Penn State's humiliating loss to Northwestern shows Matt Campbell's rebuild of Nittany Lions just starting

Penn State has rarely suffered such a humiliating defeat as it did in the first game at Northwestern's new Ryan Field Oct 3, 2026 at 11:17 am ET • 3 min read Coming off a loss to Wisconsin at home in Week 4, a road trip to Northwestern seemed like a good bounce-back opportunity for Matt Campbell and Penn State as they rolled into Evanston, Illinois. Instead, the Nittany Lions suffered a humiliating 34-13 loss as the Wildcats ran all over them.In the debut of a new Ryan Field, Northwestern jumped out to a 10-0 lead, and it was in full control for the vast majority of the game. Going into the fourth quarter, the Wildcats led 31-7 as they cruised to a 21-point victory.It's not every day that Penn State suffers such lopsided losses to unranked teams. In fact, it's rarely happened in the 21st century. Here are some of the details on the Nittany Lions' humbling defeat:Third-largest loss to an unranked opponent since 2000.Largest road loss against an unranked team since 2003.First 20-point loss as a favorite since 2014.Fourth-most rushing yards allowed in program history.For the most part, the only comparable performances for Penn State came during the probation era, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. That isn't the kind of start Campbell was hoping for when he took over in Happy Valley, and he's already wasting a favorable schedule for the Nittany Lions. Penn State running back James Peoples struggles for yardage vs. the Northwestern defense. Getty Images Nittany Lions dominated in trenchesPenn State's defense allowed just 93 passing yards, but the catch there is that Northwestern had no need to throw the ball. The Wildcats gashed the Nittany Lions with one big run after another -- totaling 413 rushing yards with an average of 7.5 yards per attempt.On the flip side, Penn State's ground game got zero traction. The Nittany Lions ran for 48 yards on 22 attempts with a long run of just 10 yards.That domination on the ground allowed Northwestern to play keep away from the Penn State offense all night. The Wildcats possessed the ball for 36:05 -- compared to just 23:55 for the Nittany Lions. Penn State squandering soft scheduleWhen the Big Ten schedules were first released, it seemed as though Penn State could be penciled in for nine wins and status as a College Football Playoff dark horse, despite all the turnover of the roster and the coaching staff.That's because, by Big Ten standards, the Nittany Lions got off easily. They avoided Ohio State, Indiana or Oregon, and the conference road games were against Northwestern, Michigan, Washington and Maryland.It didn't look too daunting, presuming some level of stability with Campbell bringing Rocco Becht and a large swath of the Iowa State roster with him, Penn State was poised to do some damage in Campbell's first year on the job. Up ahead for Nittany LionsOct 10vs. No. 18 USCOct 17at MichiganOct 31vs. PurdueNov 7at WashingtonNov 14vs. MinnesotaNov 21vs. RutgersNov 28at MarylandThe good news is that the schedule still looks relatively soft. The only ranked opponent on the Nittany Lions' 2026 slate is USC, and the Trojans would be unranked with a loss to Washington on Saturday night. On paper, Penn State should be able to win every game it plays this fall.Of course, given what we've seen the last two weeks, it's hard to trust it in any spot. Last week, the Nittany Lions let Wisconsin hang around and got burned. This week, the team simply got steamrolled by Northwestern.Now, Campbell is already facing tough questions, and he's not even six games into his tenure. Penn State has the runway to get back on track, but it needs to clean things up quickly. Lions247 with Fight on State brings fans trusted coverage from a dedicated team of insiders. With 20+ years and a staff that includes Mark Brennan, Tyler Donohue, Tyler Calvaruso, Daniel Gallen, the site delivers daily updates, recruiting scoop, and team news. Lions247 with Fight on State is the market leader in coverage of Penn State athletics! Join the conversation and experience the power of the Lions247 with the Fight on State community. Want even more? Sign up for a VIP membership now and unlock all the insider content and features today.