No matter the quality of the opponents, there is no denying the importance of non-conference matchups for any college football team heading into conference play. Conference play is when the stakes rise in this sport and the pursuit for a spot in the College Football Playoff takes off. But non-conference play is even more important for programs with new head coaches leading the charge. Now that Matt Campbell has closed out his non-conference portion of the schedule, he can now get a better assessment of Penn State as the Nittany Lions enter Big Ten play.
Penn State went 3-0 in games they should have gone 3-0. Penn State was a big favorite in home games against Marshall and Buffalo, as well as on the road against Temple. These games were not exactly
a challenging gauntlet even for a team with an overhauled roster and diminished expectations compared to a year ago. Still, Campbell knows there is much to be learned from the film of the first three games.
So what does Campbell think of his team after three games? It would seem the head coach knows there is room for improvement.
"Not where we need to be, but I think a team that has certainly grown in different entities each week," Campbell said in his postgame press conference following Penn State's Week 3 victory over Buffalo. "Still a team that, in my opinion, has got so much ability and some things that were focal points for us today, and then we grew in some areas that were really a different focal point."
Penn State's defense has been solid through the first three games, but the running game seemed to take a few games before busting out against Buffalo in Week 3. But because of the level of opposition, there are still some honest questions about this team as it begins Big Ten play at home against Wisconsin in Week 4.
This isn't Campbell's first rodeo, though, and he knows that the team will continue to improve each week.
"This is college football, and I think our ability to grow from week three to week four will be really important," Campbell said. "But a team that I appreciated their urgency and the way we played, and the sense of physicality, our details, and those penalties, or our disagreements coming in football."
Penn State hosts Wisconsin on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 5:00 p.m. ET. The game will air on Peacock.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Matt Campbell's honest assessment of Penn State entering Big Ten play
