Another week, another loss.

Penn State football fell to USC 31-23 in the White Out on Saturday night, sending the Nittany Lions into a 0-3 hole to open conference play.

Penn State looked better than in previous weeks, but lingering run-game issues and poor game management from Matt Campbell doomed it again.

As always, Penn State fans took their frustrations to social media and voiced their hot takes about the program.

Here’s how our staff responded to some of them.

Penn State Needs To Give The White Out A Break

Cadyn Gill: Going into the 2026 White Out 3-2 with ugly losses to lesser Big Ten teams clearly tanked the hype around the iconic night, but to consider scrapping what Penn State is known for in national media is absurd.

The White Out started in 2004 to generate more hype around a program that was, at the time, mellow and boring. The Nittany Lions lost to Purdue 20-13 at the White Out’s inception, but a year later, they defeated Ohio State 17-10, and ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit crowned their student section the “best in the country.”

Fast forward to 2026, Penn State loses 31-23 in Matt Campbell’s first White Out. Still, the turnout was not just the same; it was record-setting. As in, more than 114,000 people piled into Beaver Stadium to support the 3-2 Nittany Lions.

The point of tradition is to keep it going no matter what. Through ups, downs, death, growth, or change. Even if Penn State is struggling, the annual White Out is a palpable reminder of just how gargantuan the support for the blue and white is.

The White Out will never go away.

Jamie Lynch: Are we talking about getting rid of it? Full stop.

I’ve always been a big proponent of making the White Out the biggest game of the season, no matter whether Penn State is expected to win or lose. Television rights have unfortunately put a damper on the spectacle lately, but the event still impresses year after year.

I think Penn State owes it to itself to keep the tradition alive. It serves as a yearly reminder that no matter the Nittany Lions’ record, 110,000-plus people can all come together in support of a shared love.

The White Out is the most unifying spectacle in sports, and it’s not going anywhere. Let’s let the athletic department and coaches focus on the team; fans will take care of the shirt colors.

Oscar Orellana: I definitely see the sentiment behind this. In my opinion, Penn State’s premier event of the year just didn’t feel as special as it did in the last two years.

Obviously, the circumstances were immensely different against Washington in 2024 and Oregon in 2025. But Saturday just felt off. I can chalk it up to the state of the team, the program’s overall negativity, or my own press box duties, but it didn’t feel the same.

Nevertheless, the White Out is exactly what I said above: Penn State’s premier event of the year. It’s a college football bucket-list item. While I can acknowledge that Saturday didn’t quite capture the magic I’ve experienced twice before, the White Out needs to happen every year, no matter what.

To have over 114,000 people in one building cheering on the Nittany Lions is inherently special. It’s also the biggest weekend for recruiting and for State College as a whole. I think giving it up, even for one year, would be a big misstep. It will never happen.

Too much is at stake in the game every single year.

Penn State Is The New Doormat Of The Big Ten

Cadyn Gill: It’s hard to fully unpack this because it’s not like Penn State has ever been at the top of the conference consistently. Michigan and Ohio State have always been. Instead, the Nittany Lions have hovered around the Big Ten’s second tier.

But I’d argue that being the “doormat” of a conference requires multiple years of sub-.250 win percentages, which Penn State did last year and is well on its way to doing again this season. Still, that’s far from the reality of the last decade.

I can’t call the Nittany Lions doormats yet, especially given the fight they showed against the Trojans.

Jamie Lynch: I’m sorry, but Rutgers still exists. At least Penn State handled its non-conference games relatively easily. The Scarlet Knights were upset by UMass and Boston College, two historically horrific teams.

If Penn State is the “doormat” of the Big Ten, that, to me, implies it will lose the rest of its games, and I just don’t see that happening. The Nittany Lions might be the butt of the joke on Twitter right now, but social media isn’t real life. Programs in far worse shape exist than the one in Happy Valley.

Oscar Orellana: USC fought really hard to gut out that win. Say what you want about Penn State or the state of the team, but the Nittany Lions performed far better than I expected.

Rocco Becht had a chance to go downfield to tie the game with four minutes left. Brett Eskildsen immediately fumbled a big gain, but the fact that Penn State still had a chance late in the game is reassuring for the coming weeks. It was an ugly game, but it was a step in the right direction.

If Penn State loses to Rutgers or Maryland later in the season, then we can have a conversation.

Chase Sowell Is The Only Iowa State Transfer That Has Translated Well To The Big Ten

Cadyn Gill: You can’t really argue anything else.

Chase Sowell has shown up every game, either by reeling in deep balls or fighting for scrappy yards after the catch, which requires besting Big Ten defenders with physicality.

Physicality has been an issue for the rest of the Iowa State transfers, most notably in the trenches.

That has reinforced the narrative that fielding a roster that’s 50% Iowa State transfers is why the season has been so disappointing. But I don’t think even the biggest Penn State skeptics could have predicted Sowell would be the only former Cyclone to consistently start.

Jamie Lynch: He’s been fine, but nothing special. No one has.

I had hope for Caleb Bacon after his dominant performance against Marshall, but he has slowed down drastically. Kooper Ebel is second on the team in tackles behind Tony Rojas, but the gap is 10, and Ebel has three fewer sacks.

The pass rush, dominated by Iowa State transfers, has been brutal. The offensive line has struggled immensely, with guys like Trevor Buhr contributing.

The two best players, without question, have been Penn State’s retentions in Rojas and, once upon a time, Koby Howard.

It’s fair to say that Sowell’s been the best former Cyclone player, but nobody has been dominant by any stretch.

Oscar Orellana: It’s been rough for the Iowa Staters so far. Sowell has easily been the best, but I’d say it’s a stretch to say he’s translated “well” so far. It’s simply too soon to tell.

Sowell has 15 receptions for 233 yards and one touchdown in Big Ten play. That is a solid receiving stat line for three games, but I need to see that same production with Howard back in the lineup to truly determine whether he’s a good Big Ten fit.

Sowell has been putting in the work to get explosive plays for Penn State, though. That opening catch against the Trojans really got Beaver Stadium bumping.

While it’s too soon to tell if he will ultimately go down as a solid Big Ten wideout, I’m confident he is easily Penn State’s best addition from Iowa State. It’s been rough for the Cyclones-turned-Nittany-Lions.

Matt Campbell Is The Worst Big Ten Coach Through Three Conference Games

Cadyn Gill: I’m not going to pretend I’ve watched every Big Ten coach to know their strengths and weaknesses, but I do know how bad Mike Locksley looks in social media clips of his horrendous press conferences.

Campbell has had way too many head-scratching game-management moments in just six games, but I’ve also only heard words of accountability, and his players clearly remain bought in. But at some point, Campbell has to show he can give Penn State the upper hand on Saturdays, whether through scheme, personnel matchups, or clock management.

I’d rather just see how the second half of the season plays out before name-calling Campbell.

Jamie Lynch: Like Cadyn, I also haven’t had the opportunity to analyze every Big Ten coach in action. Sorry.

That said, Campbell’s in-game decisions have been extremely questionable so far, and that’s putting it mildly. His timeout usage against USC was perplexing, and he regretted some earlier fourth-down calls.

Campbell has to be better than Loksley, no? Or even Greg Schiano? Penn State plays Maryland and Rutgers. Surely this won’t come back to haunt me.

Oscar Orellana: Of all the on-field issues surrounding Penn State’s program, nothing beats Campbell’s horrible timeouts and game management. Lincoln Riley, of all people, ran coaching circles around Campbell on Saturday night through late substitutions and obvious fake calls.

Campbell’s performance against Wisconsin and his flat-out failure against Northwestern make me question whether he is in over his head. The roster and the coaching are two separate things. The roster does not cause these inexcusable coaching mishaps.

If Locksley and Jedd Fisch didn’t exist, I wouldn’t be opposed to saying Campbell is the worst Big Ten head coach through three conference games. But they do, so Campbell is saved for now.

Trevor Buhr & Brock Riker Are Penn State’s Biggest Overall Issue

Cadyn Gill: I think the pass rush has been just as bad as the offensive line, but a run game is more important to complementary football. Running the ball keeps your offense on schedule with favorable down-and-distance, lets your defense rest on the sideline by sustaining drives, and can limit opposing offenses’ time of possession.

Neither Buhr nor Brock Riker has the play strength to move Big Ten defenders off the line of scrimmage and create holes in the run game. Entering Week 7, I fear it’s no longer about Penn State’s left guard and center improving, but about whether they deserve to keep their starting jobs.

Jamie Lynch: The offensive line has been a massive disappointment in the run game, but the pass protection against USC was vastly improved.

I would have to echo the sentiment that the pass rush is an extremely concerning aspect of Penn State’s game, and it was more evident than ever on Saturday night. Part of this is the overuse and misuse of the three-man rush, but I believe the Nittany Lions’ inability to generate pressure ultimately led to their demise.

If we have to pinpoint specific players, I do agree that Buhr and Riker deserve a lot of blame for the team’s limited offensive production. Carson Hansen and James Peoples continue to run into walls because the guys up front can’t create space. The running back duo definitely has been underwhelming on its own, but their offensive line isn’t doing them any favors.

Oscar Orellana: Left guard Buhr and center Riker are the worst-performing transfers so far this season, in my eyes. It’s no surprise the run game is nonexistent when Buhr and Riker are consistently missing assignments and letting opposing defensive tackles and ends into the backfield easily.

They are a huge liability on offense. Rocco Becht gets those passes batted down consistently because of the pressure right in front of his face. Hansen’s lack of explosiveness is one thing, but he also has no space to run up the middle when tasked.

The fact of the matter is that Buhr and Riker simply aren’t built for the Big Ten. Everyone else has shown they can maybe hang, but those two haven’t been up to the standard at all over three games. It’s going to be rough for them down the stretch.