Penn State head coach Matt Campbell didn’t need long to make clear he knows exactly what Wisconsin is trying to do on offense - and, more importantly, who is driving it.
Asked about the Badgers at his weekly press conference, Campbell went straight to Jeff Grimes, a coach he faced often in the Big 12 when Campbell was at Iowa State and Grimes was calling plays for Baylor.
“First of all, we have so much respect for the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin. We competed against him at Baylor.
I always felt like one of the top offenses that we would go against year in and year out," he said. "And I think what makes great offensive coordinators is this unique ability to design an offense around their best players.
And I would say you’ve seen that really in the first three games."
That’s been the story of Wisconsin’s offense in year two under Grimes. It hasn’t been perfect through three games, but it has looked more dangerous in several key areas.
The Badgers are hitting big plays more often. The offensive line has looked tougher and more physical.
And the passing game, while still not elite, is no longer sitting among the worst in the country.
Campbell’s point was that Grimes has built the attack around the pieces that matter most, and that starts with quarterback Colton Joseph. Wisconsin’s offense has a very different look in 2026, with new starters at nearly every position and a completely different quarterback situation in both style and talent.
“You see, one, a dynamic quarterback. A young man that’s tough.
He’s got elite athletic ability to stress you in the quarterback run game and really the running game in general. And yet, he’s also a young man who’s dynamic out of pocket; he’s got the ability to make all the throws,"
Opposing coaches have spent all season talking about Joseph’s mobility and the way he forces defenses to account for him. Wisconsin still hasn’t fully leaned into his dual-threat upside - he has 82 rushing yards and one score through three games - but the threat is obvious. Last week against Eastern Michigan, he ran for 46 yards and a touchdown, and that only adds another layer for Penn State to prepare for.
Campbell also knows Wisconsin’s backfield from another angle. Abu Sama spent the previous three years at Iowa State, where Campbell recruited and coached him. Sama piled up 2,061 all purpose yards and 14 touchdowns in Ames, and Campbell made it clear he still sees the same explosive runner.
"You look at that running back room, it obviously starts with a young man we’re familiar with, Abu Sama. He’s dynamic, he’s got the ability to make people miss.
He’s got the ability to make you pay in space. Physical, can hit a home run on every run," he added.
Wisconsin heads on the road to face the No. 13 team in the country, and Penn State isn’t treating this as anything close to a soft matchup. Campbell’s comments made that much obvious: the Badgers may still be building, but their offense has enough talent and enough shape to command attention.
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Head coach Andrew Riley has noticed the development, and so has the Badgers recruiting staff, which has already landed McIntosh as the earliest Wisconsin commit in the class of 2027. McIntosh also talked about how tight the Wisconsin offensive line group has become among its recruits, a small but meaningful sign of how quickly the connection is forming before he ever gets to campus. [Read more 🡒]