Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546586
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 6 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he idea is relatively straightforward this time of year. Though the calendar has changed, college football teams still do much of their roster building in the winter. When the spring semester begins, players get to work prepar- ing themselves for the season ahead. Spring practice lays the groundwork for the demanding summer months. In August, preseason camp brings one fi- nal push before the games begin. Through all of it, one feeling keeps the operation moving: Hope. For players and coaches, it's the belief that months of physical and mental work will eventually pay off. For fans, it's a reason to buy in, to imagine what might be possible and invest in a team whose story has yet to unfold. Eventually, though, games are played. With the first kickoff, months of an- ticipation meet reality. Practices and offseason reports offer clues, but games provide evidence. Fans can start judg- ing what they see on the field instead of piecing together what they've heard about the team. On Sept. 5 at Beaver Stadium, few people had more riding on that transition than Penn State head coach Matt Camp- bell. After months of preparation, he finally had a chance to see how his new team would handle an actual game. "I was so anxious watching who this football team could be, and where we could respond," he said. "And obviously, we knew just a little bit, but we've got great videotape evidence now in a cha- otic game environment. How is this team going to respond? How is this coaching staff going to respond? "I think for me, there was anticipa- tion. What is this going to look like? How efficient can we be if we need to navigate something?" In a 45-0 victory over Marshall and a 27-9 win at Temple the following week, Penn State began answering those questions. In front of 108,489 fans, the Nit- tany Lions looked ready to play in their opener. They were energized but in con- trol, comfortable in an environment that was new to many of them. Players and coaches had spent months preparing for this moment, and they settled in quickly once it arrived. The Nittany Lions looked capable and confident in all three phases. Redshirt senior quarterback Rocco Becht led the offense with a steady hand, making smart decisions and getting the ball to his receivers on time. He threw for 271 yards and 4 touchdowns. The defense tackled well and commu- nicated clearly, with coordinator D'Anton Lynn directing a unit that looked sure of its assignments. Redshirt junior line- backer Tony Rojas stood out, redshirt senior edge rusher Caleb Bacon showed his versatility, and Marshall struggled on the ground and through the air. The Thundering Herd finished with just 147 total yards. The Lions were a bit less self-assured at Temple seven days later. They squandered a couple of early red-zone opportuni- ties and were tied with the undermanned Owls 3-3 late in the second quarter. But they took the lead with a touchdown drive in the final seconds of the half and seized control of the game after the break, going on to win comfortably, 27-9. The overall performance reflected Campbell's steady approach. For months, he had talked about building a team that Penn State fans would be proud to support. In the first two weeks of the season, the Nittany Lions took a convincing first step toward delivering on that promise. They looked like a team that understood what its coach expected. Campbell had already earned the trust of the players and staff members who followed him from Iowa State to Happy Valley. With a couple of wins behind him, he has something concrete to build on at Penn State. The belief that brought those people from Ames had carried them through the offseason and into a promising debut. Campbell wanted a team that was prepared, physical, composed and sure of itself. Against Marshall, and to a lesser extent Temple, the Lions showed those qualities. Fans who had waited months to see what Campbell's program would look like finally had performances to judge and plenty to like. Campbell knows there's more work ahead. Following the opener, he thanked his players and coaches and praised the atmosphere Penn State's supporters had created. He also made clear that this team could do more than it showed that afternoon. "We keep talking as a program, we're not playing to the scoreboard, we're playing to the standard, and I think we're starting to understand that," Campbell said. "There's still a lot of work to do." The first two games didn't settle every question about this team, but they did show that the months of preparation had produced something more than just hope. Penn State has given its fans a reason to believe. ■ Campbell earned his first Penn State victories when the Nittany Lions shut out Marshall, 45-0, at home and topped Temple, 27-9, a week later in Philadelphia. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL O P I N I O N NATE BAUER NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM HOT READ Matt Campbell Gives Penn State Reason to Believe