Penn State knew a reset would come with some pain. Saturday at Beaver Stadium delivered the first ugly reminder.
Wisconsin walked out of Matt Campbell’s Big Ten debut with a 24-20 win, and the result landed like the kind of loss Penn State signed up for when it moved on from James Franklin. Franklin had worn out his welcome in Happy Valley, and the split had been building for a while, reaching its breaking point against Oregon around this time last year before everything spiraled. But the downside of turning the page is simple: the next chapter does not always open cleanly.
The old line that Franklin “always wins the games he’s supposed to” was never airtight. He had a losing season in 2020 and went 7-6 in 2021.
Still, for the most part after that, he handled the games he should have handled. Now at Virginia Tech, he’s doing that there too.
Penn State, meanwhile, is living with the uncertainty that comes with change.
Campbell has never been that kind of sure thing as a favorite. At Iowa State, he was better known for ambushing bigger programs than for stacking up conference titles.
In Week 4, Penn State found out what that looks like on the other side. Wisconsin was allowed to hang around because Penn State kept shrinking offensively, going three-and-out on four straight possessions before the final drive while the game tilted away.
The caution was especially glaring late in the second quarter. Penn State took over with 1:16 left, up 17-7 after Josiah Zayas returned an interception for a touchdown and after Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph threw the second of his three interceptions. With all three timeouts in hand and the most experienced quarterback in the country, Campbell still chose to let the clock run rather than push for more points.
That decision mattered because Wisconsin’s defense was not exactly in lockdown form. It had given up 41 points to Notre Dame only a few weeks earlier, and yet Penn State never forced the issue.
The contrast with where Penn State stood two years ago is brutal. Back then, the program was one drive away from knocking off Notre Dame and reaching the national championship game. On Saturday, it lost to a Wisconsin team that the Irish had beaten by four touchdowns.
That does not mean Penn State is suddenly in the wrong lane for making the coaching change. One loss does not settle that.
It also does not mean Campbell is a bad hire. It does mean that this is what rebuilding can look like, even in the transfer portal era, even when you can bring in a roster like Campbell largely did.
Change is rarely smooth.
Franklin may have been unlikely to clear the final hurdle in State College. Campbell was never going to be expected to do it in Year 1, either.
The schedule had been soft enough to spark real College Football Playoff hope, and that optimism was understandable. But Campbell is a builder, a developer, and Penn State is going to need time, resources, and patience to get where athletic director Pat Kraft believes it can go.
There is also the matter of how the game itself looked against a team that spent nearly the same amount on its roster this year. Wisconsin was in Year 4 under Luke Fickell. So no, the result was not some shocking one-off just because Penn State was ranked No. 13 and favored by 9.5 points.
Still, for a program trying to sell a higher ceiling to 60-plus recruits in the building, this was a rough way to start. Campbell now has to convince them he can win big, not settle for the Big Ten middle class.
In Other News...
Penn State Has A Scheduling Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Penn State had plenty to feel good about when it took a 17-0 lead into halftime, but the second half against Wisconsin turned into a reminder that early control does not always mean a game is secure. The offense managed only a field goal after the break, while Wisconsin kept chipping away and eventually put up 24 points to flip the result. Matt Campbell acknowledged the missed opportunities afterward, and the loss fit a familiar pattern for a team that can look polished before the pressure really ramps up.
That is why the conversation around the Nittany Lions non-conference slate has become hard to ignore. An easier early schedule can help a team build confidence and stack wins, but it can also hide flaws that only show up once the calendar turns and the opponents get stronger. For Penn State, the concern is not just the loss itself, but whether the schedule has given a truer picture of what this team is before the tougher conference tests arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Offense Hit A Troubling Low In Loss To Wisconsin
Penn States offense has had uneven stretches this season, but the loss to Wisconsin brought a new low in the grading as well as the scoreboard. Pro Football Focus gave the unit its worst mark of the year, while the defense, which held up far better, posted its second-highest grade of the season and had one of the days biggest bright spots in freshman Josiah Zayas.
Zayas finished with the top defensive grade on the team after returning an interception for a touchdown, a play that briefly gave Penn State some life. The other side of the ball told a harsher story, with quarterback Rocco Becht turning in a rough outing and several offensive linemen also drawing season-low grades, leaving the offense searching for answers after another frustrating night. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Pass Rush Failed In The Worst Possible Moment
Penn States defense did plenty to make Wisconsin uncomfortable, harassing the quarterback and forcing three interceptions, but it still came away from Saturday with the kind of result that stings in the moment and lingers afterward. For long stretches, the pressure looked like it should tilt the game the Nittany Lions way, especially with a unit that was active around the ball and creating chances to flip field position.
The problem was finishing, and the final sequence made that painfully clear in a 24-20 loss. Late touchdowns undid the early takeaway work, including a decisive 72-yard pass, and linebacker Ike Ezeogu pointed to execution and alignment issues as part of the breakdown, with the loud stadium environment adding another layer of difficulty. For a pass rush that did so much right without getting the payoff, the missed sacks and missed opportunities loomed as large as anything else. [Read more 🡒]