Hardcore Penn State Football

In this episode of Hardcore Penn State Football, Cory Lestochi and Shawn Kane welcome a guest, recap the bye week, and preview Purdue. Rich Scarcella of the Reading Eagle joins Cory and Shawn. He has covered Penn State football since 1989. The Nittany Lions return from their open week at 3-4 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten after a four-game losing streak. The next game is Saturday, Oct. 31, against Purdue at Beaver Stadium. Matt Campbell said Koby Howard was on the practice field Tuesday and is progressing in a positive way. Howard remains questionable for Purdue. He has missed the last four games after a lower-body injury sustained during the Buffalo win. Penn State (3-4) hosts Purdue (3-4, 2-2 Big Ten) on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 4:15 p.m. ET at Beaver Stadium on the Big Ten Network. The game is All-U Day. Penn State leads the series 17-3-1 and has won the last 11 meetings. The hosts preview the matchup and give their score predictions. Tune in for the full bye-week update and Purdue preview.

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In this episode of Hardcore Penn State Football, Cory Lestochi and Shawn Kane recap the Michigan loss, discuss the bye week, and welcome a guest. Penn State lost 21-18 at Michigan on Oct. 17 and fell to 3-4 (0-4 Big Ten). The Nittany Lions led 3-0 at halftime. Rocco Becht threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the second half; Michigan turned those into touchdowns. Becht finished 28 of 44 for 267 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Chase Sowell had 11 catches for 151 yards and a score. Tommy Carr replaced Bryce Underwood for Michigan and ran for a 12-yard touchdown with 2:58 left. Campbell said he has complete faith in Becht and that a quarterback change is not under consideration. He noted Becht has to be better and that the margin for error is thin. The hosts cover the areas that need work over the open week before the Oct. 31 home game against Purdue. Cory Giger joins Cory and Shawn for the episode. Tune in for the full Michigan recap and bye-week discussion.

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In this episode of Hardcore Penn State Football, Cory Lestochi and Shawn Kane recap the White Out loss and look ahead to Michigan. Penn State lost 31-23 to No. 19 USC on Oct. 10 in the White Out and fell to 3-3 (0-3 Big Ten). Rocco Becht completed 21 of 32 passes for 289 yards and one touchdown. The Nittany Lions settled for two field goals in the second half after leading 20-17 early in the third. A Brett Eskildsen fumble with 3:59 left sealed the result. USC finished with 430 total yards. Jayden Maiava completed 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns. The Trojans outgained Penn State on the ground 132-68.

The announced crowd of 114,419 set a new Beaver Stadium record. USC scored on its opening drive and quieted the crowd as the game progressed. Penn State (3-3) visits Michigan (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Michigan Stadium on CBS. The hosts preview the rivalry matchup and give their score predictions. Tune in for the full USC recap and Michigan preview.

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In this episode of Hardcore Penn State Football, Cory Lestochi and Shawn Kane recap the Northwestern loss and look ahead to the White Out. Penn State lost 34-13 at Northwestern on Friday, Oct. 2, at Ryan Field and fell to 3-2 (0-2 Big Ten). Northwestern rushed for 413 yards. Caleb Komolafe ran for 188 yards and a touchdown; Joseph Himon II added 162 yards and two scores. Penn State gained 48 rushing yards. Rocco Becht completed 26 of 41 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. What are realistic expectations for the rest of the season? The hosts assess where the season stands after back-to-back Big Ten losses and what remains realistic with Michigan, Washington, and the rest of the schedule still ahead. Saturday’s game against USC is the 19th full-stadium Penn State White Out and the first under Matt Campbell. USC has not played at Beaver Stadium since 1994. Cory and Shawn answer questions submitted by fans. Penn State (3-2) hosts No. 19 USC (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Beaver Stadium on NBC and Peacock. The hosts preview the matchup and give their score predictions.

Tune in for the full Northwestern recap and USC White Out preview.

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In this episode of Hardcore Penn State Football, Cory Lestochi and Shawn Kane recap the Wisconsin loss and look ahead to Northwestern. No. 13 Penn State lost 24-20 to Wisconsin on Sept. 26 at Beaver Stadium in the Big Ten opener. The Nittany Lions led 17-0 after a Josiah Zayas 51-yard interception return. Wisconsin scored twice in the final four minutes, including a 72-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Harris with 1:13 left. Rocco Becht completed 12 of 29 passes for 129 yards and one interception. Penn State is 3-1 (0-1 Big Ten). The hosts examine the late collapse, the stalled offense after the early lead, the coverage breakdown on the winning score, and how the game slipped away.How does PSU respond? Cory and Shawn discuss what comes next after Matt Campbell’s first loss at Penn State. Penn State (3-1) visits Northwestern (2-1) on Friday, Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. ET at Ryan Field on FOX. The hosts preview the short-week road game and give their score predictions. Tune in for the full Wisconsin recap and Northwestern preview.

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In this episode of Hardcore Penn State Football, Cory Lestochi and Shawn Kane recap the Buffalo win and look ahead to Wisconsin. No. 14 Penn State beat Buffalo 55-13 on Sept. 19 at Beaver Stadium to finish non-conference play 3-0. The Nittany Lions rushed for 304 yards and five touchdowns. Rocco Becht threw for 212 yards and two scores. Koby Howard scored twice. Combined score across the three non-conference games: 127-22. Cory and Shawn answer questions submitted by fans. The hosts assess where Penn State stands after Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo, including the improved run game, the Temple slow start, and penalties in the Buffalo win. No. 13 Penn State (3-0) hosts Wisconsin (2-1) on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. ET at Beaver Stadium. The Big Ten opener is Homecoming and streams exclusively on Peacock. The hosts preview the matchup and give their score predictions.Tune in for the full Buffalo recap and Wisconsin preview.

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In this episode of Hardcore Penn State Football, Cory Lestochi and Shawn Kane recap Week 2 and look ahead to Buffalo.

No. 16 Penn State beat Temple 27-9 on Sept. 12 at Lincoln Financial Field to move to 2-0. The Nittany Lions trailed 3-0, went scoreless in the first quarter, then scored 27 unanswered points before Temple’s late touchdown. Rocco Becht completed 21 of 27 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. The hosts break down the slow start on the road, the second-half response, and what the game showed about the offense and defense under Matt Campbell. Max Granville is out for the season. LaVar Arrington II remains out after knee surgery. Matt Campbell’s latest report heading into Buffalo includes expected returns for some defenders and at least one player listed as questionable.

Penn State (2-0) hosts Buffalo (1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 19 at noon ET at Beaver Stadium on the Big Ten Network (THON Game). The hosts preview the matchup and give their score predictions.

Cory and Shawn answer questions submitted by fans.Tune in for the full Temple recap and Buffalo preview.

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In this episode of Hardcore Penn State Football, Cory Lestochi and Shawn Kane recap Week 1 and look ahead to Temple. No. 18 Penn State opened the Matt Campbell era with a 45-0 win over Marshall on Sept. 5 at Beaver Stadium. Rocco Becht completed 13 of 18 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns. Koby Howard had six catches for 161 yards and a score. The announced crowd was 108,489. The hosts break down takeaways from the shutout, including the passing attack, the defense holding Marshall to 147 total yards, and areas that still need work, such as the run game. Matt Campbell’s latest updates: LaVar Arrington II is out 4–6 weeks after a knee cleanup procedure. Gabe Burkle and Alex Tatsch are expected to be available vs. Temple. Armstrong Nnodim, Alijah Carnell, and Owen Aliciene are listed as questionable after missing the opener. Penn State (1-0) visits Temple (1-0) on Saturday, Sept. 12 at noon ET at Lincoln Financial Field on ESPN2. The hosts preview the matchup and give their score predictions. Cory and Shawn answer questions submitted by fans.

Tune in for the full Week 1 recap and Temple preview.

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In this episode of Hardcore Penn State Football, Cory Lestochi and Shawn Kane recap the end of fall camp and look ahead to Week 1.

Camp Over Penn State wrapped training camp, which began August 5, and has now shifted into game-week preparation for the season opener.

Victory Day Notes The Nittany Lions closed camp with Victory Day at Beaver Stadium, a tradition Matt Campbell brought from Toledo and Iowa State. Children with disabilities and their families were invited onto the field for drills, tunnel walks with the Blue Band, and touchdown celebrations.

Marshall Preview Penn State opens the 2026 season Saturday, September 5 vs. Marshall at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The episode covers game details, Marshall’s roster under coach Tony Gibson, and key matchups.

Score & Bold Predictions Cory and Shawn give their score predictions for Penn State vs. Marshall and additional bold predictions.

Fan Questions The hosts answer questions submitted by fans. Tune in for the full camp wrap-up and Marshall preview.

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In this episode of Hardcore Penn State Football, Cory Lestochi and Shawn Kane deliver a full season preview for the 2026 Nittany Lions.

The discussion covers the state of the program heading into Matt Campbell’s first season as head coach, including roster construction and key storylines. Cory and Shawn share their record projections and outlook for Penn State in 2026.

Fan Poll Results Results from fan polls on expectations for the season are reviewed and discussed. A breakdown of the 2026 schedule, including non-conference openers against Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo, followed by Big Ten games against Wisconsin, Northwestern, USC, Michigan, Purdue, Washington, Minnesota, Rutgers, and Maryland.

The hosts offer bold predictions for the season.Tune in for the complete 2026 season preview. Visit rhettcoblentz.com for your graphic design needs!