Penn State spent most of the first half grinding through a sluggish game against Wisconsin, and then a true freshman flipped it in an instant.
The Nittany Lions were stuck in a 3-0 game after the second quarter and had already come up empty on a drive that reached second and goal from the 2-yard line. Then Josiah Zayas changed everything. The freshman linebacker intercepted Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph and took it 50 yards the other way for a touchdown, giving Penn State a two-score lead and delivering his first college pick, first college touchdown and first real Beaver Stadium moment all at once.
It was the kind of snap that makes a young player feel a lot less like a freshman. Zayas had already turned heads during fall camp enough to earn the Week 1 start against Marshall, and he has kept showing up since then.
Through Penn State’s first three games, he has played 96 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranks fifth on the team and puts him just 12 snaps behind veteran Tony Rojas for the team lead.
That early trust from the staff was clear once the season opened. Days after the Marshall game, defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn explained why Zayas was in the starting lineup.
“You just saw him, thinking less, playing quicker, talking a lot more out there,” Lynn told reporters. “The biggest thing is like moving on from bad plays, not letting the play before affect the next play, and he felt like he earned the right to play.”
Zayas has also earned praise inside the locker room. Safety Jamison Patton said after a practice earlier this month, via Onward State:
“I think he did a good job. I feel like, as a freshman going into that stadium, it could be nerve-wracking, and you really didn’t see too much alter as far as his preparation and his energy in the game,” safety Jamison Patton said after a practice earlier this month via Onward State. “He obviously has some things to grow, which all of us do, but as long as he does that, I think he’s going to be great.”
In Other News...
Penn State Already Faces An Uncomfortable Question About Life After Franklin
Penn States stumble at Beaver Stadium against Wisconsin in Matt Campbells Big Ten debut as head coach put an immediate spotlight on what life looks like after James Franklin. Coaching changes are never clean, especially when a new leader is being asked to steady a program with expectations as high as Penn States. Campbell arrives with a reputation as a builder, the kind of coach who needs time to shape a team in his image rather than simply patching over what came before.
For the Nittany Lions, the uncomfortable part is not just that the transition has begun, but that recent results have already started to look more fragile than the standard Franklin set in earlier years. This is the part of a changeover that programs hope to avoid, when every loss turns into a referendum on the new era and every uneven performance invites comparisons to the old one. Penn State is only at the beginning of that process, but the pressure to show progress is already very real. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]