Penn State walked into Week 4 with a spotless record and walked out of Beaver Stadium looking like a team that had just run into its ceiling. Wisconsin’s 24-20 win snapped the Nittany Lions’ early momentum and sent a loud message: the soft opening stretch was one thing, but the first real Big Ten test exposed plenty.
The loss also put a harsh spotlight on a roster that still has some bright spots, even if they were buried under the mess. There were a couple of Penn State standouts worth salvaging from the wreckage, but there were far more problems than positives.
Tony Rojas was the clear headliner on defense. He was everywhere, and that was especially true while spying Wisconsin QB Colton Joseph.
Rojas finished with a sack, two tackles for loss and an interception that turned into Penn State’s third takeaway of the day. After coming back from his season-ending injury last year, he’s been the most impactful player on the field for Penn State in nearly every game this season.
Playing next to Kooper Ebel has helped him stay loose and aggressive, and that showed again Saturday night.
Josiah Zayas also gave Penn State a jolt. The true freshman isn’t a full-time fixture yet, but he keeps flashing in a secondary loaded with talent.
His biggest moment came on a pick-six, when he jumped a screen and took it back the other way. That kind of play is exactly why he’s pushing for a bigger role, even if Zion Tracy still holds the slot spot for now.
Beyond those two, the story got ugly fast.
Penn State’s backfield never found its footing. James Peoples is clearly the lead option, but even he managed only 67 yards on 14 carries, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt with a 43% success rate.
Carson Hansen had 11 yards on four carries, Quinton Martin Jr. totaled 20 yards on six rushes, and Cam Wallace added two carries for four yards. The run game was a question mark after Penn State’s early schedule, and Wisconsin answered it.
The receiving corps also came up short, especially with Koby Howard out. Brett Eskildsen, one of the Iowa State transfers expected to help stretch the field, was targeted six times and didn’t catch a ball. Penn State wanted him as the vertical threat in the passing game, but he couldn’t separate and couldn’t win at the catch point.
D’Anton Lynn’s defense deserves some credit for keeping Penn State in the game early, even if it isn’t the main reason the Nittany Lions lost. The unit handed the offense 14 points through turnovers and made life miserable for Joseph in the first half.
But the blown coverage on the game-winning touchdown loomed large, and the defense managed only one sack all day. It was good enough in stretches, not good enough when it mattered most.
The biggest issue may have been on the sideline. Matt Campbell’s first Big Ten game as Penn State’s head coach was marked by caution, from third-and-long runs to settling in before halftime with more than a minute left and all three timeouts still available.
Some of that can be traced to offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, but the game management points back to Campbell. He coached to avoid a mistake rather than to finish Wisconsin off after Colton Joseph had already given Penn State 14 points with two interceptions that directly led to scores.
That approach mattered because this wasn’t a talent mismatch. Wisconsin is spending about the same amount as Penn State this year, and the gap between the teams wasn’t supposed to be huge. Luke Fickell simply had the better night on the sideline.
And then there was Rocco Becht, who never looked comfortable running the offense. He completed just 12 of 29 passes for 114 yards, threw an interception, and averaged 3.9 yards per attempt.
He completed only six of his 17 throws that traveled more than five yards downfield, and multiple passes - including the pick - were tipped at the line. Without Koby Howard, the passing game was already short-handed, but Becht still didn’t look like a quarterback who could carry a Big Ten offense.
He doesn’t have the size, the arm or the athletic profile to mask a rough day, and on Saturday, he wasn’t accurate either.
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Have One Annoying Week 4 Viewing Problem
Week 4 is shaping up as one of the busiest slates of the early college football season, with multiple ranked matchups spread across the day and five ranked-on-ranked games on the board. Three of those are tucked into the SEC, giving the weekend an especially crowded feel for fans trying to keep tabs on the national picture while also watching how the playoff race begins to sort itself out.
For Penn State fans, the annoying part is less about the quality of the games than the juggling act required to follow them all. The lineup includes No. 1 Texas against No. 14 Tennessee and No. 24 Mississippi State against No. 19 Missouri, along with streaming options that should keep viewers bouncing between platforms. Add in players like Kamario Taylor, who leads the nation in points responsible for, and it is the kind of Saturday that rewards patience as much as attention. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Gave Fans A Reason To Worry
Penn State had already done plenty to put itself in position to win its first Big Ten game of the season, forcing three interceptions and leaning on a defense that looked sharp through the first half. But the Nittany Lions could never turn those takeaways into enough separation, and the game slowly shifted as the offense sputtered and the pass rush failed to consistently bother Wisconsins quarterback.
The late collapse was the real concern, with Wisconsin finishing the comeback after Penn States defense faded in the fourth quarter. Without Koby Howard, the offense managed only 13 points and had trouble sustaining drives, leaving the Nittany Lions with a loss that raised an early warning sign about how much margin for error this team really has in conference play. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Already Has A Big Problem After Its Big Ten Opener
Penn States Big Ten opener at Beaver Stadium looked headed in the right direction late in the fourth quarter, with the Nittany Lions carrying a 20-10 lead and the defense producing takeaways to keep Wisconsin at arms length. True freshman Josiah Zayas and Daryus Dixson each came up with interceptions, and Zayas turned his into a touchdown, giving Penn State a jolt in front of the home crowd.
Instead, the game slipped away in the closing minutes, leaving Penn State with a 24-20 loss and an immediate sense that there is work to do on both sides of the ball. Rocco Becht finished 12 of 29 for 129 yards, and the Nittany Lions now have a short turnaround before facing Northwestern, where they will be trying to steady themselves after letting a winnable conference opener get away. [Read more 🡒]