Campbell Question....

[BCS PSU]

Definitely true - and makes EVERYTHING more challenging.

That said, aside from finally getting #31 on the bench, his schemes and usage among the front 7 was laughable - even given how bad the talent level is.
Someone else can get into it in more detail - if they want - maybe try a podcaster like a Tengwall (but definitely not the "experts" on this suite )

It can - and often is - "both". And in this casse it is definitely "both" talent and scheme/coaching.
Obviously

Don't get me wrong, coaching does matter. Iowa under Ferentz and Parker have been very successful in putting really good defenses on the field and coaching up their players, most of whom probably weren't 4 and 5 star players. With that said, they did play against the best qb and offense that they'll face this season in USC. If they struggle like they have the past nine quarters of football against a Michigan offense that has looked feeble all season, then you'll know that it's a hopeless cause. However, Michigan was off last week, so that probably won't help.

 

[BCS PSU]

Sadly, his $$ tasks make his "success" in coaching hires look great, in comparison.

Well then, if that's the case, he should be removed.

 

[Midnighter]

Lack of talent is one thing (and it’s big and real), but coaches aren’t helping.. Rushing 3 inside the 15, getting baited into a wasted timeout, etc. It’s Franklin all over again with nicer coaches and worse players. Kraft should be fired and/or should sue Sitaki for saying he was taking the job then didn’t.

 

[pendal1]

Is there anything that he's doing schematically that is hurting this team or is it just a matter of not having enough talent at certain positions?

I'm of the opinion that it's a lack of talent issue but I'd like to hear everyone's opinions.

The biggest problem is the lack of talent on this team. We can tweak things schematically but we just don't have the talent.
And Josh Pate said he's talked to people in the BIG and they don't believe Penn State will make the necessary investments relative to talent acquisition. And if that's the case we are wasting our time.
We are either going to shi$ or get off the pot when it comes to money and I don't know what you do if we just don't have the donors.

 

[Midnighter]

 

[BobPSU92]

Talent is one thing, execution is another. These players are serviceable at a minimum. They simply are not executing. The coaches mentioned earlier in the season about perhaps throwing too much at them. There is an old saying, "Keep It Simple Stupid." Might be part of the problem.

This program needs execution, desperately.

 

[G3624]

I kind of alluded to that months ago

 

[PSUFTG]

Don't get me wrong, coaching does matter. Iowa under Ferentz and Parker have been very successful in putting really good defenses on the field and coaching up their players, most of whom probably weren't 4 and 5 star players. With that said, they did play against the best qb and offense that they'll face this season in USC. If they struggle like they have the past nine quarters of football against a Michigan offense that has looked feeble all season, then you'll know that it's a hopeless cause. However, Michigan was off last week, so that probably won't help.

Maeava was REALLY good. That was my one concern wrt USC coming into the game.
That said, I am sure PSU (should have) known that coming into the game.

Just one person's opinion, but the ONE strength of the PSU defense has been its corners. The only way to combat Maeava was to trust those CBs to play a VERY healthy dose of man and take your chances there, and frequently "send the house" at the QB. The ability to do that was helped TREMENDOUSLY by USC being without their big-time TE for the game, and making it a lot easier to man up the wide guys without worrying about him.
But they did the exact opposite - and stayed with it throughout, despite the fact it clearly wasn't working.

They did do one smart thing - IMO - and that was sitting #31 and moving #7 from CB to S. But then their schemes FUBAR-ed that up.

What they did was ridiculous (dropping immobile DL into coverage? Even, on one critical USC TD drive using #33 - a defensive end, lined up as a MLB in coverage?). Maybe they would have lost no matter what they did, but their (D Lynn?) scheme throughout the game was awful (and not dissimilar to the inanity they showed w the run D vs NW).

This week? Very different opponent - but if they let Michigan - who hasn't been able to run the ball all year - get a run game going - and do NOT force Michigan to rely heavily on their QB - that would make for a triumverant of scheme FUBARs.
Time will tell. But the Michigan coaches watch PSU game tape too , and I would wager dollars to donuts they will come out with a ton of "heavy" sets and try to pound the ball right down PSU's throat early and often. If PSU is not prepared to counter that - and force their QB to be a big part of the game? They will never stop.
Maybe my "thoughts" will be totally wrong, and Michigan will come out slinging the ball all over the field, but I doubt it.
Maybe PSU will do everything to stop the run - and Underwood will have the game of his life - and PSU loses anyway? Who knows?


But we will have to see how that plays out. Hoping for a more sensible plan in Ann Arbor.

 

[G3624]

This program needs execution, desperately.

Is that a streamed firing squad.

 

[Psumatt85]

This program needs execution, desperately.

To quote John McKay” what do I think of the teams execution? I’m in favor of it”

id start with Pat Kraft though

 

[Dbsteel]

Lynn seemed to do very well at ucla and usc. Why does he suck here?

Anyway, Campbell says that he has great humans.

Exactly. The players aren't good.

 

[BCS PSU]

Maeava was REALLY good. That was my one concern wrt USC coming into the game.
That said, I am sure PSU (should have) known that coming into the game.

Just one person's opinion, but the ONE strength of the PSU defense has been its corners. The only way to combat Maeava was to trust those CBs to play a VERY healthy dose of man and take your chances there, and frequently "send the house" at the QB. The ability to do that was helped TREMENDOUSLY by USC being without their big-time TE for the game, and making it a lot easier to man up the wide guys without worrying about him.
But they did the exact opposite - and stayed with it throughout, despite the fact it clearly wasn't working.

They did do one smart thing - IMO - and that was sitting #31 and moving #7 from CB to S. But then their schemes FUBAR-ed that up.

What they did was ridiculous (dropping immobile DL into coverage? Even, on one critical USC TD drive using #33 - a defensive end, lined up as a MLB in coverage?). Maybe they would have lost no matter what they did, but their (D Lynn?) scheme throughout the game was awful (and not dissimilar to the inanity they showed w the run D vs NW).

This week? Very different opponent - but if they let Michigan - who hasn't been able to run the ball all year - get a run game going - and do NOT force Michigan to rely heavily on their QB - that would make for a triumverant of scheme FUBARs.

But we will have to see how that plays out. Hoping for a more sensible plan in Ann Arbor.

When I watched the Michigan-Minnesota game, the analyst said that he believed that the Michigan o-coordinator who came from Utah was trying to make Michigan's o-linemen execute run plays that they just aren't built to execute; he said that they should run more direct running plays. My guess is that Michigan indeed will try to do that this week.

 

[PSUFTG]

When I watched the Michigan-Minnesota game, the analyst said that he believed that the Michigan o-coordinator who came from Utah was trying to make Michigan's o-lineman run plays that they just aren't built to execute; he said that they should run more direct running plays. My guess is that Michigan indeed will try to that this week.

Not sure who said that - but I agree 100%

I would expect a lot of inside zone, multiple TEs with a TE motioning in to provide an extra blocker between the tackles, etc etc.
And just trying to pound and bully their way to consistent 5-6 yard runs.
Jimmy Harbaugh part 2.

 

[BCS PSU]

Not sure who said that - but I agree 100%

I would expect a lot of inside zone, multiple TEs with a TE motioning in to provide an extra blocker between the tackles, etc etc.
And just trying to pound and bully their way to consistent 5-6 yard runs.
Jimmy Harbaugh part 2.

I believe that it was Joel Klatt because that was the Big Noon game that weekend.

 

[Dbsteel]

This job is almost 100% tied to recruiting. If he recruits he will be fine, if not, its over.

 

[PSUFTG]

I believe that it was Joel Klatt because that was the Big Noon game that weekend.

(Now I have to re-think my concurrence )

 

[JerseyLion]

Give me a break, Krafty The Clown is paying Campbell MORE than he paid Franklin. Campbell's CHOSEN roster is being paid MORE than Franklin's rosters - we're spending $30-$32 million on this roster for a significant DOWNGRADE in player quality and COMPETITIVENESS. We may well be proven to be the worst team in the b1g and not win a b1g game, but some of you laughable apologists keep telling us that this is exactly what empty-suit hack Krafty The Clown promised us when he fired Franklin nuking our entire roster and 2026 recruiting class.... then presided over a complete crap-show of a search that only made matters worse as Kraft made PSU the laughingstock of Professional CFB as candidate after candidate used Krafty The Clown to leverage massive raises, guarantees and extensions from their current employers only to turn Krafty down (i.e., they "shopped" Krafty The Clown's Offers for use as leverage - IOW, they made Kraft look like the empty-suit, bloviating clown Prince of Fools that he is and turned PSU into an embarrassing laughingstock in the process).

You apologists who supported this bs a year ago are now telling us that it is perfectly acceptable and in line with what Kraft promised???? Kraft promised downgrades across the board for way more $$$???? Really??? I'm pretty sure this is the diametric opposite of what Krafty The Clown promised when he fired Franklin setting off this utter crap-show of a circus which has caused only massive destruction and damage to PSU's franchise and tradition -- but Krafty The Clown, who is being paid multi-millions for this absurdity, shouldn't be held accountable for his actions or the direct result of his actions which are the DIAMETRIC OPPOSITE of what he publicly promised (in his ever-endearing bloviating style) when he very pompously and publicly fired Franklin.

You apologists are so laughably absurd (especially the crap about PSU Alumns shelling out huge sums going forward to support this irresponsible bs) - it's just ridiculous.

Oh how we've missed you, BODE/Bushwick CC! It you hadn't had to change your screen name so many times, you would have achieved college message board legend status right up there with Rutgersal.

 

[LMTLION]

Maeava was REALLY good. That was my one concern wrt USC coming into the game.
That said, I am sure PSU (should have) known that coming into the game.

Just one person's opinion, but the ONE strength of the PSU defense has been its corners. The only way to combat Maeava was to trust those CBs to play a VERY healthy dose of man and take your chances there, and frequently "send the house" at the QB. The ability to do that was helped TREMENDOUSLY by USC being without their big-time TE for the game, and making it a lot easier to man up the wide guys without worrying about him.
But they did the exact opposite - and stayed with it throughout, despite the fact it clearly wasn't working.

They did do one smart thing - IMO - and that was sitting #31 and moving #7 from CB to S. But then their schemes FUBAR-ed that up.

What they did was ridiculous (dropping immobile DL into coverage? Even, on one critical USC TD drive using #33 - a defensive end, lined up as a MLB in coverage?). Maybe they would have lost no matter what they did, but their (D Lynn?) scheme throughout the game was awful (and not dissimilar to the inanity they showed w the run D vs NW).

This week? Very different opponent - but if they let Michigan - who hasn't been able to run the ball all year - get a run game going - and do NOT force Michigan to rely heavily on their QB - that would make for a triumverant of scheme FUBARs.
Time will tell. But the Michigan coaches watch PSU game tape too , and I would wager dollars to donuts they will come out with a ton of "heavy" sets and try to pound the ball right down PSU's throat early and often. If PSU is not prepared to counter that - and force their QB to be a big part of the game? They will never stop.
Maybe my "thoughts" will be totally wrong, and Michigan will come out slinging the ball all over the field, but I doubt it.
Maybe PSU will do everything to stop the run - and Underwood will have the game of his life - and PSU loses anyway? Who knows?


But we will have to see how that plays out. Hoping for a more sensible plan in Ann Arbor.

Lynn has been a massive disappointment. No he doesn’t have the players he needs, but what we’re doing with scheme is nonsensical considering the lack of talent. Now I hear we’re going to be moving Marcus Neal down to linebacker as he cannot keep up in the secondary and Ebel cannot play lb at a power football level. It’s only now that I realize that we are more devoid of talent than we were during the effing sanctions.

 

[BCS PSU]

Lynn has been a massive disappointment. No he doesn’t have the players he needs, but what we’re doing with scheme is nonsensical considering the lack of talent. Now I hear we’re going to be moving Marcus Neal down to linebacker as he cannot keep up in the secondary and Ebel cannot play lb at a power football level. It’s only now that I realize that we are more devoid of talent than we were during the effing sanctions.

The disruption of the roster after last season was worse than anything that happened after the 2011 season.

 

[PSUAVLNC]

Penn State fired their head coach for losing three games in a row last year including to Northwestern and the coach they hired has ost three games in a row and lost even worse to Northwestern. Brilliant move!!!

Might not have been "brilliant" but it was certainly necessary. The cubbard's bare, its going to take a couple years but Penn State will be back.

 

[saturdaysarebetter]

Might not have been "brilliant" but it was certainly necessary. The cubbard's bare, its going to take a couple years but Penn State will be back.

Nebraska's gone more than 25 years since winning a major bowl game. Nine-win seasons weren't good enough for them. Sound familiar?

 

[Big_O]

Lynn has been a massive disappointment. No he doesn’t have the players he needs, but what we’re doing with scheme is nonsensical considering the lack of talent. Now I hear we’re going to be moving Marcus Neal down to linebacker as he cannot keep up in the secondary and Ebel cannot play lb at a power football level. It’s only now that I realize that we are more devoid of talent than we were during the effing sanctions.

That’s what I was thinking. A good nucleus of players was left on the sanctions squad unlike the current team, which was absolutely decimated.

 

[PSUFTG]

It’s only now that I realize that we are more devoid of talent than we were during the effing sanctions.

The silly thing is that most of those transfers - especially the ISU guys - had plenty of "tape" on them.

It didn't take long to recognize that they were mostly - at best - "nothing special".
But the PSU Media went into turbo pimping those guys up like they were rock stars - and the fans (mostly) spooned it down like starving dogs.

That said - as opposed to the sanctions - with the landscape the way it is they could still get a full roster on day 1 (thanks to transfers) as opposed to dwindling down to just over 1/2 of the roster size of their competitors (as was the case during the sanctions) - and they can completely redo/refit the roster in any one year, which, obviously, was impossible before the 100% free-agency every year that we have now.
So a much less challenging environment from a roster management standpoint as we go into 2027/28, than what existed back in 2011/12/13.

 

[Midnighter]

 

[wptlion]

Lynn has been a massive disappointment. No he doesn’t have the players he needs, but what we’re doing with scheme is nonsensical considering the lack of talent. Now I hear we’re going to be moving Marcus Neal down to linebacker as he cannot keep up in the secondary and Ebel cannot play lb at a power football level. It’s only now that I realize that we are more devoid of talent than we were during the effing sanctions.

The last 2 years we had 1 D1 LB---Rojas and that's it.

 

[LaJollaCreek]

 

[BCS PSU]

Nebraska's gone more than 25 years since winning a major bowl game. Nine-win seasons weren't good enough for them. Sound familiar?

For every Nebraska, you can can cite a Clemson, Bama, Georgia, ND, Texas, and countless others in which a coaching change vastly improved the program. Franklin had been the coach for basically 12 seasons which is a lifetime in coaching nowadays; even if he hadn't been fired, PSU was going to have to hire a new coach probably sooner rather than later because most coaches don't coach as long as a Paterno did, and they especially don't coach at the same place for as long as a Paterno did.

 

[BCS PSU]

The last 2 years we had 1 D1 LB---Rojas and that's it.

Yeah, and whose fault was that, especially last season when we also had almost no elite Big 10 d-linemen? We did have a linebacker last season who's now starting for Tennessee and may have been one of our two or three best defensive players, but he was a portal from UNC and not a recruit.

 

[LMTLION]

Yeah, and whose fault was that, especially last season when we also had almost no elite Big 10 d-linemen? We did have a linebacker last season who's now starting for Tennessee and may have been one of our two or three best defensive players, but he was a portal from UNC and not a recruit.

We were not willing to pay for Amare Campbell. He did not fit the mold of what they wanted to see with that position, particularly size. Well, Amare would’ve been 100 times better this season than Ebel!

 

[BCS PSU]

We were not willing to pay for Amare Campbell. He did not fit the mold of what they wanted to see with that position, particularly size. Well, Amare would’ve been 100 times better this season than Ebel!

Yes, he would have been. He's a pretty good and productive player.

 

[JoePaMajorCFBrecord409Ws]

Pat Kraft wanted a roster "cleansing." He over estimated the appeal of the Penn State brand and thought the likes of Marcus Freeman, Kalen DeBoar etc. would rush to fill the vacancy (bringing rich resources of players with them). Most big name coaches disengaged when they saw the NIL war chest. By the time reality had set in, he had squandered most of the players on the current roster and an entire recruiting class. He thought he finally had someone who could accept PSU resources in Sitake (who had a tentative list of players he felt would follow him to PSU) He blew that with a rookie mistake.
This isn't 1970. In that era a coach could just be an X and 0 guy. Today PSU needs leadership that is cutting edge a charismatic coach.

Has nothing to do with the attractiveness of PSU as a brand - Ruhle summed it up perfectly.... what coach in America with a solid resume and choices would want to work for a bloviating, egotistical a-hole like Krafty The Clown? Lots of coaches willing to use this empty-suit as leverage to improve their current situation, but none of them wanted to work for this clown - Kraft is an agent's dream printing offer after offer that they can shop back to current employer's.... improve their clients situation and make nice coin with very little work required. Coaches and agents just laughing their way to the bank about this naive, egotistical clown.

 

[Marshall2323]

Might not have been "brilliant" but it was certainly necessary. The cubbard's bare, its going to take a couple years but Penn State will be back.

In a couple of years no one will be around to notice.

The distruption of the roster after last season was worse than anything that happened after the 2011 season.

The sanctions limited PSU to 15 scholarships per year. There was no portal. Get serious. 2012 still had a good roster. 2012-14 got progressively worse due to that scholarship limit.

 

[Nitt1300]

fans are hilarious

 

[BCS PSU]

In a couple of years no one will be around to notice.

The sanctions limited PSU to 15 scholarships per year. There was no portal. Get serious. 2012 still had a good roster. 2012-14 got progressively worse due to that scholarship limit.

PSU went 8-4 in 2012, 7-5 in 2013, and 7-6 in 2014 and 2015. PSU will be fortunate to go 7-5 this season. I would pick either one of those 2012 through 2015 teams to beat this 2026 team.

 

[Marshall2323]

PSU went 8-4 in 2012, 7-5 in 2013, and 7-6 in 2014 and 2015. PSU will be fortunate to go 7-5 this season. I would pick either one of those 2012 through 2015 teams to beat this 2026 team.

I agree with 2012. The other 3 years, I'm not so sure.

 

[Marshall2323]

Campbell won 2 out of the last three against Iowa before departing Iowa St.

A big difference between playing 1 game per season vs a big 10 team and playing 9 games.

 

[BCS PSU]

I agree with 2012. The other 3 years, I'm not so sure.

We’ll never know, but a lot of players who were on that 2016 Big 10 Championship team were on those preceding teams, like Barkley and Godwin, and there are no players on the current team who come anywhere near the talent of a Barkley. Also, the 2013 through 2015 teams had a qb who was a high NFL draft choice, which turned out to be undeserved, and this current PSU team certainly doesn’t have a qb who will be drafted.

 

[BCS PSU]

A big difference between playing 1 game per season vs a big 10 team and playing 9 games.

If Campbell had to play those Iowa games with the current PSU team, he wouldn’t have won any. Conversely, if he played these first three Big 10 games with his 2024 Iowa State team, PSU could’ve won two if not all three of them. Even with the current lousy roster, PSU still had a ten point lead with eight minutes to go against Wisconsin, and was in a one score game late into the fourth quarter against a team that probably had the best offense that they’ll face this season.

 

[Marshall2323]

If Campbell had to play those Iowa games with the current PSU team, he wouldn’t have won any. Conversely, if he played these first three Big 10 games with his 2024 Iowa State team, PSU could’ve won two if not all three of them.

How does that matter? He brought his 24 hand picked ISU players here. They aren't producing. On top of that, to date Campbell hasn't been a very good in game coach. He especially seems to have substitution issues and squanders time outs. This is a 10 win schedule. We'll never have an opportunity like this again.

 

[PSUHarry]

Give me a break, Krafty The Clown is paying Campbell MORE than he paid Franklin. Campbell's CHOSEN roster is being paid MORE than Franklin's rosters - we're spending $30-$32 million on this roster for a significant DOWNGRADE in player quality and COMPETITIVENESS. We may well be proven to be the worst team in the b1g and not win a b1g game, but some of you laughable apologists keep telling us that this is exactly what empty-suit hack Krafty The Clown promised us when he fired Franklin nuking our entire roster and 2026 recruiting class.... then presided over a complete crap-show of a search that only made matters worse as Kraft made PSU the laughingstock of Professional CFB as candidate after candidate used Krafty The Clown to leverage massive raises, guarantees and extensions from their current employers only to turn Krafty down (i.e., they "shopped" Krafty The Clown's Offers for use as leverage - IOW, they made Kraft look like the empty-suit, bloviating clown Prince of Fools that he is and turned PSU into an embarrassing laughingstock in the process).

You apologists who supported this bs a year ago are now telling us that it is perfectly acceptable and in line with what Kraft promised???? Kraft promised downgrades across the board for way more $$$???? Really??? I'm pretty sure this is the diametric opposite of what Krafty The Clown promised when he fired Franklin setting off this utter crap-show of a circus which has caused only massive destruction and damage to PSU's franchise and tradition -- but Krafty The Clown, who is being paid multi-millions for this absurdity, shouldn't be held accountable for his actions or the direct result of his actions which are the DIAMETRIC OPPOSITE of what he publicly promised (in his ever-endearing bloviating style) when he very pompously and publicly fired Franklin.

You apologists are so laughably absurd (especially the crap about PSU Alumns shelling out huge sums going forward to support this irresponsible bs) - it's just ridiculous.

It’s not a 30-32mill roster.