Penn State needs to figure things out if they want to go bowling under Matt Campbell.
For Penn State football, nothing is going right at the moment.
The Nittany Lions looked poised to secure their first Big Ten Conference win for head coach Matt Campbell. That didn’t happen.
Penn State suffered its fourth consecutive loss, falling to Michigan and its backup quarterback on Saturday, 21-18.
Related:Ohio State With Season-Defining Victory, But At What Cost?
Without a win since September 19, when they faced Buffalo, the Nittany Lions now sit at 3-4 overall with five games left to be played.
Can they make a bowl game? Will they make one?
Penn State Must Figure Out Its Issues Moving Forward
It is never easy to adjust on the fly, but this could be the time for the Nittany Lions and Campbell to do that.
They now have a bye coming off the fourth straight loss. Three of those defeats have been by one possession.
Penn State will welcome in Purdue on Saturday, October 31, to close out the month. From there, they head to Washington before hosting Minnesota and Rutgers. The season finale sees them head to Maryland.
Lack Of A Ground Game Hurting Rocco Becht, Nittany Lions
Regardless of who carries the ball, the rushing attack is just not producing for Penn State.
The group of Carson Hansen, James Peoples and Quinton Martin, Jr. carried the ball 29 times for 66 yards and a touchdown. They averaged a paltry 2.2 yards per carry in the loss to the Wolverines, with a long run of nine being produced.
That is just not cutting it, and forcing Rocco Becht to do more than he is capable of.
Becht is a bit of a game manager when it comes to the offense. He put up nice numbers at Iowa State when the Cyclones gave him a strong run game.
How Many Wins Will Penn State Finish With?
Purdue is reeling after a loss to Washington this past week, but they will also be hungry to get back on track when they visit Happy Valley in two weeks.
Assuming Penn State is favored in that game, how many others will they be? A road trip to Washington to play in Seattle in November does not look easy.
Minnesota will want to make a statement, and Rutgers is coming off a big win. If the Nittany Lions can get to five wins going into the contest with Maryland, they should be able to make it six and qualify for a bowl.