Episode #1225
Where Does Penn State Go From Here? Breaking Down Two Straight UGLY Losses
A day after Penn State's 34-13 blowout loss at Northwestern, we're trying to make sense of a team that keeps finding new things to break each week. Nate Bauer and Sean Fitz join to break down a defense that allowed 413 rushing yards against an offense that entered the night ranked 92nd nationally in rushing, linebacker play that fell apart without Cam Smith available at Mike, and whether Caleb Bacon or Alex Tatsch should slide into that role going forward. We debate whether Penn State's roster-building strategy — built heavily around Iowa State transfers brought in under serious time constraints — set the program up for this stretch, and dig into Rocco Becht's continued struggles and Matt Campbell's public loyalty to him. We also look at the stunning numbers, including ESPN's FPI still projecting Penn State for eight wins, and discuss what's really at stake with USC and Michigan both looming on the schedule. 0:00 – Intro: Searching for Answers a Day After the Loss 3:06 – Why Does Something New Keep Breaking Every Week? 8:32 – Questioning the Roster-Building Strategy & Portal Priorities 15:20 – Linebacker Play Collapses: Cooper Ebel & the Mike Spot 19:51 – Debating Who Should Play Mike Linebacker 23:34 – Stunning Stats: Northwestern's Rushing Jump & FPI Still Projects 8 Wins 25:34 – Rocco Becht's Fall & Campbell's Loyalty to Him 28:06 – Is This Team Actually Talented Enough? 29:49 – Nate's Big-Picture Take: A Reckoning & What's at Stake vs. USC Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3KzEcqK Check out the site too! - https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/?utm_source=publisher&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=subscriber_referral&ref=418462 Get 20% off and free shipping at Fanatics with our affiliate link: https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/OeZg2z Use Code BWI20 to get 20 percent off Rhoback’s Gameday Collection: https://rhoback.com/collections/pennsylvania-state-university-licensed-collection Want breaking news like this delivered straight to your inbox for FREE? Sign up today for the BWI breaking newsletter! You’ll also get daily updates with the top headlines of the day five times a week. Click here to sign-up! https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/newsletter/join/ #PennState #NittanyLions JOIN Blue White Illustrated: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/join/?plan=annual SUBSCRIBE to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube and enable alerts - new highlights and videos uploaded regularly: https://www.youtube.com/c/bluewhiteillustratedvideo?sub_confirmation Bookmark our homepage: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/ Subscribe to BWI Magazine and Newsletters: https://bluewhiteonline.com Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BlueWhiteIllustrated/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/PennStateOn3 Music and SFX from Zapsplat.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
