Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-22 · by Travis Johnson The Associated Press
Koby Howard, a Penn State receiver who saw limited playing time last season, is emerging as a key player this year with 12 catches for 344 yards through three games. Howard's speed and ability to make plays in unexpected ways have caught the attention of quarterback Rocco Becht and coach Matt Campbell. With Penn State set to face Wisconsin in their first Big Ten game, Howard leads all FBS receivers in receptions of 30 yards or more and is on pace for a 1,000-yard season, something not achieved by a Nittany Lion receiver since Jahan Dotson in 2021.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-22,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
As Rocco Becht waited for his surgically repaired shoulder to heal during winter workouts, the quarterback’s eyes often were glued to his new teammate wearing No. 6.
asserted
eyes → wait → .
It didn’t take long for Becht to strike up a friendship with James Franklin era holdover Koby Howard.
asserted
Becht → take → Howard
Once Becht could start throwing again, the veteran found immediate chemistry with the shifty speedster who played sparingly for the No. 13 Nittany Lions (3-0) as a freshman.
uncertain
who → start → freshman
“We have a lot of guys like that in the room, but Koby is a little different,” Becht said.
asserted
Becht → have → room
“He’s able to go out there and make plays when they’re not probably supposed to be made, so I have all the trust in him and I know he has trust in me to get him the ball.”
asserted
he → ’ → ball
Howard has proved his worth with a team-leading 12 catches for 344 yards through three games.
asserted
Howard → prove → games
He has made defenders look flat-out slow with a pair of long catch-and-run scores.
asserted
defenders → make → scores
He has gone up and caught passes at their highest points, where lower-leaping defenders have had no chance.
asserted
defenders → go → chance
He has taken handoffs out of the backfield and recently scored on an easy-looking reverse in Penn State’s final nonconference win, a 55-13 victory over Buffalo.
“None of it surprises me because of how I watch him work,” Penn State coach Matt Campbell said.
asserted
Campbell → take → me
With Penn State beginning Big Ten Conference play at home against Wisconsin (2-1) on Saturday, Howard is tied for the most receptions of 30 yards or more among Bowl Subdivision receivers.
asserted
Howard → begin → receivers
His total receiving yardage through just three games exceeds the full-season total of all but two of Penn State’s wideouts from a season ago.
asserted
yardage → exceed → wideouts
Trebor Peña led Penn State with 49 catches for 552 yards last season.
asserted
Peña → lead → yards
Becht said in July that his goal was to ensure Howard gets to 1,000 yards receiving.
asserted
Howard → say → yards
Penn State hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Jahan Dotson in 2021.
asserted
State → have → 2021
The early opportunities have meant a great deal to Howard, who was buried on the previous staff’s depth chart for reasons he can’t explain.
asserted
he → mean → reasons
Last year Howard played minimal snaps over Penn State’s first three games, then didn’t crack the receiver rotation again until mid-October.
asserted
Howard → play → October
When Franklin was fired three games into Penn State’s conference schedule, Howard was introspective.
asserted
Howard → fire → schedule
He acknowledged that while he committed to that coaching staff, he was willing to see who Penn State would hire before deciding whether to transfer or stay in Happy Valley.
asserted
State → acknowledge → Valley
Once he learned he’d likely have a chance to play with Becht, the FBS’s winningest quarterback, Howard opted to stay in the small, central Pennsylvania town he’d come to love.
asserted
he → learn → town
He wanted to set a good first impression with his new teammates and coaches, so he started setting his alarm for 4:45 a.m.
asserted
he → want → a.m.
Howard’s was the first face Becht, his fellow new teammates and most of the new coaching staff would see when they entered the team’s facility shortly after 5 a.m. each day.
asserted
they → see → a.m.
By 5:45 most days, Howard already has warmed up, caught a bunch of passes from a jugs machine and had breakfast.
asserted
Howard → warm → breakfast
“It came down to me, honestly, not wanting to feel like I felt like last year,” Howard said.
asserted
Howard → come → me
“Even though I was working, I knew I had to work harder so I didn’t go through the same thing.”
asserted
I → work → thing
Now, instead of wondering if he’ll even get a chance to put his helmet on, Howard is wondering what coverage he’s going to draw and how to beat it.
asserted
he → wonder → it
Howard and Becht shot each other a look as soon as they settled into their alignment.
asserted
they → shoot → alignment
Howard was in the slot with Buffalo linebacker Joey Cheshire lined up across from him.
asserted
Cheshire → line → him
Cheshire began to backpedal before the snap and Howard knew he’d be even easier to beat with more space between them.
asserted
he → begin → them
By the time Becht fired over the middle, Howard was sprinting past the linebacker who still hadn’t turned to run with him.
asserted
who → fire → him
“I knew me and Rocco were on the same page,” Howard said.
asserted
Howard → know → page
“The linebacker kind of dropped, so I knew I had to get over him and I knew Rocco was going to put it there.
asserted
Rocco → drop → it
It was a great connection with me and Rocco seeing the same thing and being able to connect on it.”
asserted
me → see → it
The Aporia
