is monitoring that positional usage. Jeremiah Cooper, returning from injury, played 12 snaps and is expected to be a key secondary contributor when fully healthy.

- Injury: Each game week at Lions247, leading up to Penn State football's latest matchup, we'll check in with an opponent beat reporter and send over some questions.

- KICKER: Yea, he was banged up in special teams coverage during Game 1.

- Injury: It's worth noting that Zion Tracy was equipped with a splint on his hand, so an injury may have played a role in this personnel plan.

- Injury: More on what we're hearing regarding the progress and impact of Jeremiah Cooper after his return from a long-term injury absence

- Intel: 1 catch for 39 yards and a touchdown 1 kick return for 34 yards 3 punt returns for 41 yards He looked electric.

- Penn State defensive back Jeremiah Cooper returned from a torn ACL in the Marshall opener, but the staff deliberately limited him to 12 safety snaps split between the box and deeper alignments; his return does not yet establish an unrestricted workload. - Matt Campbell described Cooper's previous three practice weeks as exceptional, citing interceptions and growing confidence after he progressed from limited August participation to full practice, and expects him to play more than he did in the opener. - Cooper brings more than 30 career starts, eight interceptions and 22 pass breakups, with experience at corner, nickel and safety; coordinator D'Anton Lynn plans to use that versatility, but his eventual role within Penn State's multiple defensive packages remains unsettled. - Penn State starting safeties Jamison Patton and Marcus Neal Jr. each played more than 30 opener snaps, while freshman Josiah Zayas and veteran Zion Tracy led slot coverage, so Cooper's increasing involvement could alter an already active rotation. - Audavion Collins and Daryus Dixson are established as Penn State's perimeter cornerback starters, with Jahmir Joseph at corner and Vaboue Toure at safety among the primary reserves expected to receive regular work.

- Campbell listed offensive lineman Owen Aliciene as questionable for Temple after a late-camp injury, noting that he practiced Tuesday but had not been healthy enough to play in the opener. - Defenders Armstrong Nnodim and Alijah Carnell also practiced Tuesday but remained questionable for Temple because Campbell did not consider them at full strength for the opener. - Campbell said Gabe Burkle will be available against Temple after practicing last week but sitting out the opener to get more contact work before returning to games. - Campbell said LaVar Arrington needed cleanup surgery after a late-camp injury and estimated a four-to-six-week recovery window, with further assessment still needed rather than a firm return date. - Campbell attributed the slower rushing start partly to loaded boxes that opened early passing opportunities, but said lost blocks by linemen, tight ends and receivers cost potential explosive runs and must improve.

- Matt Campbell said Koby Howard is proving he deserves snaps across 11, 12 and 13 personnel, with his deployment determined by the opponent and the matchups each grouping creates. - Campbell said a Manske package depends on the game plan and situational fit, emphasizing the value of meaningful game repetitions without committing to a fixed rotation or workload. - Campbell said Tatsch will play this week and can handle Sam, Mike or Will linebacker, giving Penn State another versatile option as he returns to the lineup. - Jeremiah Cooper was on a snap count in Week 1, and Campbell praised his recent practice play and rebuilding confidence after injury without saying that the workload restriction has been removed. - Campbell said the running backs each received at least eight carries and reported no frustration over the distribution, supporting continued shared usage rather than identifying a new lead back.

- Pick/market: Just found another team total I like a lot.

- Intel: Updated SP+ rankings from Bill Connelly have us higher than any team on our schedule, moving up to #13 (from #16) A look at where our opponents rank (with change from prior week) 17.

- Across a 44-snap sample from Penn State's first eight drives against Marshall, Taylor Mouser used one-back, one-tight-end personnel 20 times and one-back, two-tight-end personnel 16 times, plus five heavy formations with Garrett Sexton as a sixth offensive lineman. - Within that Penn State sample, Carson Hansen took 24 running-back snaps, James Peoples 13 and Quinton Martin Jr. seven, with six of Martin's snaps on the eighth drive as the offense transitioned toward backups. - Penn State used only Brett Eskildsen, Koby Howard and Chase Sowell at receiver during the first half, with Zay Robinson and Amarion Jackson entering in the third quarter after Eskildsen took a hard hit rather than an immediate six-man rotation. - Penn State mixed Ben Brahmer, Andrew Rappleyea and Finn Furmanek at tight end, with Furmanek also taking three fullback alignments, while Gabe Burkle warmed up but did not play as he continued returning from a torn ACL. - Penn State kept Malachi Goodman, Trevor Buhr, Brock Riker, Cooper Cousins and Anthony Donkoh together for the first eight offensive drives, while the reviewer identified Sexton, Will Tompkins and Vaea Ikakoula as next-up candidates from their reserve usage and work at multiple positions.

- QB/OL: In terms of personnel groupings, I charted Penn State's usage through eight drives (43 plays) that I considered the first team (first OL was out there for all of those; Becht got 7, Manske...

- Pick/market: Go back and watch the last WMU drive.

- Penn State defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn tested calling one August scrimmage from the sideline and one from the booth, and Matt Campbell said the final game-day location decision would come late in the week. - Campbell said Penn State can support either Lynn location because defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe and linebackers coach Tyson Veidt both have coordinator experience and can occupy the opposite spot. - Lynn said tablets reduce the old booth information edge, making the decision more about emotional sideline presence versus level-headed booth perspective. - Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser will call games from the booth because he wants to stay as far away from the field as possible when calling plays.