Neil Rudel on Penn State: Campbell admits he’s looking to next ‘quarter’
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We're still in the early stages of Matt Campbell - it's too soon to call it the Campbell Era, but maybe it will grow into that - so we're learning about him.
For one thing, his transparency is a welcome departure from the past. And please don't ask how far in the past.
Let's cite a few quick examples.
At Temple, Campbell admitted his players bailed him out after he mistakenly thought the Nittany Lions secured a first down near the end of the first half and the clock was stopped when it wasn't, and precious seconds ticked away.
That accountability continued into the next week when offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser criticized himself for not calling better plays to get the run game going sooner.
Such discussion builds culture.
Earlier this week, Campbell disclosed that standout receiver Koby Howard was "dinged" against Buffalo, and his status was uncertain. A day later, he confirmed Howard would miss "extended time."
Previous coaches would not have been and were not as forthcoming.
James Franklin refused to discuss injuries totally unless they were season-ending. No weekly updates so don't even ask.
Many coaches (not just Franklin) don't acknowledge any opponent but the next one, sometimes even acting like they didn't even know who they play the following week.
To be fair, the one-at-a-time philosophy and 1-0 mentality served Franklin and many coaches well.
But with Big Ten play now here, it was interesting to hear Campbell share that the first part of the season is over and the next stretch will be more taxing.
"Even before the season starts, honestly, I try to break our season down into quarters, because I think it’s the simplest way for us to kind of communicate where we’re at," Campbell said. "(That) helps me make the right practice adjustments as we work through the season.
"Really the first quarter of the season for us was fall camp and the first three games of the season, just knowing ... where did we want to be by the time we got to the end of it?"
The 3-0 record was a given, but the Lions have satisfactorily answered some questions relative to defensive toughness and depth, solid quarterbacking, multiple skill options and reliable placekicking.
"We wanted to end the first quarter with great momentum," Campbell said.
How all of that translates into the next phase of the schedule -- beginning tonight vs. Wisconsin, followed by a trip to Northwestern, USC's visit here and a game at Michigan -- is what we're all here to see.
"This is an interesting (second) quarter," Campbell told his team after the win over Buffalo. "This quarter defines contenders and pretenders."
He's eager to find out what category the Lions fall into.
"I think that you’re getting into (tougher schedule), it’s why you come to Penn State," he said. "It’s what you want to be a part of are these special opportunities, starting this week to play great teams, great coaches, great opponents, and what’s it going to take? It’s going to take everything you learned from the first quarter of the season."
In a video released by Penn State, Campbell challenged the Lions, saying, "How great do you want to be? Pretenders say one thing and do another. Don't get to the end of this and say, 'woulda, shoulda, coulda.'''
NITPICKING
• With Howard out, we'll see who emerges as Rocco Becht's top target. Zay Robinson is a candidate, and look for Brett Eskildsen's role to expand. Eskildsen caught five passes for 48 yards in the opener and scored but has been limited to four receptions total in the last two games for 34 yards. Coming out of fall camp, observers felt Eskildsen might be among the top five players on the team.
• Luke Fickell's lack of progress at Wisconsin illustrates the jump from Cincinnati and the Group of Six and the American Athletic Conference to the Big Ten. Fickell went 57-18 in six years at Cincy and is 19-22 in his fifth year with Wisconsin.
• In the matchup of the last two Penn State coaches, James Franklin (Virginia Tech) visits Bill O'Brien (Boston College) today. The Hokies are favored by two touchdowns.
Neil Rudel covers Penn State football and can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.