THE GAME
The Penn State Nittany Lions couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season behind new head coach Matt Campbell. Campbell became the first PSU coach since Dick Harlow in 1915 to record a shutout in his coaching debut. The historical implications of Penn State’s 45-0 victory over Marshall on Saturday were probably not at the forefront of his mind. He even downplayed the emotional aspect of taking the field at Beaver Stadium for the first time.
“I know everybody’s looking for that magic answer, and I hate to tell you this, that was awesome early, but now you’re responsible for the game and for me, this team, and earning the right to at least get to a game,” said Campbell at a post-game press conference. “I was so anxious of watching who this football team could be, and where we could respond, and obviously we know just a little bit, but we got great video tape evidence now in a chaotic game environment. How is this team going to respond? How is this coaching staff going to respond? Hats off to our coaches, unbelievable job. I think for ke, there was more anticipation. What is this going to look like? How efficient can we be if we need to navigate something?”
Penn State opened up a 17-0 lead after the first quarter and took a 24-0 advantage into the halftime intermission. The Nittany Lions went on to score three more touchdowns to end the scoring. Becht tossed touchdown passes of 42 yards (Howard), 25 yards (Brett Eskildsen), 8 yards (Benjamin Brahmer) and 39 yards (Zay Robinson) before ending his day. Alex Manske (another Iowa State transfer) and Connor Barry took their turns at quarterback.
THE NUMBERS
Iowa State transfer quarterback Rocco Becht completed 13 of 18 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Koby Howard, sophomore out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Pensacola, Florida, caught six passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers will likely put him on the list of candidates for Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
The Nittany Lions’ offense generated 487 total yards, including 324 through the air and 162 on the ground. They accumulated 25 first downs and dominated time of possession 36:13-23:47. Carson Hansen (Iowa State) rushed for a team-high 48 yards.
The roar wasn’t just reserved for the offense. The Penn State defense held Marshall to just 147 yards (44 rushing, 103 passing). The Thundering Herd converted only one of 11 third-down conversions and committed two turnovers. Tony Rojas had a team-high seven tackles, including six unassisted and two tackles for loss. Caleb Bacon made six tackles (three for losses).
THE TAKEAWAY
There was as much a sense of relief as response to Saturday’s game. The hangover effect of the disastrous 2025 season no doubt lingered well into the offseason, even after the hiring of Matt Campbell, who previously coached Iowa State for 10 seasons. Campbell brought 24 Cyclones with him, including Becht.
Campbell summed up the game in his opening statement, saying, “Just a sincere thank you to the fan base and the student body. It was really special to be a part of this for the first time and you know so many people say how special it is to play football here, but it was really special to be here today. The environment is second to none.”
THE NEXT GAME: Penn State (1-0) travels to Philadelphia on Saturday to play Temple at Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
