Penn State’s ground game has shown enough through two weeks to make the same point over and over again: the pieces are there, but the payoff keeps slipping away.
After the Nittany Lions’ 27-9 win over Temple, head coach Matt Campbell didn’t dress it up. He kept circling back to the same phrase.
A hair off.
That’s been the story of a rushing attack that has delivered effort, contact balance, and flashes of movement, but not nearly enough splash. Carson Hansen, James Peoples, Quinton Martin, and Cam Wallace have all had moments that looked like they were one block or one broken tackle from becoming something bigger. Instead, too many of those snaps have ended as modest gains.
“There were some really great Carson Hansen runs,” Campbell said following Penn State’s 27-9 win over Temple. “I feel like I probably felt last week, you know? We’re like a hair off on some things and I thought there was probably good growth.”
The numbers back up that feel. Penn State has run the ball 76 times for 308 yards, which works out to 4.1 yards per carry.
But only four of those carries have gone for 10 yards or more. That’s the gap right there - plenty of work, not enough finish.
The backs are earning what they get. According to Pro Football Focus, Penn State has piled up 202 yards after contact, and Hansen has accounted for 92 of those, which ranks 13th among Big Ten running backs. The Nittany Lions have also forced 15 missed tackles.
But explosive plays have been hard to come by, and that’s what makes the offense feel just a beat short. Penn State has not consistently created the kind of clean lane that turns a solid run into a real shot play.
The split by direction tells the story even better. Running to the right edge, Penn State has produced 107 yards on 17 attempts, a 6.3-yard average, with three runs of at least 10 yards. Those carries alone have generated 87 yards after contact.
To the left edge, the production has been much flatter: 80 yards on 22 attempts, 3.6 yards per carry, and not a single 10-yard run.
So the work is there. The consistency isn’t.
Hansen didn’t point the finger at the offensive line when asked about it. He put the responsibility on himself.
“I need to take accountability for it and I need to fix those things in the run game,” Hansen said. “Whether that’s the free hat or whatever it is, [I need] to be able to have a plan for that guy.”
That “free hat” has been the difference between decent gains and the kind of burst Penn State is still waiting on. Hansen said his focus is simple.
“Just get north and south, get downhill,” Hansen said of his mindset. “I need to do better by using my weapon arm in the open field and just being able to beat that free hat.”
James Peoples has been the most efficient runner so far, with 72 yards on 15 carries for 4.8 yards per attempt. He’s also picked up 50 of those yards after contact and forced four missed tackles.
Quinton Martin Jr. has 38 yards on 10 carries, and Cam Wallace has 44 on 12. Neither has consistently broken free, but neither has had enough opportunities to really do it often.
Penn State’s longest run through two games is 16 yards. That has forced the offense to grind for nearly every yard.
Campbell still sees progress, just not enough of it yet.
“I thought that we took a step forward,” Campbell said. “But, the team that we want to be and the team that we were today is still not equal to what we want to become.”
That’s the crux of it. Penn State’s run game doesn’t look broken.
It looks unfinished. The backs are fighting for yards after contact.
The right side has shown it can pop. The left side has not.
Hansen knows he has to clean up the details. Campbell knows the unit is closer than it looks.
Now the challenge is turning all those almosts into one real explosive play.
In Other News...
Former Penn State Departures Are Already Becoming A Virginia Tech Problem
Virginia Techs 44-21 win over Old Dominion came with a familiar Penn State flavor, and for the Nittany Lions fan base, it was the kind of reminder that departures can quickly become somebody elses gain. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, tight end Luke Reynolds and edge rushers Mylachi Williams and Cortez Harris all played major roles, giving the Hokies a boost on both sides of the ball as they handled business in the opener.
Grunkemeyer threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns, while Reynolds put together career highs in catches, yards and scores, and Williams and Harris each piled up multiple tackles for loss and sacks. Penn State coach James Franklin had already pointed to the offensive matchup problems created by Reynolds and slot receiver QueSean Brown, and if Virginia Tech keeps getting that kind of production from former Nittany Lions, it is easy to see why this one may linger as more than a one-game storyline. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Newcomers Are Already Becoming The Heart Of This Team
Penn States newest faces were impossible to miss in the win over Temple, and that is exactly the point of this roster overhaul. The 2026 group includes 40 transfer players, and several of them were already shaping the game in a 27-9 victory that looked a lot more like a team with established answers than one still sorting through fresh parts. Rocco Becht settled in at quarterback and Ben Brahmer made an immediate imprint at tight end, while other transfers popped up all over the field on both sides of the ball.
Becht completed 21 of 27 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, the kind of efficient debut that can change the tone of an entire offense. Brahmer added five catches for 78 yards and two scores, and the supporting cast of newcomers helped Penn State look deeper and more settled than a team still learning itself. The bigger question now is not whether the transfers can help, but how quickly this group can become the backbone of a season with higher ambitions still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States 2-0 Start Comes With One Big Defensive Concern
Penn States 2-0 start has the Nittany Lions moving up to No. 14 in the AP Top 25, and there was plenty else around the program to like over the weekend. The football team handled Temple in Week 2, the womens volleyball team swept Stanford, and several Penn State defenders earned Big Ten honors from Pro Football Focus, giving the athletic department a strong early-season snapshot across multiple sports.
The one concern hanging over the football side is a significant one. Head coach Matt Campbell said defensive end Max Granville suffered a season-ending injury, a blow that immediately changes the outlook for a defense that had just started to build momentum. Even with the ranking bump and the rest of the program stacking wins, Penn State now has to figure out how to absorb a major loss up front and keep the early surge on track. [Read more 🡒]