Why Penn State Expects its Offense to Look 'Pretty Different' This Year

Matt Campbell imported much of his offensive infrastructure from Iowa State when he became Penn State's head coach. That included offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, quarterbacks coach Jake Waters, offensive line coach Ryan Clanton, quarterback Rocco Becht and six other potential offensive starters.

But that doesn't mean they are airlifting the Cyclones' 2025 offense into Beaver Stadium.

"I expect [the offense] to look pretty different," Mouser said.

Penn State's 2026 offense certainly has a distinctly Iowa State feel. Becht was the Cyclones' starting quarterback for three years. Carson Hansen, Iowa State's leading rusher last year, leads a competitive backfield. And the Cyclones' top four pass-catchers last year (receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen, tight ends Ben Brahmer and Gabe Burkle) are now Nittany Lions.

But Mouser, who was Iowa State's offensive coordinator the past two seasons, said he spent this offseason studying Big Ten offenses and specifically where they create explosive plays. He also broke down the conference's defensive tendencies to determine what gaps Penn State can exploit.

"I didn't want to get here and run the same stuff, because all those plays were gameplanned for those defenses [Iowa State faced last season]," Mouser said. "But at the same time, you have to have your few things that you're good at. And when you have new players, you have to figure out what that is."

'Dominant, nasty and accountable'

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

Mouser will start with a run game that he wants to be physical, overpowering and the centerpiece of Penn State's offense. Lineman Cooper Cousins said last spring that Penn State already had identified its offensive ethos as "dominant, nasty and accountable."

"We’re going to run the ball and keep running it until you stop us, and then we’re going to take our shot," Cousins said. "And when we take our shots, we’re going to capitalize. I’d say that’s our identitry right now."

Extending from that, Mouser will deploy tight ends consistently through his base offense. He said that Penn State will run plenty of two-tight-end formations (or 12 personnel) based on the team's depth at that position. "I think we'd be disappointed if it's not," Campbell said when asked whether the 12-personnel formation will be Penn State's base.

"It always goes back to what the strength of our team is," Mouser said.

Those strengths are emerging more through training camp. Penn State practiced without multiple projected starters and contributors during spring drills, and Mouser now is getting his first real look at what the offense can do at full strength.

"We had so many people hurt in the spring," he said. "For us, it was about installing at the right pace to get those guys to learn it, and then now through summer and fall, it's have been finding out what we're good at."

Calling the game to win

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht (3) reacts during a spring practrice at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of Mouser's strengths is calling games aggressively, quarterback Rocco Becht said. When Campbell took the Penn State job, Becht said he was interested in transferring. When Mouser joined Campbell's staff, that clinched it for him.

"He's not going to go out there and call a game scared," Becht said of Mouser. "He's going to go out there and call a game to win, and I think that's something that you want in your offensive coordinator. I'm just excited to go out there and play for him, play for the guys that I have around me, play for my new teammates, and go out there and make plays."

Mouser is good friends with Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, with whom he worked at Iowa State and shares tradecraft regularly. He also had his staff study NFL and college offenses this offseason to bring more ideas into their meeting room.

"We're going to game plan and try to be unique in terms of the defenses that we're seeing," Mouser said. "But we do so much [studying]. Every coach on our team during the offseason had an NFL team and a college team that we studied and wanted to be applicable to our skill set.

"As you probably heard coach Campbell say, it's players, formations plays. We will always cater our scheme based on the players that we have. Sometimes it's 13 personnel, sometimes it's 10 personnel, sometimes it's 21 personnel. We have really good backs, so how can we cater to the strengths of our team? So I expect [the offense] to be to be pretty different, as well as still having the same-hard nosed, control-the-clock, old-school, run-the-ball tendencies that we've had on offense."

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