Despite a commanding Week 2 win over Temple, a rocky first-half performance has folks questioning Penn State football’s performance.

Inside the facility, however, the story is different, with the Nittany Lions focusing on the process instead of the box score.

Penn State football is always expected to win, and the team’s historical greatness casts a constant shadow over current players. That shadow could grow even bigger as the 1986 national championship team celebrates its 40th anniversary at Beaver Stadium this Saturday.

Rather than feeling burdened by that legacy, though, players like Chase Sowell see it as a benchmark.

“We want to walk off the field and for them to be like, ‘Yeah, that’s the standard of what we need to play. That’s what Penn State football is,'” Sowell said. “We’re playing for the standard. We’re not playing for the scoreboard.”

After dropping a touchdown in the second quarter, Sowell became a bright spot for Penn State’s offense in the second half. The Iowa State transfer scored a touchdown in a 27-point run.

The passing offense has been a standout through two games and has been one of the most efficient in the nation so far.

“It’s definitely like a video game type feeling. You get on the video game, and all you want to run is four verticals.” Sowell said. “It’s very fun to play in an offense where you kind of let the ball fly around a little bit.”

Every successful passing game goes through one person: the quarterback, and Rocco Becht is off as good a start as any in his first year in blue and white.

Boasting a 75.6% completion percentage and throwing seven touchdowns with no interceptions so far this season, Becht has been the engine driving the offense early on.

“He [Becht] knows what the defense is going to do. He’s not guessing. He’s not hoping,” tight end Gabe Burkle said. “He’s just such a great leader and so good at preparing.”

On the other side of the ball, the Penn State defense has shown much even more cohesion to begin the year.

Leading the nation in points allowed per game, the Nittany Lions’ front seven and secondary have complemented each other nicely through two games.

“We’ll get a lot of sacks this season, just strictly off of our coverage in the back end,” edge rusher Caleb Bacon said. “Cover those guys for longer; we get more time to pass rush. It just works out.”

That symbiotic relationship within the team has played a major part in Penn State’s success so far on all facets. The unity starts with buy-in from players, and cornerback Daryus Dixson has shown coaches what the blueprint for team effort looks like.

“He [Dixson] is passionate about becoming the best version of himself that he can be, and I’m really proud of what that guy’s about,” head coach Matt Campbell said.

That selfless mindset paid off with Dixson blocking a field goal against the Owls.

While outside noise will always surround Happy Valley after every slow start or missed assignment, the Nittany Lions aren’t concerned about box-score critics. Buy-in throughout the depth chart can keep early miscues from turning into panic.

The Nittany Lions are building something that will last longer than the September non-conference schedule. The scoreboard will take care of itself as long as they play to their standard.