A shutout is an impressive feat regardless of the caliber of opponent — just ask head coach Matt Campbell, who called a timeout to successfully ice Marshall’s kicker before halftime, then proceeded to pump his arm enthusiastically and throw off his headset before running into the tunnel.
Penn State went on to blank the visiting Thundering Herd, allowing just 147 total yards on Saturday afternoon and forcing two turnovers and nine tackles for loss.
Three of those takedowns behind the line of scrimmage came from defensive end Caleb Bacon, tied for a career high. He was arguably the star of the Nittany Lions’ defensive performance, and it came during his first game at a new position.
“When Coach Campbell kind of initially told me about moving over and trying to be multiple in my positions, you know it took me off guard a little bit, but I really had to buy into the fact that this could really work out well,” Bacon said after the game.
His college career began at linebacker, but extending beyond that, he played on the offensive side as a guard at Lake Mills High School in “middle of nowhere, Iowa,” according to Campbell. His story is the ultimate underdog tale — a zero-star walk-on whose only FBS offer came from Iowa State.
After battling to a starting role in 2023, Bacon was placed on scholarship. However, he broke his leg on the third play of the 2024 season, only to return to a starting role last year with the Cyclones. And after following Campbell to State College, he’s once again facing a major change.
“I think you guys got a chance to just see a little bit of just how special the player this guy is,” Campbell said. “He’s talented. He’s worked for everything he’s got. Nobody’s ever given him anything.”
The role isn’t completely new for Bacon, who played outside linebacker in a 3-3-5 scheme with the Cyclones, where he often lined up on the ball in four-down packages. But being at the line of scrimmage consistently has still been an adjustment, one that’s required learning new techniques.
“it was just weird, you know, learning some of the new techniques that we were teaching the D-line room,” Bacon said. “But once I got the hang of those, getting those live reps was so crucial. Getting that extra meeting time, just working different hand drills and things like that, were super critical. But I’m feeling like it’s coming together now, thanks to all of my fellow players and coaches, who really helped me out.”
With talented linebackers like Tony Rojas, Kooper Ebel and Cael Brezina in the room, the move was a numbers play. Bringing him to the line full-time helps the Nittany Lions get the best 11 defenders on the field.
Bacon repeatedly credited his coaches and fellow linemen for embracing him and helping him get up to speed. But until the rubber met the road in real game action, it was hard to know if the gamble would pay off.
His six-tackle showing against Marshall on just 19 total snaps was a strong start, but the jury is still out on whether he’s a better defensive end than linebacker.
“Shoot,” Bacon said. “I’ll leave that up to the fans or whoever wants to critique me.”
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