Penn State football had a rough go of it in Week 4 as the Wisconsin Badgers came to Happy Valley and handed Matt Campbell's team a crushing 24-20 loss. Badgers coach Luke Fickell won over the UW players with his halftime speech, but Campbell met a worse fate as he was roundly booed after the game.

The boo birds were caught on camera afterward as Campbell and his players headed to the locker room.

A smattering of boos greets Matt Campbell and Penn State as they exit Beaver Stadium following the Nittany Lions’ 24-20 loss to Wisconsin.

The Nittany Lions led 17-0 with two minutes remaining in the first half before being outscored 24-3 the rest of the game. #WeAre… pic.twitter.com/Kc3xix1n7h

— Basic Blues Nation (@basicblues) September 27, 2026

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Campbell's team was forced to make due without star receiver Koby Howard, a big setback for the team's Rocco Becht-led passing attack. Becht, who followed Campbell to Penn State from Iowa State this offseason, was woefully inefficient on the day, completing just 12-of-29 passes for a subpar 114 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.

Ohio State transfer James Peoples led Penn State in rushing with 14 carries for 67 yards, while Chase Sowell led Campbell's Nittany Lions with six catches for 70 yards. The performance felt akin to a spring game as Campbell's team didn't give the 100,000-plus fans in attendance much to cheer about.

These types of growing pains are commonplace among first-year college football coaches, and Campbell's first year at Penn State is now looking like another prime example. Penn State is 3-1 on the season without a signature win and has an uphill climb ahead to scratch and claw its way back into Big Ten championship contention.

October 2 brings a buzzsaw of a road test against David Braun and the Northwestern Wildcats as they open their new Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. A loss in that game could bring out even more boo birds as things continue to get intense for Campbell and his Nittany Lions.