Penn State earned a much better report card following its 31-17 win over Purdue to end a four-game losing streak. The national grades also were better, though Penn State's offense might be disappointed with its assessment.

Pro Football Focus, which grades every Power 4 game across college football weekly, gave Penn State its highest total grade (73.8) of the Big Ten season. The Nittany Lions' defense covered most of that with a grade of 78.2, also its highest against a Power 4 opponent. PFF judged Penn State's offense more critically at 64.8 despite a conference-high 269 yards rushing.

(PFF ranks its grading system like this: 85 and up is "elite," 81-84 is "good to great" and 60-80 is "average to above-average.")

Penn State's snap counts and grades unearthed some interesting changes coming out of the bye week. Let's break down those numbers to see what went right and wrong for the Nittany Lions against Purdue.

Penn State's offensive snap counts and grades vs. Purdue

Running back Cam Wallace was the story of Penn State's win, setting season-highs in carries (22) and yards (135) despite playing no offensive snaps over the past three games. Penn State players and coaches said that Wallace forced himself into the lineup during the bye week, with head coach Matt Campbell calling the back the "shining star" of practice.

Wallace averaged 6.1 yards per carry (with a long of 48) and didn't lose a yard on 22 attempts. Still, PFF graded him at 65. which seemed low considering his production. Meanwhile, fellow back Carson Hansen (17 carries, 96 yards) received a grade of 74.5, his highest this season and the highest among any back in Big Ten play.

What happened to James Peoples? After leading Penn State's backfield in snaps over the first three Big Ten games, Peoples has lost his spot. He played 16 snaps at Michigan and just one against Purdue.

Quarterback Rocco Becht (16-for-24, 175 yards, two total touchdowns) recorded his best grade of the Big Ten season (76.8). "I thought Rocco was outstanding," Campbell said.

As was his offensive line, which also appeared undergraded. None of the five starters received a grade above 70, with guards Cooper Cousins and Trevor Buhr tying for the top spot at 61.4. And center Brock Riker was undervalued at 45.

Without its top two receivers, Penn State relied on other positions in the pass game. Andrew Rappleyea (72.5 grade, his best in the Big Ten schedule) and Ben Brahmer (69.9) combined for eight catches for 103 yards. Wallace also caught three passes.

Interestingly, freshman Amarion Jackson played 63 snaps, finishing behind only Brett Eskildsen (65) at the position. Jackson played 11 snaps combined in the first four Big Ten games. Zay Robinson, who was expected to pick up more touches in Koby Howard's absence, played just 10 snaps on offense.

Penn State's defensive snap counts and grades vs. Purdue

Once again, Penn State's cornerbacks led the way in PFF's grades, but the defensive line also got some shoutouts. Two linemen recorded their best grades of the Big Ten season, with tackle Ty Blanding really standing out.

Blanding is the only returning Penn State defensive tackle getting meaningful snaps this season. After making his first start vs. Michigan, Blanding played 15 strong snaps against Purdue and earned a team-best grade of 83.4. Blanding was instrumental to an interior line that helped hold Purdue to 33 yards rushing.

Fellow tackle Armstrong Nnodim, who missed the first two games with an injury, asserted himself inside with a grade of 79.7. Defensive end Caleb Bacon recorded two hurries and generated more pressure to earn a grade of 70.2. Bacon has graded above 70 in three of Penn State's last four games.

At cornerback, Audavion Collins (79) continued to shine. He did not allow a reception in coverage and, according to PFF, has given up just four this season. But Collins didn't get the highest grade among the cornerbacks.

That belonged to Ibn McDaniels, a 6-3, 209-pound defensive back who transferred from Syracuse. Campbell said that McDaniels, like Walace, had a breakthrough week of practice during the bye and earned a spot in the rotation. He was rewarded with 14 snaps and rewarded Penn State with a grade of 80.5.

The linebackers were better all around, with Kooper Ebel (71.9) topping Tony Rojas (66.2) on the report card. Safety continued to lag, with Jamison Patton receiving a grade of 45.3 despite recording an interception.