Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547107
N O V E M 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 P enn State needed a response im- mediately against USC. In front of a juiced-up White Out crowd at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 10, the Tro- jans struck first by converting a fourth down and scoring a touchdown, briefly quieting the crowd. For a group of Nittany Lions coming off consecutive losses — including a demoralizing blowout at Northwest- ern the week prior and a come-from- ahead loss to Wisconsin before that — the moment of reckoning arrived in a hurry. Fight back or quit. For the remaining 55 minutes of game time, Penn State chose the for- mer. Sparked by a 47-yard strike from redshirt senior quarterback Rocco Becht to classmate Chase Sowell, the offense found the end zone and, in turn, pulled the Nittany Lions into a competitive game with the Trojans. The two teams traded punches, neither side building more than a one- possession lead. But the 31-23 loss left the Nittany Lions staring squarely at a difficult reality: The performance was better. The result was the same. Penn State had shown undeniable improvement against a quality oppo- nent, but at 3-3 heading into the back half of the schedule, an uphill climb lay ahead. "I don't know if you're going to change schematically who we are. I think what we have to do is continue to demand to get better," coach Matt Campbell said. "We have to continue to improve what we are, what we're doing. What are we going to be on de- fense? What are we going to continue to be on offense? We've got to continue to find a pathway forward. "There was some growth tonight in some areas, for sure. We're going to have to continue to pound away at it. There's no wavering, there's no flinch- ing in terms of what we want to do. We have to continue to get better at what we want to do." Doing that work won't be any easier for the Nittany Lions and their coaches following the setback against USC, which preceded a trip to Ann Arbor to face Michigan on Oct. 17. At a moment when players in the locker room have to ask themselves whether they're individually maximiz- ing their potential, the temptation to avoid personal accountability is admit- tedly strong. Campbell emphasized this offseason that a team's unity can only be measured once it's tested. That test is now at hand. Senior running back Carson Hansen, one of Campbell's leaders who made the move from Iowa State to Penn State last winter, recognized how critical the Nittany Lions' interactions with each other will be. "We have a leadership group, a lot of guys who have played a lot of football, seniors and all that type of stuff," Han- sen said. "The big emphasis this week is just keeping the guys together. A lot of guys are frustrated with themselves because they look inwardly. "We just have to go at it tomorrow and with the coaches. We have to hold ourselves accountable to it. You can't make excuses about what happened. You just have to be accountable for the mistakes you had in the game." Redshirt junior tight end Andrew Rappleyea, who has seen how a locker room can splinter, echoed that senti- ment. "You run into roadblocks like this, and it brings out a lot about what you have in the locker room," Rappleyea said. "We've been in this situation be- fore. I was here last year. Guys pointing fingers. Guys turning on each other. It's all about how you're going to respond. "We can do that, and we know that it probably won't go well. And I promise you that will not happen, because we have a great coach leading us in that locker room and we have players and vets who have seen that stuff before. I'm just excited to get to it next week." On the fix-it list for the Nittany Lions is a litany of shortcomings that plagued them at the start of Big Ten play. The offense converted just 31.8 per- cent of its third downs in PSU's first three conference games. During that stretch, the red zone proved particu- larly troublesome, with the Lions scor- ing touchdowns on only 5 of 9 trips inside the 20 and settling for field goals on the rest. Whether the modest improvements on display against USC will continue and translate into wins is a question that will define the rest of the season. One certainty, however, is that players must stick together to have any hope of turning the season around. "If we're divided and there's one person leading, it's going to go down- hill pretty quick, so we have to stay to- gether," Hansen said. "We're 3-3 right now, and some guys could go their ways. I don't picture that happening. I hope that we can stay together and just keep moving forward." ■ Veteran tight end Andrew Rappleyea said it's important for players to hold themselves accountable after three consecutive Big Ten losses. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL O P I N I O N NATE BAUER NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM HOT READ Penn State Must Stick Together to Turn Season Around