3 Reasons UCLA is a Great “Bounce Back” Opportunity for Penn State, 1 Reason To Worry
No. 7 Penn State Football dropped its first game of the season last Saturday in double overtime to the Oregon Ducks. Despite the loss, the Nittany Lions are still ranked inside the top 10 teams in the country and still have a great opportunity to reach their second straight College Football Playoff.
However, if Penn State wants to reach any of its goals discussed this preseason, this team must take Saturday’s loss as a way to improve and catalyze the remainder of the season, especially on offense where the Nittany Lions struggled for much of Saturday’s loss.
Here are three reasons why Saturday’s matchup with the UCLA Bruins is a great opportunity for the Nittany Lions to get back on track (and one reason to worry).
3 Reasons Saturday can be a “Bounce Back” Game for Penn State Football
UCLA’s defense could provide Penn State opportunity to get right
Penn State’s offense was a weak point in the Nittany Lions’ to Oregon Saturday.
Quarterback Drew Allar and the Penn State offense mustered just 109 yards of total offense and only three points through the first three quarters Saturday’s loss.
For a top 10 team that was billed as potentially having a first round quarterback and the best running back duo and offensive line in the country, it certainly hasn’t looked that way through the first four games of the season.
Allar and the offense have looked disjointed and “inconsistent” each week, with the Penn State offensive line being one of the most disappointing units on the 2025 team.
UCLA’s defense has been downright terrible all season, giving up a Big Ten worst 31.3 points per game.
The Bruins have already fired their head coach after three losses to start the season and brought in a new defensive coordinator a week ago.
Penn State’s trip out to LA could be perfectly timed to give Penn State’s offense a weaker defense to work against to work through kinks that have plagued the Nittany Lions so far this season. UCLA’s rushing defense ranks 131st in the nation, giving up an average of 232.8 yards per game.
After averaging just four yards per rush and rushing for only 139 yards against Oregon, Penn State’s running back duo and offensive line will have a massive opportunity to work out past issues and build momentum as Penn State continues in Big Ten play.
Time to Build Depth at Linebacker
The Nittany Lions received a second massive blow to the 2025 season on Tuesday, with star linebacker Tony Rojas going down at practice with a “long-term” injury.
Earlier in the season, Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said that Penn State was “still searching” for reliable depth at linebacker behind Rojas, Amare Campbell, and Dom DeLuca.
Now, with Rojas sidelined, Penn State has no choice but to build depth at linebacker. There might not be a better time to work out depth on Penn State’s schedule than Saturday against UCLA.
UCLA ranks 105th nationally in rushing yards per game, averaging only 124.2 yards on the ground. Penn State’s defense should have plenty of opportunities to play younger linebackers to develop depth at the position before continuing Big Ten play.
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Time to Get Away from Home Pressure in Easy Road Environment
Let’s face it, starting off with four straight home games was both a blessing and a curse for Penn State.
While its great to start the season at home in front of your own fans, the issues that Penn State has faced on offense has turned the home crowd against the Nittany Lions multiple times this season.
Against FIU, Penn State fans booed the offense after starting slow and managing just 10 points in the first half. Again against Oregon, Penn State was booed after a slow offensive start, and the crowd even began “Fire Franklin” chants during the Whiteout.
On Wednesday night, James Franklin said that Saturday’s game will be a “good time to get out of town.”
The Nittany Lions will be able to work through offensive issues in front of a different crowd and outside of the pressures of the Penn State fanbase Saturday. With UCLA’s poor start to the season (and regular attendance issues), the opposing crowd also shouldn’t present any issues for the Nittany Lions.
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1 Reason to Worry
Can Penn State “Get Up” for UCLA?
Penn State’s non-conference schedule was extremely weak, causing the Nittany Lions to sleepwalk through the first three games of the season.
Going into the Whiteout, Penn State’s offensive struggles were chalked up to not being able to get up against weaker opponents to start the season.
After three quarters through Oregon, it was clear that the offensive issues were more than just the Nittany Lions playing unmotivated against inferior opponents. After an emotional and deflating loss against Oregon Saturday, with the Nittany Lions traveling across the country, will the Nittany Lions be able to “get up” for another inferior opponent.
The Nittany Lions are 24.5 point favorites against the Bruins Saturday, with nobody giving UCLA much of a chance to do anything against Penn State.
With what is expected to be a lackluster crowd and a team reeling after four straight losses on the opposing sideline, the Nittany Lions will need to bring their own energy into Saturday’s matchup. If not, Penn State could once again struggle to gain consistency on offense and improve.
Penn State has a massive opportunity to get a big win and get back on the right path moving forward this season. If the Nittany Lions can bring a killer mentality to LA, the Bruins could be in for a long afternoon. If not, Penn State could be staring down the barrel of a long season.
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