Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
1 2 M A R C H 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M MAINE TO FILL VACANCY IN 2027 SLATE The Penn State football team will face Maine for the first time following a mutual decision by PSU and Delaware to cancel a game that had been slated for Week 2 of the 2027 season. The Nittany Lions will play host to the Black Bears on Sept. 11, 2027, one week after opening their season at Beaver Stadium against Syracuse. Maine competes at the FCS level as a member of the Coastal Athletic Association. The Black Bears have gone 15-31 in coach Jordan Stevens' four seasons with the program. The game against Delaware had been scheduled in 2018 when the Blue Hens were still in the FCS. In 2023, they announced plans to move up to the FBS level as members of Conference USA, and they began competing in their new league last fall, compiling a 7-6 record with a win over Louisiana in the 68 Ventures Bowl. Per Matt Fortuna of The Inside Zone, Delaware and Penn State "worked to- gether to find a replacement, with Delaware covering the difference in guarantee cost." — Greg Pickel I t's unclear what the Blue-White Game will look like in the Matt Campbell era, but we do know when the first one will take place. Penn State announced in mid-February that spring practice will begin on March 24 and will con- clude with the annual intrasquad game on April 25 at Beaver Stadium. As to the format, Campbell said he and athletics director Patrick Kraft were committed to ensuring that the team gets as much value as possible out of its last practice session of the spring. Whether that takes the form of a tradi- tional game remains to be seen. "I am a huge believer in … the value of what spring practice has to look like, es- pecially as you build a team," Campbell said. "That's critically important. "Pat and I are deciding how we'll do the Blue-White Game and what that will look like. We will certainly do something." The Nittany Lions have 48 new scholarship players on campus this spring — 37 transfers and 11 early en- rollees in the 2026 recruiting class. The newcomers include the team's pro- jected starting quarterback, redshirt senior Rocco Becht, as well as his likely backup, redshirt freshman Alex Man- ske. Of the six quarterbacks on campus this spring, only one — walk-on re- turnee Jack Lambert — has ever been in Beaver Stadium for a game before. That's one of the concerns Campbell hopes to address by holding a spring game of some sort. "I think it's really important for our kids to be in that stadium with our fans," Campbell said. "I don't want the first time that Rocco Becht throws a pass [at Beaver Stadium in the regular season] to be his first game in there with fans." Campbell did not always hold a spring game during his tenure at Iowa State. He has said in the past that he's not sure it's helpful for teams to open up one of their 15 spring practice ses- sions to the public. But the Blue-White Game has a long history at Penn State as an alumni re- union event, and a game-like experi- ence figures to be beneficial for players who have never suited up for the Nit- tany Lions. "I think it's really important for this team to be able to get out there," Camp- bell said. "For our fan base to see us on that field, and for us to be out in that stadium with our fans before we play a [regular-season] game is absolutely critically important. "So, we will certainly do something. What that will look like will probably be based a lot on our health and where we're at, and then making sure we do a great job of getting out there and get- ting in great work. No matter what it is, we've got to make sure we get value out of that 15th practice." PSU Football Staff Still Mulling Spring Game Format G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M UPCOMING NONCONFERENCE GAMES 2026 Sept. 5 MARSHALL Sept. 12 at Temple Sept. 19 BUFFALO 2027 Sept. 4 SYRACUSE Sept. 11 MAINE Sept. 18 TEMPLE 2028 Sept. 2 BALL STATE Sept. 9 at Syracuse Sept. 16 MASSACHUSETTS Redshirt junior walk-on Jack Lambert is the only quar- terback on Penn State's spring roster who has ever been part of a game day at Beaver Stadium. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS