Matt Campbell’s caution was on full display again in Penn State’s 34-13 loss to Northwestern, and the most glaring moment came late in the fourth quarter.
After Chase Sowell’s 18-yard touchdown catch cut the deficit to 31-13 with 7:53 remaining, Campbell chose to kick the ball away instead of trying an onside kick. Northwestern was already rolling on the ground - the Wildcats would eventually rush for 400 yards - and the game felt out of reach, but the decision still stood out as a missed chance to squeeze out one last possession.
Penn State had already been playing from behind in a way that made Campbell’s approach look even more passive. The Nittany Lions punted from their own 44-yard line on fourth-and-2 in the first quarter while trailing 10-0, then later gave the ball back on fourth-and-10 from the Northwestern 43-yard line with 6:55 left in the third quarter, a choice that only helped the Wildcats stretch the lead to 31-7.
The fourth-quarter sequence was the most striking. Penn State had just found the end zone on a 18-yard pass from Rocco Becht to Sowell after a failed Philly Special attempt from wide receiver Brett Eskildsen, and with three scores to make up, an onside kick would have at least created a shot at chaos. Instead, Campbell sent it deep and handed the ball back to a Northwestern offense averaging more than seven yards per carry.
Northwestern answered with a long, grinding 11-play, 56-yard drive that burned 5:36 and ended in a field goal. Penn State then forced an interception, but by that point the comeback was probably dead anyway.
The issue wasn’t just the final score. It was that Campbell seemed to surrender the moment.
Benjamin Brahmer noticed it, too. The Iowa State transfer tight end was candid after the game, even if he stayed careful not to challenge his coaches publicly. He also pointed to a lack of physicality in practice as a possible reason for Penn State’s softness against Northwestern.
When asked about the onside kick decision, Brahmer said, “I went over and asked and didn't get an answer, so I mean, it's not my decision. Whatever the coaches want, I agree with."
That answer said plenty on its own. Brahmer handled it the way a player should, but the fact that the question even had to be asked underscores how strange the call was.
This has already become a theme in Campbell’s first year at Penn State. He tried to protect a 17-0 second-quarter lead in a 24-20 Week 4 loss to Wisconsin, and against Northwestern his conservatism showed up again and again.
The bigger concern is that the pattern isn’t just about one bad decision. It looks like a team that’s hesitant, disjointed, and not nearly sharp enough to afford that kind of caution.
If Penn State is going to climb back to where it was just two years ago in 2024, Campbell has to start coaching with more urgency. The roster still needs to improve, but even with better talent, playing not to lose is a dangerous way to survive in the Big Ten.
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