Penn State’s trip to Northwestern turned into the kind of loss that changes the conversation fast.
The Nittany Lions were beaten 34-13 on Friday night, a second straight defeat that leaves them 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. The result didn’t just add another mark in the loss column; it exposed problems on both sides of the ball and raised a blunt question about what comes next.
One place the reset has to start is at quarterback. Alex Manske should get the nod for next week’s White Out.
That might sound like a big leap, but Penn State is already staring at what looks like a lost season, and the priority now has to be finding out what the team has moving forward. Rocco Becht never found his footing.
He was off-target early, never settled into a rhythm, and the problems weren’t hard to isolate. His receivers were getting open, he generally had time to throw, and the offense didn’t appear to be failing because of the play calls or the supporting cast around him.
Becht has earned trust as a veteran, but that only carries so far when the offense needs a spark. Manske may or may not provide one, but at this point it’s worth finding out.
The bigger alarm bell, though, was what happened against the run. Penn State’s defensive front was overwhelmed by Northwestern’s ground game, and the Wildcats did it with what was basically a high school offense in the Wing T.
The Nittany Lions were gashed for more than 200 rushing yards in the first half alone, and Northwestern finished with 413 on the ground. Penn State’s defensive tackles are built differently than the ones the program has had in recent memory - bigger, stronger, more physical - but that didn’t translate on Friday.
The interior kept giving up clean access to the second level, and the linebackers didn’t do enough to slow it down either. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has usually been good at adjusting to an opponent’s strength, but this was a major miss and it leaves the team searching for answers about how to fix the front.
There was also a coaching issue that kept showing up in real time. Passivity on fourth down is becoming a problem.
Matt Campbell’s reluctance to go for it in manageable spots gave Northwestern the ball back repeatedly in the first half, even with Penn State trailing and needing points. Playing it safe on true coin-flip decisions is one thing.
Passing up chances in situations like those is another, and it’s the kind of approach that can keep costing games. Campbell has been around long enough that a wholesale shift in philosophy feels unlikely, but unless that changes, Penn State is going to keep putting itself at a disadvantage.
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