Penn State Football Mailbag: What Went Wrong for the Nittany Lions

Penn State heads to Michigan seeking to right a ship that got off course early.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell looks at the scoreboard during the second quarter against the USC Trojans at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What's wrong with Penn State football right now? Can/should/will the Nittany Lions make any lineup changes at Michigan? And should Penn State have hired Bob Chesney when it had the chance last December?

They're all up for grabs in this week's edition of the Penn State football mailbag. The Nittany Lions head to Michigan on Saturday to face the equally stressed Wolverines, and we've made our predictions here. Until then, a Q&A.

Question: Where did it go wrong for Penn State this season?

"We're a run game without an identity," Penn State OC Taylor Mouser said, "and that's the reality of the situation."

Penn State's Matt Campbell followed up on his team's run-game identity.

🎥Penn State Athletics pic.twitter.com/3O42YY5ZEL

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) October 13, 2026

To recap: Penn State introduced 62 new players (including 40 transfers from 17 different schools) to the roster this offseason. There were bound to be growing pains.

In addition, about 30 players missed some or all of spring drills because of injuries or offseason procedures, further limitiing their on-field contact and cohesion. Connor Barry, now Penn State's third-string quarterback, took most of the reps during spring practice.

As head coach Matt Campbell said in preseason interview, "I think this is a team that, if it’s going to reach its full potential, it's going to have to be able to be its best." Injuries restricted that optimistic goal, as has the play on the field.

Simply, Penn State isn't getting enough out of those transfers, particularly the Iowa State players. The team's best players across multiple positions have been returning Nittany Lions: Anthony Donkoh on the offensive line, Andrew Rappleyea at tight end, Koby Howard at receiver ("We certainly miss him," offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said). And of course, linebacker Tony Rojas has been Penn State's best player overall.

Without a responsive run game, quarterback Rocco Becht has to be perfect, which wasn't in his operating system at Iowa State. Defensively, the front four hasn't won the line of scrimmage against the pass or run. And the roster's lack of linebacker depth, even though it plays just two at a time, got worse with Alex Tatsch's season-ending injury.

Campbell built the roster on experience, familiarity with Iowa State's 2025 offense and size on both fronts. So far, that approach has not rewarded a dividend yet. It still could (Campbell is a long-view coach), but there's not much evidence that will happen Saturday at Michigan.

Question: Can the Nittany Lions make any lineup changes to shake things up?

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht (3) reacts from the line of scrimmage during the first quarter against the USC Trojans at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Depth, particularly at certain positions, was always going to be an issue for this team. And the roster is stretched pretty thin as it is.

Penn State hasn't played more than two additional offensive linemen in Big Ten games. Left tackle Malachi Goodman has played every snap in Big Ten games as on-the-job training.

Penn State played just three linebackers and two running backs against USC. The primary receivers are Chase Sowell, Brett Eskildsen and Zay Robinson. There's no one waiting to deliver a pass rush from the edge.

Aside from some available rotations at defensive tackle and cornerback, this is Penn State's roster. Campbell even appears unlikely to replace inconsistent punter Nathan Tiyce with freshman Lance Tenbrock.

Further, from a broader perspective, Campbell won't make changes for the sake of change. If it's scheme-related, sure. Starting safety Marcus Neal Jr. didn't play a defensive snap against USC to get more coverage players on the field but likely will return as a run-stopper against Michigan.

"The reality is, yes, we're all searching for the right answers from a personnel standpoint," Campbell said. "The only time we're going to replace personnel-wise is if there's a lack of standard and accountability from what we're trying to get done or prove."

Translaton: This is the lineup. It just has to play better.

Question: Would Penn State be better off with Bob Chesney?

UCLA HC Bob Chesney delivered an ELECTRIC pregame speech before beating Oregon in Eugene 🔥

(via westwoodbruin/IG) pic.twitter.com/kUBgySHDsW

— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) October 13, 2026

Sure, it might. Chesney has UCLA at 5-0 with his firebreathing approach and James Madison ethos. He was a recommendation for Penn State during the coaching search last fall. Chesney reportedly spoke with Penn State during the process, but an offer never materialized.

Still, some search revisionist history is occurring now because Chesney is unbeaten and Campbell is 3-3. First, the length of Penn State's search didn't matter. UCLA fired DeShaun Foster a month before Penn State fired James Franklin, and its search lasted 84 days to Penn State's 54.

Second, both coaches had basically the same access to the early signing period and the transfer portal. UCLA announced its hiring Dec. 6, Penn State two days later. Both built rosters, in part from their former teams, in a scant six weeks.

Where Penn State's "mismanaged" search went wrong was in prioritizing brand names (Marcus Freeman, Kalen DeBoer, Mike Elko, even Curt Cignetti) whom it was unlikely to hire. Then it landed on BYU's Kalani Sitake, expecting him to essentially leave home for Penn State. That didn't work, either.

Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft had an opportunity with Chesney, but he and the university administration chose Campbell.

"Character, culture, community, excellence. These are the words that coach Campbell used to explain to me what he thinks success looks like," Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said last December. "I knew immediately we have the right person."

Short-term hindsight suggests they weren't diligent enough. But this is a long-term decision.

"[Penn State] getting Matt Campbell is a big deal," said CBS Sports analyst Charles Davis, who will call Saturday's Penn State-Michigan game. "I am not about to be Mr. Revisionist History. I still feel that way. I still feel like it's a big-time hire for Penn State, despite the early struggles. I could get all esoteric and say, coach [Joe] Paterno was 3-3 right out of the gate. But that was 1966. No one cares. All anyone cares about is this."

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