Why Didn’t Matt Campbell Call Timeout Before Halftime Against Temple? He Explained the Decision

Penn State head coach Matt Campbell was met with his first bout of criticism for his in-game coaching on Saturday against Temple.

Tied 3-3 late in the second quarter, the Nittany Lion offense took over at its own 17-yard line with under two minutes to play — a classic two-minute drill. After marching down the field efficiently, tight end Ben Brahmer was tackled in-bounds at the Owls’ 23-yard line with 28 seconds on the clock.

Instead of burning one of two remaining timeouts, Campbell let the clock tick down, reaching just 13 seconds before the next snap. It was a risky decision, giving Penn State time for just two or, at most, three plays before halftime.

However, on the ensuing play quarterback Rocco Becht connected with a wide open Brahmer streaking up the seam for the touchdown. The Nittany Lions took a 10-3 lead and left Temple with just eight seconds before the break.

While it’s easy to write it off as a lapse in judgement or lack of focus, the rationale runs much deeper. Following the game, Campbell shared his reasoning for not calling a timeout.

For one thing, he wasn’t sure if Brahmer had reached the line to gain — a first down with under two minutes to play would have stopped the clock. Instead, it was ruled a 9-yard pickup.

Second, they identified a two-high shell from the Owls, which they had been showing when the Nittany Lions went to a tempo offense. Calling a timeout would mean no tempo and possibly a different defensive coverage.

“It was kind of like, man, do we take the timeout or do we get the play off that we think we’re going to get versus the coverage we’re going to get?” Campbell said. “So it was dicey. You know, obviously it worked out in our favor.”

With Brahmer set to attack the middle of the field on the next play, Penn State had the perfect counter to a split-safety look, and Campbell felt his team could cash in without needing extra time.

“I felt really confident in the play call that we had, and that was great execution by those two players,” Campbell said. “They certainly made the head coach look good.”