The Matt Campbell era is off to a rocky start in Big Ten play following Penn State’s 17-point blown lead on Saturday night.
The Nittany Lions walked off the field stunned after being outscored by Wisconsin 24-3 en route to a 24-20 defeat. Penn State went from 13th to out of the AP Poll, slotting 28th in the “receiving votes” category.
It could be described as one of the most losses for the program in years, but there are a few other candidates.
Regardless, it’s only one loss. There are still eight games remaining and Penn State still largely controls its own destiny.
The players understand that too. Quarterback Rocco Becht, who entered the season with the most starts of any active starting quarterback in college football, helped organize a players-only meeting on Monday to get the Nittany Lions back on track.
“We had a big players meeting yesterday (Monday) and we all looked at each other and said we still have everything in front of us,” Becht told the media on Tuesday. “We’re going to continue to go out there and grind.”
Players-only meetings typically go one of two ways: the team regroups and responds to adversity with a winning streak, or the season begins to crumble. How will the 2026 Nittany Lions respond?
“I think that meeting kind of showed everyone that we’re still in this, we believe in one another, and we trust one another,” Becht said.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State’s offense struggled mightily, especially in the second half. Becht only completed 41% of his passes for 114 yards and an interception. The Nittany Lions had 233 yards of total offense and went three and out on four consecutive drives in the fourth quarter. They only burned six minutes and 24 seconds off the clock.
Becht pointed to the veteran roster and seniors who have been through adversity and capable of getting things back on track.
“We know we messed up, we know the areas we can be better at, we know it wasn’t our best,” Becht said.
The journey begins on a short week against the team that ushered out the last era of Penn State football. PSU faces Northwestern on Friday night as the Wildcats debut their brand new stadium.
Northwestern took No. 5 Indiana down to the wire, 29-23, and will have a unique atmosphere in a sold out Ryan Field. The offense let them down on Saturday and looks unrecognizable, issues that must change if Campbell’s first season is going to result in a postseason appearance.
“We know that last Saturday wasn’t our best and that’s not us,” Becht said. “I definitely expect a different team Friday.”
