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Penn State coach Matt Campbell added a new name to the Week 10 availability report ahead of Saturday's game at Washington. Starting left tackle Malachi Goodman is listed as probable after missing snaps last week in the Nittany Lions' win over Purdue.
That's the main update to Penn State's first availability report of the week before the team leaves Thursday for Seattle. Meanwhile, three other key players, including the team's top two receivers, will require further status updates before Saturday's 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Husky Stadium.
Penn State receiver Koby Howard, who has not played since Week 3 against Buffalo, is listed as questionable, but Campbell didn't sound hopeful that the standout would return to the field. Penn State had hoped for Howard's return last week post-bye, but the receiver did not play for the fifth straight game.
Howard, who led Penn State in every major receiving category through the non-conference schedule, has been "very limited" this week in practice, Campbell said, and is trending toward not playing against the Huskies. Penn State has been longing for his explosive-play ability; Howard averaged 28.7 yards per catch before his injury.
"He's way above where he probably should be, to be quite honest with you, in terms of the actual timeline of this injury," Campbell said Wednesday after practice. "... If there's one guy you have to reel in, it's Koby. ... If we're going to do this right, we're going to right by him as well."
Fellow receiver Chase Sowell, the Nittany Lions' top pass-catcher through the Big Ten schedule, is listed as probable for Saturday's game. Sowell did not play last week against Purdue after recording a career-high 151 receiving yards Oct. 17 at Michigan.
Campbell suggested that Sowell, who leads Penn State with 34 catches for 510 yards, "probably wasn't fully healthy" during that Michigan game. Sowell left before halftime with an ankle issue but returned in the second half.
"Chase is a lot closer to being full strength," Campbell said. "Why we haven't play him, to be quite honest with you, is because he hasn't been at full strength. I want him to be on the field, ready to rock and roll."
Without Howard and Sowell last week, Penn State relied on the tight ends more. Ben Brahmer and Andrew Rappleyea combined to catch eight passes for 103 yards. Quarterback Rocco Becht also took more deep swings to Brett Eskildsen, who caught one pass for 17 yards on four targets.
At left tackle, Goodman has been reliable in his first season as the starter. He played every snap through the first four Big Ten games, including an exhausting 80 against Michigan. Goodman left the Purdue game before halftime with an injury but returned in the second half and finished the game with 68 snaps.
Redshirt sophomore Garrett Sexton is Goodman's backup. Sexton played 10 snaps against Purdue while Goodman was out and has been called on during goal-line and short-yardage situations when Penn State uses six offensive linemen.
Elsewhere on Penn State's availability report, defensive tackle Armstrong Nnodim is listed as probable. Nnodim missed the season's first two games with a lingering camp injury but has been essential to Penn State's interior rotation since. He also has been the team's most productive tackle with 2.5 tackles for loss.
Penn State is making its first trip to Washington since 1921. Kickoff at Husky Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.