Penn State heads into its White Out matchup with USC still searching for something more basic than a fix. According to head coach Matt Campbell, the Nittany Lions are still trying to figure out their identity.
“The reality of it is, we lack an identity,” Campbell said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “We lack who we want to be and where we need to be.”
That uncertainty stretches across the roster. Penn State is 3-2, but the problems aren’t isolated to one side of the ball.
The Nittany Lions rank 73rd nationally in rushing offense, 110th in run defense and 99th in punting. In Big Ten play, the offense has managed only three touchdowns in two games, the defense has been pushed around on the ground, and special teams has already taken a hit with Ryan Barker missing his second field goal in five games after going 18-for-19 last season.
“It goes back to what I've said this whole press conference,” Campbell said. “We lack our identity right now across the board, offensively, defensively, and on special teams as to who we want to be and how we want to win football games.”
Campbell said the root of the issue traces back to the first few months of his time at Penn State, when he was trying to build the roster and the culture at the same time. He described the process as exhausting and at times “very chaotic,” with 62 new players - including 40 from the transfer portal - being blended into a group that already included the 55 players from last season.
That kind of turnover, Campbell said, was always going to spill into the season. The Week 1 shutout of Marshall may have papered over some of the issues that have since surfaced in Big Ten play.
“Somebody asked me after the the Buffalo game, are we where we need to be, and I said no,” Campbell said Tuesday. “And the reality of it is, I'm not surprised. I think this is, you're trying to morph offensive schemes, you're trying to morph team, you're trying to morph culture together, and it's a growth process.
“And the reality of it is, we have to be better, and it starts with my leadership of making sure we get better. But I've got great belief in the humans that we have, and we're just not there yet right now.”
Offensively, the numbers have been especially rough. Penn State has scored on only 20 percent of its drives against two Big Ten opponents, with three touchdowns and two field goals. There’s also been a question about whether the team’s practices were physical enough in short-week preparation before Northwestern, and Campbell said that issue is being addressed now.
Defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn said the defense emphasized tackling Tuesday, the team’s usual most contact-heavy practice day. Linebacker Cael Brezina called it “the most physical practice we've had in a long time.” Campbell called the session a “step in the right direction.”
“Obviously, the decision to maybe pull back a little bit [at practice last week] maybe put ourselves at a disadvantage, and certainly those are things you're constantly evaluating when you don't get the result that you want,” Campbell said. “I think the other piece of it is, anytime you're not where you want to be, and there are inconsistencies, you have to go back to the common denominator in simplest form of, how do we get ourselves back?”
The offense’s lack of clarity shows up in the numbers. Through two Big Ten games, Penn State is averaging 2.9 yards per carry on the ground, while quarterback Rocco Becht has completed 54.3 percent of his passes and averaged 5.1 yards per attempt. Becht said the group is still trying to determine what it does best.
“What coach Campbell states is, we just don't really know if we're a run team or a pass team right now,” Becht said. “And so I think for all of us, we're going back into the drawing board, going back to the meeting rooms, and figuring out what we can do well.
And I think we can do well in both of those areas. It's just, how do we complement it on the field?”
There isn’t much time for that answer to arrive. Penn State hosts No.
19 USC on Saturday, and the Trojans are averaging 37.3 points per game, including 31.3 against conference opponents. Penn State, meanwhile, couldn’t keep pace with Northwestern, and Campbell said that has to change quickly.
“We've got great coaches, we've got great players. I think the the reality is our identity,” Campbell said.
“What schemes allow us to find that consistency that we're lacking to help this offense continue to move itself forward? I think that's the starting point from my end of it.”
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Penn State Heads Into White Out With One Huge Offensive Problem
Penn State heads into the White Out still searching for something more dependable on offense after Matt Campbell acknowledged the issues that surfaced in the loss to Northwestern. The head coach said the group has not settled into an identity, and he pointed to the need for better play across the unit as the Nittany Lions try to steady themselves in a big home atmosphere.
Koby Howard remains part of the longer-term conversation, with Campbell saying the wide receiver is still a few weeks away from returning. For now, the bigger concern is whether Penn State can turn frustration into structure, because Campbell has made clear that building a consistent team culture has to go hand in hand with fixing the offense. [Read more 🡒]
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James Franklin has pointed to consistency and physicality as the main concerns, and linebacker Cael Brezina has echoed that message from the defensive side. With USC next on the schedule, the coaching staff is leaning into more physical practices and a return to fundamentals, hoping that the group can sharpen the details before the Big Ten grind raises the stakes even further. [Read more 🡒]