MMQB – Biggest Area for Improvement?

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We’re less than 3 weeks away from the Blue-White Game, the culmination of Penn State’s spring football practice period. This is year #1 for new head coach Matt Campbell, who is going to be working on installing his schemes in all three phases of the game for the first time.

What area would you like to see Penn State improve upon the most from last year?

The passing offense has been iffy at best the last 3-4 years, and last year averaged just 187.6 yards per game (YPG), putting the Lions at 105th in the country. Perhaps getting a continuous flow through the air is your number one concern? Even getting to average would be a big leap.

The scoring offense was largely fine, though definitely not as much of a powerhouse as the mid-t0-late 2010s, with Penn State averaging 31.2 points per game (PPG) last year, good for 33rd nationally. Maybe one or two extra passing touchdowns per game from the first point puts this category up into the top 25?

Defensively the team was still largely good, though not quite as dominant as in years prior. They gave up 326.8 YPG, 25th in the country. The passing defense was sound, only allowing 184.2 YPG, tied for 20th, but the rushing defense got gashed for 142.5 YPG, putting them at 56th in the country. Perhaps getting a little more stout against the run would be good to see?

The team only allowed 20.5 PPG, tied for 30th in the country. Once again, the defense largely did its job while the offense tended to sputter a bit, but the Lions had a top 10 defense as recently as the 2024 season, so getting back to that level may be the thing that helps Penn State out the most.

What if kicking is your thing? Penn State averaged 94.7% on its field goal attempts last year, 2nd in the nation, with Ryan Barker only missing one field goal all year (against FIU of all teams). Barker is back and is only a redshirt sophomore, so hopefully the kicking game stays strong.

Perhaps punting is winning for you? The Lions averaged 46.0 yards per punt in 2025, which placed them 13th in the country. Gabriel Nwosu has exhausted his eligibility, so we’ll have to see who takes the reins for the punting game. Can the Lions keep it up when pinning other teams deep?

There’s a lot to look forward to in 2026, and it all starts with our first glimpse of the team in a few weeks. What’s of most interest to you?

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