How Penn State's New Players and Coaches Processed Their First Loss as Nittany Lions

Four days after his first loss as Penn State's head coach, Matt Campbell was asked to help talk fans "off the ledge." Campbell smiled wide at the question.

“I do not know what I can say, other than, do, right?” he said.

So it goes for Campbell and his new band of players and coaches, who enjoyed a lovely introduction to Penn State football. They won approval for changing the program's culture this offseason and welcoming back decades of lettermen. Campbell made friends across the fan base by reducing the size of his office for extra team meeting space and making gamedays about everyone else but himself.

But the tone changed last week after the Nittany Lions lost their Big Ten opener 24-20 to Wisconsin. Campbell faced questions (answering all of them) about his approach with a 17-0 lead over the Badgers, which he defined as not wanting to "screw it up."

Meanwhile, we learned a bit about how Penn State's transplants process a loss. It involved a players' only meeting, Seinfeld reruns and a reminder that Campbell and his staff believe in what they're doing.

'Absolute belief' in the Penn State football building

Penn State coach Matt Campbell was asked by @PSUPoorman how me might address fans about the loss to Wisconsin.

"Everybody in this facility has absolute belief in who we are and where we’ve got the ability to go."

🎥Penn State Athletics pic.twitter.com/lWsPjdZ93t
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) September 30, 2026

Campbell on Tuesday discussed handling potential panic in the locker room after one loss. This is Campbell's 16th season as a head coach. Over his career, Campbell has lost his first game at Week 4 or earlier in 12 seasons. So he's comfortable in those settings.

"We understand that it's a 12-game season guaranteed to us, and the reality is you have to, whether you win or lose, continue to be able to grow forward," Campbell said. "I think that there's plenty of great experiences over the last five years of teams that lost early, had the ability to use that loss, and have the opportunity to grow itself forward. That's the reality of the world we live in. So win, loss, it's not always about the result. It's about who we are becoming through this journey so we can learn from our mistakes and not make the same mistakes twice."

But "the reality of the world we live in" crashed into the social media world, which wasn't fond of the loss, the approach or that answer. Campbell then was asked Wednesday, by Mike Poorman of Statecollege.com, to help Penn State fans process the loss with them. In turn, Campbell asked them to understand his process.

"A) we believe in our staff," Campbell said. "B) we believe in our players, and c) I believe in our process. You evaluate your team at the end of the football season. Did you reach your full potential? Did you become who you had the ability to be? Every opportunity is a chance to grow.

"The great teams in college football have the ability to grow each week, and I think that will be a great test for this group this week. Our ability to take what we learned last week and move and grow ourselves forward. But I think everybody in this facility has absolute belief in who we are and where we’ve got the ability to go, and I think we’re excited to continue to grow forward."

A very early players' only meeting

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht (3) looks to throw a pass against the Wisconsin Badgersat Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Sunday and Monday, Campbell addressed the players to ensure that they're "still together," quarterback Rocco Becht said. Those players followed with their own meeting separate from the coaches.

"We all looked at each other and said, 'You know, we still have everything in front of us,'" Becht said. "We're going to continue to go out there and grind, and so I think that meeting kind of showed everyone that we're still in this and we believe in one another and we trust in one another. We know that last Saturday wasn't our best, and that's not us, and so I definitely expect a different team Friday."

Players' only meetings are common in sports but more rare early in a season. Becht is among 37 players on Penn State's roster in at least their fourth years of college football. Campbell specifically recruited an experienced roster, including the 24 transfers he brought from Iowa State, for his first season at Penn State.

"Coach Campbell is a big product of why we were able to have those meetings, because he's brought us so close together," Becht said. "And he's been able to connect us in a way that I feel like a lot of us haven't been able to do in a while. So we're truly thankful for him and thankful for the seniors and veterans on this team that have been able to trust in him and trust in the other players around them."

A 'gut-wrenching loss'

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser answers questions during football media day in Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser called the loss to Wisconsin "gut-wrenching," partly because he considered it a self-inflicted wound. Mouser was critical of the game he called, particularly in not getting Becht into a better rhythm early.

Becht didn't complete more than two consecutive passes in the game and finished with the lowest passer-rating (71.8) of his career. That night, Mouser went home, hugged his kids and began his post-loss therapy.

"After you get done swearing at yourself in the mirror for a long time, then I'll watch Seinfeld for three hours," Mouser said. "And then I want to go in [Sunday] with a fresh mindset to watch the tape and not be emotionally biased to the game and the result of it."

Mouser also noted the positives of playing Northwestern on Friday night at Ryan Field with a compressed week to prepare. The Nittany Lions watched film Sunday, had off Monday and returned to practice for three concentrated sessions before leaving for Evanston on Thursday.

"The goal for us on a short week has to be the work because we just don't have the time to be able to dwell on it and feel sorry for yourself because no one else does," Mouser said. "This Northwestern team is going to try to murder us, and anybody that shows up to practice and feels sorry for yourself is going to get left behind. So for us, it's about sprinting to the office with good energy and good juice, and our players deserve that from each other and our staff."

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