Northwestern · L 13-34
No carries.
USC · L 23-31
No carries.
Michigan · L 18-21
No carries.
Purdue · W 31-17
22 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD
The other 4 games average 31 yards. This one was 104 above.
Wallace has carries in 5 of Penn State’s 8 games: none against Northwestern, USC and Michigan.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
18 stories this week, from 15 outlets.
Black Shoe Diaries +1 Nov 2
Share of the team's total this season.
Each line is one carry: taller means more yards, and a line pointing down lost yards. Black lines are touchdowns. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside each lane the carries are lined up shortest to longest, not placed. Of his carries with a spot in the play text: left 8, middle 33, right 3. His longest went for 59 yards.
Cam Wallace
Played for three head coaches in three seasons at Penn State. A game that shows it: 135 rushing yards and 9 receiving yards against Purdue — Week 9, 2026.
260 rushing yards · 3 rushing TD · 44 carries
Play style
Hits the crease and outruns the angle.
Closer · Q4-with-lead carry share
The closer
15.8% of carries overall (44/279) → 32.7% of Q4-with-lead carries (18/55) — 27.8% of those in competitive (≤16-pt) games.
Counted from the play-by-play, so a carry or two can differ from the box score.
Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
2 of the team's 17 inside-the-5 carries (11.8%).
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 15 outlets
Black Shoe Diaries +1 Nov 2 · 2 outlets
Game talk is up: 6 stories in the last two weeks, from none the two weeks before.
On3Penn State-Purdue takeaways: Cam Wallace has a career day as Lions earn first Big Ten win without Chase SowellOct 31
CBS SportsCam Wallace powers Penn State past Purdue for first Big Ten winOct 31On36 things I think after Penn State beats Purdue 31-17: On a great night for Cam Wallace, special teams cleanup, and moreOct 31
Onward State'Why Would I Give Up?': Penn State Football Running Back Cam Wallace's Long Road To Recovery Made Worthwhile In Breakout Performance Against PurdueOct 31On3Penn State notebook: Matt Campbell on Cam Wallace’s breakout, opportunities earned and quarterback developmentNov 3from 15 outlets
Black Shoe Diaries +1 Nov 2 · 2 outlets
On3Penn State-Purdue takeaways: Cam Wallace has a career day as Lions earn first Big Ten win without Chase SowellOct 31CBS SportsCam Wallace powers Penn State past Purdue for first Big Ten winOct 31On36 things I think after Penn State beats Purdue 31-17: On a great night for Cam Wallace, special teams cleanup, and moreOct 31Onward State'Why Would I Give Up?': Penn State Football Running Back Cam Wallace's Long Road To Recovery Made Worthwhile In Breakout Performance Against PurdueOct 31On3Penn State notebook: Matt Campbell on Cam Wallace’s breakout, opportunities earned and quarterback developmentNov 3Black Shoe Diaries +1Each week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Nittany Sports NowNov 2
York Daily RecordNov 1
PennLiveNov 1Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Penn State | 44 | 260 | 5.9 | 3 | 59 |
| 2025 | Penn State | 6 | 23 | 3.8 | 0 | 9 |
| 2024 | Penn State | 18 | 63 | 3.5 | 1 | 13 |
| Career | 68 | 346 | 5.1 | 4 | 59 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Penn State | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2025 | Penn State | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2024 | Penn State | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 5 | 28 | 5.6 | 0 | 12 |
Last game (Wk 9): 135 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 3 catches.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 5 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-0vs Marshall | 11 | 42 | 3.8 | 1 | 16 | |
| Wk 2 | W 27-9@ Temple | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Wk 3 | W 55-13vs Buffalo | 8 | 77 | 9.6 | 1 | 59 | |
| Wk 4 | L 20-24vs Wisconsin | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Wk 9 | W 31-17vs Purdue | 22 | 135 | 6.1 | 1 | 48 | Season-high 135 yds |
| Total | 44 | 260 | 5.9 | 3 | 59 |
Oct. 31 · W 31-17 vs Purdue, play by play
22 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown, his most this season. He also caught 3 passes for 9 yards.
48-yard run. First quarter, tied 7-7.
3-yard run on 3rd and 4. Second quarter, up 14-7.
12-yard run on 3rd and 2. Second quarter, up 14-7. Converted.
2 carries for 4 yards.
2-yard run. First quarter, up 3-0.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
8 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown.
No gain on 4th and 1. Fourth quarter, up 48-6. Turnover on downs.
59-yard touchdown run. Fourth quarter, made it 55-6.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
1 carry for 2 yards.
2-yard run. Second quarter, down 3-0.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
11 carries for 42 yards and a touchdown.
5-yard run on 4th and 1. Fourth quarter, up 38-0. Converted.
16-yard run. Fourth quarter, up 45-0.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
Week 9 · 2026
W 31-17
vs Purdue
The plays that mattered most
263rd in rushing yards, among all 1,551 FBS players with a rushing row this season, any position
Ratings of the games shown run from -12 to +9 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
Success rate
39%44 carriesStuffed
0 or fewer ydsGrind
1–3 ydsChunk
4–9 ydsExplosive
10+ yds5.9 yds/carry on 44 carries · 9% explosive (10+ yds) · 39% success rate.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 5 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 64.5 | 5.4 | 0.8 |
| Road1g | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 31.2 | 4.3 | 0.5 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 135 | 6.1 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Campbell
Pass share
46.5%
251 pass / 289 run
Plays / game
67.5
8 games
Team sack rate
4.7%
278 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many touches a game as a typical FBS running back who plays every week.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: James Franklin, Terry Smith, and Matt Campbell. Multi-era developmental context.
In the portal · 2026
In transfer portal
