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Campbell combining honesty with loyalty

TV/Radio commentary

It sounded like a combination of honesty, loyalty and team building when Matt Campbell said it, and it sounded genuine -- not performative -- which might be why the approach will work well in the long run.

Shortly after Penn State's first conference victory with Campbell as coach, he made his postgame radio show appearance and Steve Jones simply asked what the coach thought of running back Cam Wallace's performance.

It was the right question after the running back, who had appeared in six previous games this season, played a bigger role. He doubled his carries for the season, getting the ball 22 times against Purdue, and rushed for 135 yards, pushing his season total to 267.

He went from overlooked and underutilized to a breakout performance.

"Boy, I thought he was outstanding. Honestly, I thought him and Carson (Hansen) were what we envisioned becoming -- a powerful downhill, one-two punch," Campbell said.

So, in the first five seconds of his response, he credited Wallace and pulled in Hansen for accolades as well. Maybe it was loyalty to a former Iowa State player (Hansen) that prompted the combined answer.

But Campbell expanded on his praise for Wallace and leaned into the opportunity Jones offered with the question by emphasizing the importance of practice to earn playing time.

"Cam was outstanding. He's had some great moments early in the season but earning it the last two weeks in practice you could just tell he deserved this opportunity," Campbell said.

Now, that kind of prompts a question about what Wallace had not been doing to see the field more in a season when Penn State's rushing offense has been largely ineffective, but maybe the team's bye week was a cathartic moment of change.

Either way, Campbell was able to tout the team's top back in the game and heap praise on another with what sounded like a sincere bit of appreciation that might play at least a small part in future success.

Holy honest

It's a noon kick on TV for East Coast viewers and a 10 a.m. game time Saturday when BYU plays at Utah, a contest known as the "Holy War."

It's a big-time matchup with a lot at stake for both teams as well as the Big 12 Conference, and some would prefer a later start time -- blaming TV for the late morning local start.

Honestly ... tough.

It's just much ado about nothing. Yes, it's inconvenient for fans, but the sooner fans across the country realize they're nothing more than an outdoor studio audience for a TV broadcast and a revenue stream for athletic departments the better.

Everyone associated with big-time college football is taking the money -- in this case the money from the Big XII's media rights deal -- and that means the broadcast partners largely get to decide game times.

Is it fan friendly? Nope. Is it good for business? Probably.

ABC is carrying BYU-Utah, and the network is locked in with Southeast Conference games at 3:30 p.m. (Alabama at LSU) and 7:30 p.m. (Georgia at Ole Miss). Both of those games will probably draw better ratings than BYU-Utah. Still, the noon time slot can be strong, as proven by Fox's Big Noon Kickoff (UCLA at Minnesota this week), and it was the most logical option for the Holy War this season.

Sure, it's frustrating for fans, but in the bigger picture, big-money business of college football that's just how it works.

Seattle State

Penn State's trip to play at Washington was one of the more anticipated road trips of the season for some fans -- a new destination because of one of the conference's newest members.

While some fans probably hoped for the game to fall earlier in the schedule, weather for the weekend looks decent (mid-50s) and first-ever trips are always fun.

It's not a first for the program, though. Penn State played at Washington in December of 1921, winning 21-7.

Overall, Penn State leads the series, 4-0. That includes victories in the 1983 Aloha Bowl (13-10), the 2017 Fiesta Bowl (35-28) and the 2024 White Out at Beaver Stadium (35-6). All of the games have been played in November or December.

Notable

– We're two weeks removed from ESPN's Pat McAfee complaining about his treatment when College GameDay visited Utah, and because McAfee said there were threats against him, maybe that puts his reaction, which initially seemed thin-skinned, in a different light. My sense is both parts can be true, though. While McAfee brings circus energy to the show each week, he seems to crave approval and chafes even the slightest negative feedback. At the same time, any kind of threat of violence over entertainers or a TV show is ridiculous.

– It would not be a shock to see the Associated Press Top 25 expand beyond 25 teams, perhaps to 30, before next season, when the College Football Playoff moves to 24 teams.

– Viewers can find the Penn State game against Washington on Fox Sports 1. It's the second game on FS1 this season.

– The 3:30 p.m. kick time Saturday is Penn State's third at that time this season.

Worth watching

Virginia Tech at SMU 7 p.m. Friday ESPN

BYU at Utah Noon Saturday Fox

Oregon at Ohio State 3:30 pm. Saturday CBS

Miami at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. Saturday NBC

Sampsell covers the broadcast end of Penn State football for Gameday. He can be reached at stevesampsell@gmail.com.