ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Penn State left The Big House with another loss, but Matt Campbell’s message after the game was the same one he’s been hammering all season: the work still has to build from the inside out.
The Nittany Lions showed real progress in stretches against Michigan, especially after looking sharper a week earlier against USC. Still, the finish never came together, and the second half turned into a familiar story. Penn State committed three turnovers after halftime, the offense stalled, and the defense had trouble holding up against the run.
“We're not where we want to be, but I do believe this group is continuing to pound away, and the way we've practiced, the way we continue to grow inside our walls, has been huge,” Campbell said postgame. “We'll see if we can keep doing it.”
That internal growth has not translated into a conference win. Penn State has dropped four straight, and while Campbell pointed to improvement, he also made clear that the margin for error in the Big Ten has already become unforgiving.
“You're right there to win the game, and you got to win in the margins right now for sure,” Campbell said. “We're not doing that.”
The bye week arrives at a useful time. Penn State will have extra time before hosting Purdue, and Campbell sees that break as a chance to clean up the mistakes that have kept the team winless in Big Ten play while still reinforcing the foundation he wants to keep building.
“There's a lot of season left. There's a lot of football left for us to grow,” Campbell said.
“My focus and sole focus is on this team, these seniors, this team continuing to lay a foundation of the way we want to play football, the style of football we want to play, and who we want to become. We have to demand a pathway forward.”
The Lions did show some of what they can be. Chase Sowell was a bright spot on offense with 11 catches for 151 yards, and the defense picked off Michigan’s Bryce Underwood twice. But those flashes came in a game where Penn State still couldn’t sustain enough quality play to close it out.
“It’s so frustrating because I know we’re right there, and I know that guys are trying with everything they got to try to get this right,” Sowell said. “I know how much guys are putting into it.”
Sowell also said the answer isn’t about blaming one person or one coach. The issues, in his view, belong to the whole operation.
“We don't fault (Rocco). We don't fault Coach Mouser.
We don't fault coach Campbell,” Sowell said. “It's all of us, and right now we're still trying to figure out how to put it all together, but the best thing that we could do is stay together.”
The self-scouting will continue over the bye, and right tackle Anthony Donkoh said the key now is making the good moments show up earlier and last longer.
“We got to see what we're doing well in those moments and what is having us succeed,” Donkoh said. “Having that translate earlier to the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter for us not to be in the same situation at the end of the game, but I feel like with that, we're close in that, and it's a good thing we have this bye week to focus on that stuff and get that fixed coming for coming out the bye week.”
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Got A Court Decision They Will Have Strong Feelings About
A Centre County judge has kept in place a parole condition that keeps Braeden A. Phillips away from Penn State football games and wrestling matches, preserving a restriction that has obvious meaning for fans around the program. Phillips, who pleaded guilty to making violent threats against State College Area High School, is also required to stay at least 100 feet away from Penn State and other schools as part of his parole.
Judge Brian Marshall denied Phillipss request to loosen that condition, though the door was not shut entirely. The ruling leaves the current restrictions intact for now, while still allowing Phillips to ask for a change later on if circumstances shift. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Thin Receiver Room Just Got Even More Concerning
Penn States already fragile receiver situation took another hit early in the second quarter against Michigan when Chase Sowell, the teams leading wideout, went down with an apparent right ankle injury. Sowell was helped to the sideline and spent time in the injury tent before eventually returning while still limping, a concerning sight for a group that has already had to manage multiple absences at the position.
Sowell had been listed as probable coming into the game after dealing with a previous injury, and his importance to the offense was obvious from the way quarterback Rocco Becht has leaned on him. With the Nittany Lions trying to piece together production at receiver, any setback for Sowell only adds to the uncertainty around a unit that can ill afford to lose another key target. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Stayed In It Until The Offense Unraveled Late
Penn State had plenty to play for at Michigan Stadium, and for much of the afternoon it looked like a grinder of a Big Ten road game that could swing on a single mistake. The Nittany Lions stayed in it long enough to keep the pressure on Michigan, with wide receiver Chase Sowell giving the offense a steady outlet and linebacker Tony Rojas again setting the tone on defense.
The game turned in the second half when Penn State's offense unraveled, as Rocco Becht was intercepted twice and lost a fumble, opening the door for Michigan to score three touchdowns after halftime. Sowell still finished as the Nittany Lions' top threat with 11 catches for 151 yards and a late touchdown, but the late miscues left Penn State looking back at what might have been in a 21-18 loss. [Read more 🡒]