Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
6 6 D E C E M B E R 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 F or the first time since September, Penn State won two games in a row when it defeated Purdue and Washington on consecutive Satur- days. For much of October, it felt like that might not happen again this fall. But the Nittany Lions are playing better, albeit against lesser competition, and finding ways to win they were not find- ing earlier this year. As we saw again during the 28-25 victory over the Hus- kies on Nov. 7, this team is not perfect. Far from it, in fact. But that doesn't mean it cannot close out the year on a winning streak. The remaining schedule gives it a chance to do exactly that, with games against Rutgers and Maryland on tap after a home matchup against Minnesota on Nov. 14. After the Lions' victory in Seattle, head coach Matt Campbell lauded se- niors Rocco Becht, Chase Sowell and Carson Hansen, among others. Those veteran players kept their composure when Washington shaved 19 points off of what had been a 28-6 halftime lead. He wasn't as pleased with the reac- tions of some younger players. "There were some things I really didn't like in the second half," Camp- bell said following the narrow victory in Seattle. "I'll be honest with you, I thought there was a lack of poise by some young players on the sideline when things were turning. And I think you can put the videotape on and say, watch [the veterans]. It may not be go- ing good for a second, but watch how they carry themselves. They never waver. That's videotape evidence of who we're going to be, and this is what we're going to do. And you're either with us or you're not. That's the great thing about college football: You don't have to be here for very long, right? You've got to choose. "This is the standard," Campbell continued. "This is the expectation, and this is what we need to do to have some of those positive moments, just like last week [against Purdue]." Campbell referenced Penn State's 24-20 loss to Wisconsin in its Big Ten opener, a game in which it blew a 17-point first-half lead. That crushing defeat touched off a four-game losing streak, and Campbell understood that players needed to see evidence that the staff's approach was going to pay off. That's why the wins over Purdue and Washington were so valuable. "We're not naïve," Campbell said. "You have to have some of those trans- actional positives to happen, so it's great to win a football game where everything was going against us a little bit. Very reminiscent of the Wisconsin game. It's great to be able to catch our- selves and win the game." Even taking into account their recent success, the Lions are confounding. At times, they look like they could score on any team in the country. There are also times when they look as though they could stop just about any attack they might face. But the issues that resurfaced in the second half at Wash- ington remind you why this team went into its trip to Seattle with four losses. The Lions missed tackles, blew assign- ments, endured protec- tion problems, had passes tipped, struggled to cre- ate running lanes, and so on. If nothing else, Penn State showed in its win over the Huskies that it can finish a game and preserve a victory. Against Wisconsin, PSU let the game slip away in the blink of an eye. It almost did that again, but instead of folding, it dug deep for a game-ending drive that took the final 7:40 off the clock and ended near the Washington goal line. If there is anything that should give you hope about the future of the Campbell era, it's that this team didn't quit when it could have done so earlier this year. It has found ways to improve and is capitalizing on opponents' mistakes rather than creating oppor- tunities for others to exploit. That's why Penn State found itself with a two-game winning streak before wel- coming the Golden Gophers to Beaver Stadium. "We're just sticking together as a team," said redshirt junior running back Cam Wallace, who had a 46-yard touchdown run against the Huskies. "There are going to be bad plays within the game, and then there are going to be good plays. You just have to take it six seconds at a time, and then the defense has to give the offense energy, and the offense has to give the de- fense energy. I think we do good things with that, and just feed off each other within the game." ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL GREG.PICKEL@ON3.COM Nittany Lions Are Learning To Finish THE LAST WORD Redshirt junior Cam Wallace rushed for 56 yards, including a 46-yard touch- down, in Penn State's 28-25 victory at Washington. The Nittany Lions won consecutive games for the first time since September. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS