Penn State might be racking up easy victories, but don’t let those scoreboard numbers fool you. A glaring red flag is waving over their running game, and transfer back Carson Hansen is right at the center of it. Despite two wins, the Nittany Lions’ ground attack is a major concern, struggling to find traction even against lighter defenses.
The Ground Game Is Flatlining
This isn’t just a minor blip. Last week, with heavy personnel on the field, the running game hit a measly 45% success rate. This week, against a Temple squad that didn’t even stack the box, it plummeted to just 39%. That’s brutal! A lot of that workload has fallen squarely on Carson Hansen, the Iowa State transfer who’s handled 30 of the Nittany Lions’ 79 rushing attempts this season. In Week 2 alone, he churned out 19 carries for only 84 yards. Do the math, and that’s an already abysmal 4.4 yards per carry for the season, plus a negative EPA per carry. This is a guy who’s meant to be a physical, workhorse back, grinding out 5-6 yards on every touch. That’s a huge miss right now.
Coach Campbell Sees “Growth”?
Even with these numbers, head coach Matt Campbell seems determined to stick with his guy. Postgame, Campbell stated, “There were some really great Carson Hansen runs. I feel like I probably felt last week, you know? We’re like a hair off on some things and I thought there was probably good growth. I thought we were really physical at the point of attack again today, I thought that we took a step forward. But, the team that we want to be and the team that we were today is still not equal to what we want to become.” “Good growth” and “physicality” are nice, but the success rate tells a totally different story. Can they afford to be “a hair off” much longer?
This struggle could definitely come back to bite them. With Buffalo coming to Beaver Stadium next, Campbell has a chance to mix things up if he’s truly dissatisfied. Guys like James Peoples, Cam Wallace, and Quinton Martin Jr. could see more snaps against an inferior opponent. But the real test is coming fast: the Big Ten opener against Wisconsin in two weeks. If the running game doesn’t improve by then, these early concerns are going to become huge problems for the Nittany Lions.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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