Will Koby Howard play again during this Penn State football season?

Receiving star Koby Howard may not play again in this Penn State football season, as expected, after all.The sophomore, who dominated in the Nittany Lions' non-conference schedule, has missed each of their six Big Ten games with an undisclosed injury issue, including last weekend's narrow victory at Washington.Though Howard began practicing with the team again a couple of week ago − and has been listed as "questionable" on recent Big Ten availability reports − his hopeful return to the game field has been "paused," before the final three weeks of the regular season, coach Matt Campbell said during his weekly Tuesday, Nov. 10, press conference.While Campbell did not provide any details on Howard's physical condition, he did suggest, more strongly than before, that Howard's season may be finished after just three September games.Penn State begins its regular season-ending run against a well-regarded Minnesota team (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) in prime time on Saturday, Nov. 14, in Beaver Stadium. Following are games against Rutgers and Maryland, who are a combined 5-13."I think we kind of came to a decision a little bit Thursday, Friday of we're kind of in a 'pause state' right now on where Koby's at," Campbell said."We were trying to beat a timeline (for him) coming back and I think the reality is I've continued to say I refuse to put Koby on the field until he's 100 percent ready to go back ... So, whether that pause means the end of the season, whether it's postseason play, I can promise you, I will let you guys know. But, right now, I think we're in a 'pause state' to make sure we get him a fully 100 percent back to health."Howard was averaging an astounding 28.7 yards on his 12 receptions and was a game-changing, big-play threat each time he touched the ball as a receiver or a runner in the backfield.He suffered an undisclosed injury during his 70-yard catch-and-run touchdown play in the Sept. 19 victory over Buffalo, Campbell said. At the time, Howard was ranked seventh nationally in both total receiving yards (344) and average yards per game (114.7).Since, senior Chase Sowell gradually replaced him as the No. 1 wideout, even through his own injury issues. Sowell is coming off back-to-back 100-yard-plus receiving games.Meanwhile, Howard has stayed visibly involved during games in a pseudo-coaching role, reportedly teaching and encouraging. He made the trip to Seattle and worked the sideline during the game in street clothes.On Tuesday, Campbell singled out Howard, along with Sowell and lost-for-the-season linebacker Alex Tatsch and defensive end Max Granville, for how they've worked through injuries"It's really hard to be injured in college football, right?" Campbell said."(But) there has to be a sense of urgency to grow. ... I've been really appreciative of our guys buying in of what it means to be a great teammate. What's it means to be a future leader. Because everybody's going to see how you led when it wasn't going well for you. And it gives you the tools and that firepower (for) when you do come back and you got the ability to use your voice in a powerful way. Kobe's doing a great job."Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Will Koby Howard play again during this Penn State football season?