The Matt Campbell era starts in on Saturday, and with it come a number of questions, all of them beaten to the ground this offseason. Those questions will get their answers soon enough, so the first three I want to see:
Explosive plays are all the rage, and for good reason. But the pursuit of explosive plays almost became a meme for the previous staff, so now, I want to see balance. I want to see an offense that is not afraid to take shots, instead of taking shots because one must. I want to see an offense that makes decisions with a purpose, and one that puts its players in the best positions to make plays.
If that looks like a grind it out attack with fewer than 20 passes? Great. If it means Rocco Becht slung the ball around 35 times because the Marshall defense was committed to stopping the run? Good! As long as I see an offense that actually means what it does, does that it means, and executes when it plays, how they get there is inconsequential.
We all know the back seven are going to be fine. There will be bits and pieces to figure out, but nothing about the team's linebacking corps and their defensive backs scream "giant mystery" the way Penn State's defensive line does. The Lions have both a change in philosophy and four new starters along the line, and, while two of the projected four starters are Penn State returnees, their coaches are not.
Can Max Granville, who hasn't played since the 2024 College Football playoff, and Yvan Kemajou, who showed flashes last season, but still showed he had a ways to go, take the next natural step and become the types of players fans have come to expect out of the defensive end position? Can newly-minted defensive end Caleb Bacon, who was a linebacker until this season, adjust to the position?
And, who else can emerge from the defensive line to become a consistent, reliable piece of the rotation?
It doesn't need to be 59-0 halfway through the second quarter, but it would be nice to start the second half knowing the backups are about to come in.
