Matt Campbell arrived in December and immediately hit the right notes. He was a refreshing change from James Franklin, and he made a point of showing respect for every corner of the Penn State program - its history, its legends, yes, Joe Paterno, its lettermen and its community.
Then the Big Ten season started, and the mood changed fast.
The Nittany Lions are 0-2 in conference play, and the early returns have been ugly. The defense has been shaky, the offense has been even worse, special teams have been merely ordinary, and the coaching staff has not found answers. The group has been outschemed at the start of games and halves, and it has not shown much sideline fire.
If you include the late touchdown pass to Chase Sowell against Northwestern, Penn State has managed only one touchdown drive in two Big Ten games.
That’s a brutal number, and the defense’s performance against Northwestern was just as alarming. After setting up two touchdowns against Wisconsin, the unit fell apart in Evanston on Friday night as Northwestern rushed for 413 yards. The Wildcats had runs of 30 yards or more four times, 20 yards or more six times and 10 yards or more 12 times.
Campbell has to clean that up, and quickly. In a place like Penn State, football results ripple far beyond the field and far beyond State College.
None of this came out of nowhere. Campbell was hired late, and he inherited a difficult setup. James Franklin took a dozen players to Virginia Tech, and in the current NIL transfer market, others left as well.
Athletic director Pat Kraft also sits under plenty of scrutiny. The search was handled poorly, and Kraft has only become more polarizing because of price increases and his overall comportment. If Campbell and Penn State can steady themselves, that would help Kraft’s future too.
Right now, though, the focus is squarely on the team, and Friday night was hard to watch. The Lions did not look like a group that could beat many Power-4 teams, if any. Even compared with the 2003-04 teams, which went 7-16 and won only three Big Ten games but were usually competitive, this felt rougher.
There is some reason to resist the panic. Campbell brought in two dozen transfers from Iowa State, and most of them are upperclassmen who already know him and his staff.
That connection was expected to give this thing a quicker jump-start. It hasn’t happened yet.
The reaction online has predictably gone into overdrive, but it’s fair to remember that no hire should be judged in two or three games. Other Penn State coaches have started slowly too.
Joe Paterno lost six of his first 11. Bill O’Brien dropped his first two before turning things around.
Franklin opened his first two seasons 7-6.
There are also real roster concerns. Senior quarterback Rocco Becht is struggling, and he leaves after this season anyway. Like most teams now, Penn State’s roster will keep changing, which only makes the climb steeper.
So no, it is far too early to say Campbell is the wrong man for the job. It would also have been too early to crown him after a 2-0 start.
This is going to take time. In this era, it’s a project, and coaching transitions usually come with a step or two backward before the forward movement begins.
Still, the numbers are hard to ignore. Penn State has lost nine of its last 12 Big Ten games.
Campbell can’t be blamed for all of that. But on the field, he has already blown his chance to make a good first impression.
In Other News...
Penn States White Out Puts One USC Advantage Under Pressure
The White Out at Penn State is already looming as a major test for USC, but it also carries a familiar twist for Lincoln Riley. On the other side will be DAnton Lynn, now Penn States defensive coordinator, who spent last season on Rileys USC staff and helped stabilize a Trojans defense that had been searching for answers. Their shared background gives this matchup an unusual layer of familiarity, with both coaches knowing something about how the other thinks and prepares.
For Penn State, Lynns return to the opposite sideline adds intrigue to a game that will be driven as much by adjustments as by atmosphere. Riley has long been one of the sports sharper offensive minds, and Lynns recent success against that same environment gives the Nittany Lions a meaningful point of confidence. There is mutual respect between the two, but Saturday night is about more than that history. It is a chance to see which coach can turn familiarity into an edge when the crowd, the stakes and the pressure are all at their peak. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State White Out Just Got Bigger Than Anyone Wanted
Penn State is heading into Saturday nights White Out with a lot more on the line than usual, and not just because No. 19 USC is coming to Beaver Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The Nittany Lions have spent the past couple weeks trying to steady themselves after losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern, results that have put a spotlight on a season that was supposed to feel more settled by now.
USC arrives with the kind of profile that can make an already charged environment feel even heavier. Lincoln Rileys team is 5-1 and has flashed the offensive punch that has become its calling card, even if the defense has left room for concern. For Penn State, the White Out is no longer just about pageantry and atmosphere. Its a chance to halt the slide before the questions around Matt Campbells tenure grow any louder. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Still Needs More From One Key Pass Rusher
Penn States defense came out of the Northwestern game with a few reminders of how thin the margin can be up front. The run defense gave up more ground than usual, the sack count stayed low, and the overall pressure package never quite found a steady rhythm. For a unit that has leaned on disruption to set the tone, it was the kind of afternoon that left the staff looking for a little more from the edge.
Yvan Kemajou has been part of that conversation because the flashes are there, but defensive coordinator DAnton Lynn made it clear the next step is consistency. Penn State likes the playmaking potential Kemajou brings, and the coaches know there is still room for the defense to tighten up as the season moves on. The upside remains obvious, but the Lions are still waiting for that pass-rushing spark to show up snap after snap. [Read more 🡒]