Matt Campbell’s patience with Carson Hansen is paying off, and the timing couldn’t be better for Penn State’s ground game.
For much of the first seven weeks, the run game was a mess, and Hansen took plenty of heat for it. The Iowa State transfer was still getting the bulk of the carries even while averaging fewer than four yards per rush in Big Ten play, which only fueled the criticism. Fans kept pushing for Quinton Martin Jr., and plenty of the frustration turned into accusations that Campbell was simply favoring the former Cyclone.
But Campbell’s track record has pointed in a different direction all along. He started Cam Wallace coming out of the bye week, and he has consistently shown that snaps are earned in his program.
That has played out with Iowa State transfers on both sides of the ball losing time when their play slipped. If Campbell had a better option than Hansen, the evidence suggests he would have used him.
Instead, the bye week overhaul has made Hansen look like the answer.
Penn State scrapped the zone-heavy approach and leaned into gap-scheme runs, especially duo, and the change has fit the backs in the room far better. James Peoples, who was the primary third-down back early in the season, has not played a snap since the bye. Wallace and Hansen have taken over the workload, and the results have been immediate.
Against Purdue, the pair combined for 96 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. They followed that up with 119 yards and another score on 14 attempts. The offensive line has also found its best form of the season, even moving a Washington defense that entered ranked in the top 25 by rushing success rate.
That has helped Hansen’s efficiency, but it hasn’t been the whole story. Whether he’s healthier after starting the year banged up, benefiting from the staff’s emphasis on the new scheme, or simply more comfortable with a tighter run menu, he’s playing the best football of his career.
The biggest change has been his patience.
That trait was nowhere to be found early in the year, and it’s also one of the things that separates Wallace from Peoples and Martin. On duo, the back has to trust the double teams, press the line, and read the linebackers.
If those linebackers step downhill, get pinned on a block, or drift over the top, the runner takes the opening they leave behind. Hansen showed that over and over against Washington, and his touchdown run was the clearest example.
Campbell and his staff clearly understood what Hansen does best and finally built a run game around it. It took longer than anyone wanted, but the payoff is here now.
That matters for the present, and it matters for the future too. Hansen still has an additional year of eligibility left, and the way he’s running now would give Penn State a real reason to keep him in a major role in 2027 if he returns.
Two weeks ago, that would have sounded far-fetched. Now, Hansen looks like a back who could headline a committee next season.
If this were only happening against weaker teams late in the year, it would be easier to dismiss. But with the scheme change driving the surge right away, there’s reason to believe this version of Hansen can stick.
In Other News...
Penn State Wrestling Suddenly Has A Braeden Davis Problem
Braeden Davis is suddenly missing from Penn States wrestling roster just as the season is about to get underway, and the timing makes the situation hard to ignore. A wrestler who has already carved out a significant place in the program, Davis won a Big Ten title and earned All-American honors during his time in Happy Valley, making his absence a notable development for a team that usually enters the year with championship expectations.
What remains unclear is whether this is a short-term change or something more lasting, and Penn State officials have not commented on his status. Davis also dealt with legal issues in 2025, adding another layer to a situation that now leaves more questions than answers for a program that rarely has to deal with uncertainty this close to the start of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces A Big Concern In A Tricky Minnesota Test
Penn State heads into a tricky Big Ten road test against Minnesota with both teams coming off a demanding stretch, and the matchup looks like it could be decided in the trenches. The Gophers have already been tested by quality opponents, and the Nittany Lions know they will need clean work from both lines, steady special teams play and sharp execution from their skill players to avoid letting a physical game drift into a grind.
Injuries and recent player developments only add to the uncertainty around this one, with both sides carrying some fresh questions into kickoff. For Penn State, the concern is less about one isolated area than the overall balance of the matchup, because Minnesota has enough across the board to make this a difficult afternoon if the Lions are even a little off in any phase. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces One Brutal Reality In Its Quarterback Search
The quarterback market in college football has moved into a different stratosphere, and Penn State is staring at that reality as it tries to sort out its next starter. According to a report by On3, top-tier quarterbacks are now expected to command between $4 million and $7 million a season through NIL deals, a range that underscores how expensive the position has become for programs trying to reload quickly.
For Penn State, the timing makes the challenge even sharper. Rocco Becht is set to depart, leaving Alex Manske as an unproven option, and the Nittany Lions have to navigate a search in a market where Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor is reportedly finalizing a deal worth up to $9 million with incentives. The concern is not just finding the right fit on the field, but whether Penn State can keep pace financially with the schools chasing the same elite quarterbacks. [Read more 🡒]