Penn State Football Players Discuss Their Road Out of This Losing Streak

STATE COLLEGE | A good chunk of the Penn State football roster has experience climbing out of losing streaks. Just look at last year.

The Nittany Lions lost six straight games before rattling off four consecutive wins, including the Pinstripe Bowl, under interim head coach Terry Smith to conclude the season. At Iowa State, Matt Campbell’s team lost four in a row as well before winning its final three regular-season games as well.

Now, the 2026 Penn State team that rosters a mix of 2025 Cyclones and Nittany Lions is in similar waters with a four-game losing streak. They’re confident past experiences can help them end the year on a high note beginning Saturday against Purdue at Beaver Stadium.

“Everyone's been through hard stuff, whether it was at Iowa State, Penn State, wherever it was,” former Iowa State and now-Penn State linebacker Kooper Ebel said Wednesday. “So we all have what Coach Campbell calls our scars. And yeah, we've been able to use that to our advantage.”

The Nittany Lions are in the midst of a hardship just over halfway through Campbell’s first season at Penn State. It was supposed to be a promising start to Campbell’s tenure in Happy Valley, featuring a friendly schedule and what seemed like a roster with a perfect mesh of Iowa State and Nittany Lions players.

Instead, Penn State is 3-4 and winless in Big Ten play. Penn State is among just three Power 4 football teams without a win over a Power 4 opponent.

As a result, criticism has been at its highest. The fanbase isn’t pleased with how the season has gone, and rightfully so. The Nittany Lions have played just one team (USC) ranked in the top-30 of ESPN’s College Football Power Index, which represents how many points above or below average a team is, yet they’ve struggled mightily against any worthy opponent.

But the season can be salvaged. If Penn State can end the year 8-4 or even 7-5, the outlook of the program can flip on its head. Ebel said the only way to do that, though, is by continuously showing up. No weeping. No dwelling on mistakes. Just putting their best foot forward and aiming to improve every day.

“That's kind of what we did at Iowa State last year,” Ebel said. “Similar situation, and in the fact we just couldn't get over the hump. Kind of had some really close games that we felt that didn't fall our way. But yeah, you just keep showing up. You can't waver. You can't run. You can't hide. You just have to keep showing up, practicing hard, doing all those things and honing in on the details, and I feel like it's been a similar approach for sure.”

'You have to move on fast'

That’s something tight end Andrew Rappleyea quickly learned last year. Rappleyea said he used to be a player who fixated on his mistakes. He realized that he can’t do that in college football.

“Yeah, I mean, reality is, it's just like, you have to move on fast,” Rappleyea said. “If you just keep watching, listening to outside noise, watching the plays that you know you want back, you're just going to set yourself up for failure going forward.

“So for me, it's just a matter of as soon as Sunday hits, regardless of the result, Saturday you have to get in [and ask yourself]. What did I do good? What did I do bad? What do I have to work on? And find something you can work at a little bit each day.”

The Nittany Lions must find a way out of this rut. The future of the program relies on it. Win at least four of the last five games, and Penn State becomes a more attractive recruiting destination. Continue to fall short, and many future commitments from recruits could be lost.

Luckily for the Nittany Lions, they had a bye week in the midst of the cold streak to regroup. Wide receiver Zay Robinson said it came at a good time, mentioning the players and staff were able to evaluate the team more in depth and pinpoint necessary fixes.

“I say we were attacking every day,” Robinson said. “Getting a little extra work in because, why not? Does nothing but help us. So we've been getting out there a little extra, throwing with all the guys and just working that.”

Penn State hosts Purdue for a 4:15 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Big Ten Network will televise.

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