We have to give credit where credit is due sometimes, which is why I think Penn State head coach Matt Campbell is the man for the job.
But, I'm one of the people who thinks that James Franklin did a really good job in State College, and while I was a bit frustrated with some of his decisions over the past couple of years, it's important to recognize that he won a lot of football games at Penn State.
Because of that, and prior coaches who have won at a ridiculously high level in State College, Campbell is under pressure to win a lot of games. At the end of the day, he was brought in to win a national championship, so what he does against Temple and Marshall really doesn't mean a whole lot. When we start factoring in that Penn State really didn't play great against Temple, there are some concerns, to say the least.
However, if one thing is for certain, Campbell isn't going to be a guy who beats around the bush. Instead of blaming anyone else, he says his team didn't play good football and that much of it is because of him, the head coach.
“So where does that start? I think it has to start with the head football coach. And then it goes to our coaches and our players, and accountability. I felt like we really gained some opportunity to grow in the second and third quarter. I didn't think we wavered and flinched. I give a lot of credit to our players.
“Rocco (Bect) stepped up, made a couple great plays. Tony Rojas stepped up, made a great play. I thought AC (Audavion) Collins was outstanding again today, had some great plays. But then we didn't finish the game. So I think there's a lot for us to grow and take. If you want to win on the road and you want to be a team that's got the ability to win on the road, it doesn't look like we did today,” Campbell said, per 247.
I love when head coaches like this take accountability, especially with a new guy like Campbell. Instead of deflecting and blaming other factors, he understands his team just didn't play the way it needed to.
There really aren't many more excuses for that, and Penn State just has to focus on doing better in the future.
