Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
2 0 A U G U S T 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 6 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / four opponents was $125 million, yet the Hoosiers manhandled them with a roster that Cignetti described to On3 as "closer to $15 million than $40 million." To Campbell, the lesson of Indiana's turnaround is that college football's tra- ditional values still hold true, even if the sport's economics are wildly different than they were even just a few years ago. "How you put together teams contin- ues to evolve and change," he said during a recent appearance on On3's "Andy & Ari" podcast. "But I still think what mat- ters is the ethos of, 'What does a great team look like? What kind of culture, what kind of characteristics, what kind of character? What are the character- istics of the humans that need to be on that team?'" The bad news for coaches looking to follow Indiana's template is that at least one of those humans needs to be a Heis- man Trophy-caliber quarterback. Those players tend to be in short supply. The good news, however, is that some of the other factors that played into the Hoosiers' success the past two seasons are more easily exported. It's a truism in football coaching that more games are lost than are won, but one of the hallmarks of Cignetti's teams is that they don't beat themselves. During their undefeated 2025 season, they averaged only 3.67 penalties per game, fifth fewest in the FBS. In addi- tion, they lost just 1 fumble and threw 7 interceptions. Their 8 total turnovers were tied for third fewest in the nation, and their plus-22 turnover margin was the best in the Power Four conferences — not just last season but the past three seasons. Campbell sees those often-over- looked qualities as an essential part of any team-building project. A three- star running back can be elite at hold- ing onto the football, and those small accomplishments add up over time. Cignetti's two Indiana teams "had great players," Campbell acknowledged. "But ultimately, they were great teams. They were resilient. They were tough. When adversity struck, they had the ability to be unified through it." Big Ten Bound To instill those qualities in the Nittany Lions this year, Campbell has brought in a famously unflappable quarterback in Becht and surrounded him with vet- erans. Despite their massive personnel overhaul, eight of the Nittany Lions' projected starters on offense will have either junior or senior eligibility this fall. Becht has more career starts (39) than any returning quarterback in the FBS, and he'll be reteaming with former Iowa State starters at running back (senior Carson Hansen), wide receiver (redshirt senior Chase Sowell and junior Brett Es- kildsen) and tight end (senior Benjamin Brahmer). Together, Hansen, Sowell, Eskildsen and Brahmer accounted for 2,422 yards Campbell has emphasized the need for resilience heading into his first sea- son as the Nittany Lions' head coach. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS