There is now no doubt that this has been an absolutely disappointing season for the Penn State Nittany Lions. They currently sit at 3-4 this season, and they are on a four-game losing streak. Nothing seems to be going in the Nittany Lions’ favor, and while some games have been competitive, they also suffered a blowout loss to the Northwestern Wildcats. Penn State has played without young star wide receiver Koby Howard, but they should still never play as they have without him, and they will need to be a lot better for wins to start piling up. With that being said, let’s grade the performance of the Nittany Lions.
Grading the Nittany Lions’ Performance
Defensive Line
The defensive line has struggled, to say the least. They gave up over 300 rushing yards between two Wildcat running backs and have looked very sloppy. The pass rush was also struggling against the USC Trojans, and the defensive line has looked really bad. They did lose Max Granville for the entire season due to an injury, which makes an impact, but they still have to be much better than what they have shown so far. It is not too late to turn it around, but it is too late to help the Nittany Lions make a push to the College Football Playoff.
Grade: D
Wide Receivers
Nittany Lions fans need exciting news; well, here is some. The wide receivers have been one of the few bright spots for Penn State in 2026. Howard showed flashes of a young star in the making before suffering an injury that sent him back, and Chase Sowell has looked like an NFL-caliber wide receiver over the past few weeks. Howard has had such a big role in the offense that things completely fell apart without him offensively.
When Howard returns, Sowell will not the main target anymore, but Sowell and Howard can each get still get targets and terrorize cornerbacks. It would also be foolish to not give the Nittany Lions a good grade here considering they have struggled to get elite wide receivers for the past seasons.
Grade: A+
Running Game
If there is one aspect that has really hurt the Nittany Lions as a team, it is the running game. Penn State has had zero breakout games on the ground and has not even been average in that aspect. This has impacted the Nittany Lions’ red zone efficiency and has led to field goals or zero points instead of touchdowns. To make matters worse, Carson Hansen, who is the starting running back, has been the worst one.
Hansen has 72 carries for just 278 yards and four touchdowns. Losing two program game-changing running backs to the NFL is very tough to replace, but the running game can not be that bad, and things have to change for the Nittany Lions to see future success. Now, the offensive line also has to do their job, but the running game has been nothing short of disappointing.
Grade: F
Overall season grade: D-
The Last Word
The Nittany Lions are having a disastrous 2026 season under first-year head coach Matt Campbell. They have a losing record, and things have not gone their way in the slightest. The wide receivers have been one of the few bright spots, but they simply need more production out of everyone else. They will look to change things in the second half of the season, but with four losses, there is very little to be optimistic about. Do you agree with these grades and think the Nittany Lions can finish the 2026 season on a good note?
Main Image: Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images
