The last two weeks for Penn State football have been nothing short of disastrous, but the Nittany Lions can get back on track on Saturday with a win against USC in the White Out.

Everything has to be better for that to happen, though. Matt Campbell said Penn State hasn’t played “in rhythm” over the last six quarters, and that inability to flow has doomed the Nittany Lions to their current predicament.

It all came to a head in Penn State’s horrendous 34-13 loss to Northwestern in Week 5. The Nittany Lions were outmatched from the opening snap. Even the ever-reliable Ryan Barker missed a 45-yard field goal near the final minute of the first half, his second missed kick of the year.

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“I like to use the word ‘lazy.’ ‘Lazy swing’ is kind of the terminology that I use. I just didn’t get the proper contact on it, and then when I swung through, reviewing the film the next day, it was more of a swipe across rather than up, and that caused the late draw on it,” Barker said Wednesday.

Penn State’s inconsistencies on both sides of the ball seem to have rubbed off on Barker as well. He missed five kicks over the last two seasons alone. Two misses through just five games into 2026 aren’t exactly reassuring for the Penn State faithful.

Nevertheless, Barker analyzed what went wrong in the film room and flushed the kick from his mind.

“That’s something that was super easy mentally to know how to attack going into this week. Knowing what type of kicks, like how they feel off your foot, is something that I’ve adapted to pretty well now with the amount of kicking I’ve done,” Barker said.

Barker’s ability to acknowledge his lapse in mental focus, correct it, and move on is a good practice, especially with him setting an example as a leader on the team.

Barker has kicked in many high-pressure moments and is now one of the most experienced returning Penn Staters on the team. He has to set the standard through the disaster, especially with such a high-profile matchup around the corner.

“The most important thing is just eliminating the distractions. Obviously, a lot of stuff comes with the White Out that has nothing to do with football in the community, and a lot of guys will be experiencing that for the first time,” Barker said. “So that’s kind of just been my message to all of the guys … keep the main thing the main thing and worry about your job.”

USC is not only a perfect way for Penn State to get back on track, but also for Barker to regain his footing after his Northwestern mishap. He booted the walk-off field goal in overtime against the Trojans in the two programs’ last meeting in 2024.

Barker isn’t too focused on using the emotional impact of the kick as a crutch on Saturday, but rather as a technical indicator.

“What did I feel on the kick? If my first kick of the game is exactly how I wanted it to be, I’m going to try to replicate that mentally in my head to get that same feeling of the ball coming off my foot,” Barker said.

It’s fair to have concerns about Penn State’s special teams unit following the overall team disaster in Evanston, Illinois. But Barker and Co. were the ones to put the Nittany Lions’ first points on the board in each of their first four games.

The offensive inconsistency has been the driving force behind Barker’s heavy presence so far. He’s already attempted nine field goals. He kicked 18 in 2024 and 19 in 2025.

The red zone struggles have made him see the field more than usual, but he’s solely focused on his process.

“The main and only takeaway I kind of get from it is that we need to be called upon, no matter what the situation,” Barker said. “And it can be a PAT, it can be a 48-yarder … that kind of just shows us as the field goal battery. Not only them, but individually for myself, I need to be mentally prepared to have any type of kick to start out the game.”

Campbell’s message on the squad’s desperate need for consistency up and down the board must come from Barker, too.

His missed kick against Northwestern didn’t make or break the game. Penn State was going to lose that game 99 out of 100 times. The miss didn’t mess with Penn State’s momentum or anything of the sort.

But Penn State has to play perfectly through all three phases on Saturday if it wants to do something positive for its fans in the biggest game of the year. The special teams unit starts with Barker.