Unsurprisingly, Matt Campbell faced a number of questions about his decision making process following the loss to Wisconsin on Saturday. The majority of his questions, in fact, were about the loss and his decision making process.
On the 4th-and-1 punt:
Campbell defended the fourth-and-one punt to start the fourth quarter. He noted that the defense was playing well. He wanted a pooch punt that pinned Wisconsin deep, near the student section. He did not want a failed conversion to give Wisconsin a short field. Although analytics
say to go for it, and Campbell was well aware of it, he still decided against it after talking briefly with D’Anton Lynn and Taylor Mouser. As the head coach the final call was his.
On the timeout after the timeout
He believed Wisconsin was strongest in the A- and B-gaps. He planned to go for it coming out of the TV timeout and rated the choice about 50-50. Then he saw Wisconsin’s alignment and judged that Penn State had no advantage. He did not try to draw Wisconsin offside because Penn State could jump instead. He has replayed the decision for 48 hours and still stands by the logic.
On the flow of the offense
Campbell blamed himself for how he managed the game. Penn State built an early lead, and the offense turned cautious. It ran on four third-and-long plays. Campbell said a couple of those runs nearly worked and were not bad calls. He said the cautious approach hurt the team late. Penn State was weak on first down, which had not happened this season. Quarterback Rocco Becht never found a rhythm. Few receivers touched the ball beyond Chase Sowell. Campbell said the offense works best after an early first down, and the coaches must create that momentum. He wants the team to lean on what Becht does best and to attack sooner.
On the missed opportunities
Campbell did not focus on the contact during Wisconsin’s winning touchdown. He listed earlier moments Penn State could have controlled. The offense failed to score a touchdown after a goal-line opportunity. It went three-and-out after the Tony Rojas interception. The defense let Wisconsin escape on a second-and-19 and a third-and-13. He said the team let the game come down to a close call instead of controlling what it could.
On Adversity™
Campbell said the loss was not an effort or attitude problem. He called the issues correctable: coaching, scheme, and player detail. He said no one in the locker room felt they had done enough. Penn State had the chance to win and did not finish. Campbell pointed to the 12-game season and to recent teams that lost early and grew from it. He said leadership and accountability come first. The corrections start with the head coach. The goal is to play four full quarters.
On the running backs
Penn State used four running backs in the first quarter. Campbell said the staff is looking for one back to take control. James Peoples played well and is growing more consistent. The staff still believes in Carson Hansen. Quinton Martin Jr. showed big-play ability. Campbell wants someone to separate from the group in critical moments. He said all four have the staff’s trust.
On special teams
Special teams gave Campbell his most positive answer. He said the return game and punting give him confidence. Zay Robinson had two strong punt returns. Punter Nathan Tiyce has pooch punted well. Campbell called the disputed punt fine and the next one excellent. The defense also created three turnovers. Rojas’s interception came on Penn State’s side of midfield. The other two came on Wisconsin’s side.
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