Matt Campbell thinks Penn State lacks an ‘identity.’ Is there time to find one before No. 19 USC?
Saturday’s White Out against the Trojans could get hostile. But it’s also the best chance Penn State might have to get a signature win this season to keep any playoff hopes alive.
Penn State’s fanbase is enraged over the team’s 0-2 start in the Big Ten. White Out ticket prices are dropping daily. Some are questioning the decision to fire James Franklin, or more so the choice to hire a new coach so late in the cycle.
There’s no question that Saturday’s White Out against No. 19 USC (7:30 p.m., NBC) could get hostile. But it’s also the best chance Penn State might have to get a signature win this season, with nearly 100 recruits scheduled to be in attendance.
“We’re going to need everybody pulling in the same direction, and we got an unbelievable fanbase,” coach Matt Campbell said Tuesday. “I’m grateful for it and really appreciative of them. And the great thing is, they’ve been with us from day one, and my guess is they’ve always been with this program. Good days and tough days, and so I’m really grateful to be in a program like that.”
Penn State’s ‘identity’ crisis
Campbell has been very honest about the state of this team. He said Penn State wasn’t where it needed to be entering the Big Ten after beating Buffalo in Week 3. And after two straight losses, Campbell, in his first season as Nittany Lions head coach was blunt about their recent struggles.
“The reality of it is, we lack an identity,” Campbell said. “We lack who we want to be and where we need to be.”
» READ MORE: Penn State made head-scratching decisions in its first loss. It also exposed glaring weaknesses.
Campbell isn’t surprised that this is the case, calling this year a “growth process” as different players, coaches, and schemes try to morph together to create an entirely new culture.
“The reality of it is, we have to be better, and it starts with my leadership of making sure we get better,” Campbell said. “But, I got great belief in the humans that we have; we’re just not there right now.”
D’Anton Lynn’s USC reunion
After two years as the Trojans’ defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn decided to return to his alma mater, taking the same role with Penn State and becoming Campbell’s first defensive coordinator hire.
“It feels good to be back,” Lynn said Tuesday. “I love the players, love the staff. I still love all the people at USC, but since I’ve been here, me, my wife, and my kids, we’re extremely happy.”
Lynn will be taking on his former team on Saturday, which might give his defense a slight edge considering he knows how USC coach Lincoln Riley runs his offense and the strengths and weaknesses of quarterback Jayden Maiava.
“[Riley’s] tough because you know he doesn’t really have a playbook,” Lynn said. “He has plays, and he’s gonna do what his guys do best. He probably has the best scheme beaters in the country if they know what you’re in. There’s times where he’ll present things, and it’s like, man, you just don’t have an answer for us.”
Lynn’s defense has struggled the last six quarters of Big Ten play, allowing 48 points across that span. His secondary has held strong, but his defensive front has been bullied. Can USC’s high-powered offense take advantage of its former defensive coordinator in the run game?
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Practice energy
Tight end Benjamin Brahmer and wide receiver Chase Sowell said practice wasn’t as physical as usual in the week leading up to Northwestern, partially due to it being a short turnaround with the Friday kickoff.
Lynn and Campbell confirmed Tuesday there wasn’t as much tackling compared to the weeks prior, something they both took accountability for.
“Obviously, the decision to maybe pull back a little bit maybe put ourselves at a disadvantage,” Campbell said. “Certainly those are things you’re constantly evaluating when you don’t get the result that you want. I think the other piece of it is any time you’re not where you want to be and there are inconsistencies, you have to go back to the common denominator in simplest form of ‘How do we get ourselves back?’”
Campbell said Tuesday’s practice was a “step in the right direction,” while Lynn said it was the most tackling they’ll do all week. The coaches have also upped the intensity, which then signaled to the leaders to do the same.
That trickle-down effect reached every player on the roster, according to safety Jeremiah Cooper, who said the team is “feeling good” with the heightened physicality.
“The intensity, it just stepped up, everything just stepped up this week in practice, and we all felt it, and we all did that,” Cooper said Wednesday. “We can’t wait to be back in that stadium in front of all them fans. So I mean, this week just been a lot more intense, just with everything. So it’s been good for us.”
