Penn State has plenty to feel good about on offense through three games, but Matt Campbell is zeroing in on two spots that can still sharpen before Wisconsin arrives: finishing drives and converting on third down.
The numbers overall look strong. Rocco Becht has completed more than 70 percent of his passes, thrown nine touchdowns and hasn’t turned the ball over.
Koby Howard has stepped into what looks like a true WR1 role, Zay Robinson has been electric as a returner, and the run game finally flashed against Temple when Quinton Martin became the team’s first 100-yard rusher of the season. Carson Hansen and James Peoples also got into the end zone.
Still, the offense has left a little on the field.
Penn State is 12-for-16 in the red zone, which is solid, but not quite the clean finish Campbell wants from his group. There have already been a couple of empty trips that stand out: the Nittany Lions couldn’t score after a Tony Rojas interception against Temple when they got inside the five, and they came away empty from the one-yard line against Buffalo on a turnover on downs.
“There’s some areas that we need to clean up in the red zone,” quarterback Rocco Becht said. “But, I’m not worried about it.
We have really good coaches, a really good staff that has some really good game plans week in and week out, and I think we just been a little slow on our things. And so, obviously, that’s on us players to go out there and make the plays happen.”
The more obvious issue has been third down. Penn State is converting just 16 of 38 chances, a 42.1 percent rate that lags behind the pace it set early. The Nittany Lions were 6-of-12 against Marshall and 8-of-16 against Temple, but they stumbled badly against Buffalo, going 2-of-10.
Campbell pointed to penalties and some strategic choices that pushed the offense toward fourth-down situations, but the bottom line is the same: those drives have to keep moving.
Against Temple, Penn State faced an average third-down distance of 6.5 yards. Against Buffalo, it was 7.3.
“Situational football we talk about all the time,“ Campbell said Tuesday. ”Two-minute offense to two-minute defense at the end of half, red zone offense, red zone defense, third down-all those things are critical."
He said the staff is “constantly evaluating” that part of the offense, and he made it clear that the next step is squeezing more out of scoring chances and sustaining possessions.
“It’s the priority for success in the game plan, and it’ll be critical this week - the ability to score inside the 25-yard line whether touchdowns or field goals,” Campbell said. “But certainly you’ve got to score points in there, and then obviously to continue to possess the football in third down situations.”
Campbell said the first two weeks were a strong stretch in those situations, and that the Buffalo game was a step back both in the numbers and in execution.
“I thought we were dynamic the first two weeks in those areas, and I think they were a huge part of our success,” Campbell said. “We took a little bit of step back last week in those areas from a numerical standpoint, and really from an execution standpoint will have to be much better as we go into the game this week, for sure.”
In Other News...
Penn State Gets A Timely Boost Before Its Wisconsin Test
Armstrong Nnodim gave Penn State a welcome depth boost against Buffalo after missing the first two weeks of the season with an injury. The transfer defensive tackle was back in the mix and finished with two tackles, a small but meaningful sign for a front that has been leaning on its rotation early in the year.
Nnodim said the return brought a sense of relief, along with renewed motivation after getting support from coaches, teammates and family during the setback. For Penn State, getting him and other injured linemen back matters as the schedule tightens, especially with Wisconsin next and the need to keep the defensive tackle group fresh and effective. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Early 2027 Defensive Commits Are Turning Heads
Penn States 2027 recruiting class is already taking shape on the defensive side, and the early additions say plenty about the kind of foundation the staff wants to build. Defensive tackle Aniti Paiva, a 6-foot-2, 315-pound lineman from Skyline High School in Utah, has given the Nittany Lions a big body for the middle, while safety Caleb Cooper of Providence Day School in North Carolina brings size and versatility to the back end. Both players were recruited by position coaches who have made a point of getting involved early, with Ikaika Malloe leading the push for Paiva and Deon Broomfield handling Cooper.
Coopers commitment is especially notable because he joined the class after being added in June, giving Penn State another defensive piece before the group has even fully taken shape. Paiva, meanwhile, arrives with multiple offers already on the table, which makes his pledge a useful early win for a program that has long sold itself on developing defense. The bigger question now is how the staff keeps this momentum going as the 2027 board expands. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces One Big Test As Wisconsin Comes To Beaver Stadium
Penn State heads into its Week 4 Big Ten matchup with Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium still trying to sort out its rotation while injuries chip away at both sides of the ball. Max Granville and Koby Howard are part of the conversation as the Nittany Lions work through the early-season bumps, and the focus now shifts to how they can keep the game on their terms in front of a home crowd.
A big piece of that will be slowing Wisconsins Colton Joseph on the ground and forcing the Badgers to work for every yard. On the other side, James Peoples could carry more of the backfield load, Yvan Kemajou may get a chance to make noise as a pass rusher, and Zay Robinson looks like the kind of receiver who could be asked to step into a bigger role if the passing game needs a steady target. [Read more 🡒]