Matt Campbell had seen this movie before, and this time he handled the ending differently.
Back in Week 4, Penn State grabbed a 17-0 lead on Wisconsin and Campbell’s team played like the job was done. The offense tightened up, the defense let the cushion shrink, and before long the Nittany Lions had dropped to 0-1 in Big Ten play and started a four-game losing streak.
Week 10 brought a much different script, even if the middle of it got uncomfortable. Penn State carried a 28-6 lead into halftime, then kept throwing the ball and kept leaning into fourth-down aggression.
The lead still slipped away until it was 28-25 with a little more than seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. This time, though, the Nittany Lions finished it off with a 70-yard drive powered by a run game that had finally found its footing.
Afterward, Campbell pointed to Rocco Becht’s poise, even though the quarterback completed only five passes for 47 yards in the second half. He also brought up that Wisconsin loss and, when asked about the difference, admitted he handled things differently.
“First of all, as a head football coach, lead. Don’t sit back.
Right. And just assume it’s going to happen,” Campbell said definitively.
“I think the biggest thing for me was trying to help our guys regain their poise. Don’t just want them to have poise, go lead them to have some poise, and help them get through it.”
The poise wasn’t perfect, and Campbell didn’t pretend otherwise. The margin was larger this time, too, which can get buried in the larger takeaway from a road win. But the result was better, and the game got across the finish line.
That matters for a program that seems intent on squeezing improvement out of every corner it can find.
Campbell has spent this season trying to build that progress in practical ways: shaping a run game that fits the roster, creating some pass rush from a front seven that lacks obvious difference-makers, and putting Becht in better spots to succeed. The message is all about development, and it carries more weight when the coach delivering it is willing to include himself in the critique.
There’s plenty from this game that still needs work. But Penn State is getting better, and the results are following. After going into Seattle and beating another struggling Big Ten team, there’s now a real path to 8-4.
That record would probably be misleading. It would also be a lot more appealing than piling up losses to weaker opponents late in the season. The only catch is making sure Campbell and his staff don’t mistake that growth for a finished product and stop pushing to upgrade the talent on the roster.
In Other News...
Penn State Suddenly Has A Big O-Line Concern After Washington
Penn States 28-25 win over Washington came with a late development that could linger into next week, as starting left tackle Malachi Goodman had to be replaced in the second half because he was not at full strength. Goodman had been a steady presence all season, starting each of the first eight games and logging more offensive snaps than anyone else on the roster, so his exit was hard to miss even in a victory that kept the Nittany Lions moving forward.
Garrett Sexton stepped in at left tackle and, according to coach Matt Campbell, handled the job well, which at least gives Penn State a workable option if the position has to be shuffled again. The bigger issue now is Goodmans status for Minnesota, since his availability is still unclear and the lines stability could matter even more if the Nittany Lions have to navigate another game without one of their most dependable blockers. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Escaped A Washington Scare Fans Wont Soon Forget
Penn State had every reason to think it was headed for a comfortable finish after building a 28-6 halftime lead against Washington, with Rocco Becht throwing for 240 yards and two touchdowns and Carson Hansen piling up 119 rushing yards and a score. For much of the afternoon, the Nittany Lions looked in control, moving the ball efficiently and putting themselves in position to cruise to a win that would help their push toward bowl eligibility.
Washington made sure the second half felt anything but routine, ripping off the last 19 points and turning the final stretch into a nervous test for Penn States defense and composure. The Nittany Lions escaped 28-25, but it was the kind of finish that lingers, the sort of scare that can either sharpen a team or leave it replaying what almost slipped away. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Biggest Offensive Turnaround Came From One Crucial Change
Penn States ground game has started to look like a different unit over the past two weeks, and the numbers back it up. The Nittany Lions piled up 443 rushing yards across games against Purdue and Washington, a surge that gave the offense a more dependable rhythm and opened up more of the field for everyone else.
Cam Wallace and Carson Hansen have been central to that shift, with Hansen topping 100 yards against Washington and Wallace breaking free for a 46-yard touchdown. Head coach Matt Campbell pointed to schematic tweaks and a growing sense of confidence up front as the reasons the run game has come alive, and the bigger question now is whether that momentum can hold as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]