STATE COLLEGE |Nine months ago, Matt Campbell accepted the Penn State football coaching job by saying, "It's my mission to make you proud of this football team." Campbell set the right tone Saturday against Marshall .
The Nittany Lions played a superb opener, beating Marshall 45-0 in their 2026 opener. Some thoughts and updates from Beaver Stadium.
College football might be sleeping on Rocco Becht :The fourth-year starter who is as healthy as he's been since 2024. Becht was controlled, composed and confident in his Penn State opener, going 13-for-18 for 271 yards and four touchdowns in under three quarters of work. In his 40th career start, Becht threw four TD passes for the first time.
Welcome to the show, Koby Howard :The freshman receiver who played little last year (and underscored Penn State's baffling offensive usages) rolled out his own red carpet Saturday. Howard caught six passes for 161 yards, nearly matching, and passing. his 2025 season totals (7 for 161). His 42-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was a lovely exercise in anticipation and connection with Becht.
The defense has edge:Penn State lived in Marshall's backfield, making eight tackles for loss, five by Caleb Bacon (three) and Tony Rojas (two). Bacon was a revelation at defensive end, sidestepping blocks showing great pursuit. And Rojas, who missed most of 2025 with a torn ACL, looked all the way back.
The Nittany Lions have scored on three consecutive drives, getting their first rushing touchdown of the season. Quinton Martin Jr., seeing his first primary action of the game, scored on a 6-yard run to pad Penn State's lead.
Noteworthy on the drive was the first appearance for No. 2 quarterback Alex Manske. His story is amazing. Manske is playing football less than six months after having open-heart surgery in March.
Quarterback Rocco Becht threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, to his fourth different target, to give the Nittany Lions a 31-point lead. Becht hit redshirt freshman Zay Robinson on a lovely post route for a 32-yard score early in the third quarter.
It's been all Penn State, and the offense has been a big reason why. Becht was 13-for-18 for 271 yards with the touchdown pass. He has been in complete command of the offense, and his receivers have looked exceptional on his behalf. Three of those touchdowns were YAC plays on middle routes or a screen.
Becht certainly looked the part Saturday. Making his 40th career start, he had his first career four-tochdown passing game.
The 18th-ranked Nittany Lions took a 24-0 lead over the Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium in a crisp opening half. Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht threw three first-half touchdowns to three different players, including a 42-yarder to sophomore Koby Howard. And defensive end Caleb Bacon made six tackles, three for losses wiith a sack.
The early stars are Howard and Bacon, who have been exceptional. Howard made four catches for 123 yards and the touchdowns. He had seven receptions for 133 yards as a freshman in 2025.
Rocco Becht threw his third touchdown pass of the first half, a third-down bullet to tight end Ben Brahmer, his favorite scoring target at Iowa State last season. Becht and Brahmer were denied on third down, when the tight end ran out of room in the end-zone corner, but Brahmer ran a dominant route on third down for the score.
More importantly, potentially the play of the game set up the score. Penn State faced 4th-and-1 at its own 22-yard line with about 4 minutes remaining. And Campbell, going against his entire first-half grain, went for it. Running back Carson Hansen bounced his run outside for the nervy conversion.
That play offered some insight into how Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser will approach the season. Becht said that Mouser would call an aggressive game, but that seemed overly chest-puffing with a 17-point lead.
Bacon, a three-year linebacker at Iowa State, is playing defensive end for Penn State this season. Campbell made the move to get Bacon more snaps at the line of scrimmage, where he made 9.5 tackles for loss last season.
Bacon had three midway through the second quarter in his Penn State debut, taking advantage of his new spot. Penn State has deployed a unique four edge-rusher set on third down, which Bacon took advantage for a third-down sack.
Campbell's opening quarter at Penn State could not have gone much better. The Nittany Lions scored on all three possessions, with Rocco Becht throwing two touchdown passes, and outgained Marshall 163-35.
Becht (6-for-8, 139 yards) has a strong early rapport with his receivers, who have all six receptions. Koby Howard already has three catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Penn State's defense already has four tackles for loss, two on back-to-back plays by defensive end Caleb Bacon.
The Nittany Lions have scored on their opening three drives, with Rocco Becht throwing two touchdown passes. The second went to receiver Brett Eskildsen , the fastest player on offense, who took a second-and-long screen and raced through the Marshall defense to the end zone.
Becht is getting exceptional protection, his receivers are open (Koby Howard has three catches for 81 yards already) and they're getting him yards after catch. Also, during the timeout, Penn State played a bit of "Enter Sandman" in the stadium. Which, of course, is Virginia Tech 's walkup music. Some subtle shade, perhaps?
Marshall totaled 14 yards and didn't convert a first down on its first two drives against a Penn State defense missing a few players. Freshman Josiah Zayas , who started in place of veteran Zion Tracy, delivered a key stop on the opening drive. And safety Jamison Patton, who started for Jeremiah Cooper , made an early stop.
Early on, Penn State's receivers have been sharp. On third down, Koby Howard adjusted his route, coming off a spot at the marker to find a crease downfield. Becht catches Howard's eye and hits him for a 42-yard touchdown pass.
Becht said in July that he wants to get Howard 1,000 yards receiving this season. Good start.
The first smattering of boos met Campbell in the first quarter, when he elected to kick a 38-yard field goal on 4th-and-3 at the Marshall 21-yard line. Reliable kicker Ryan Barker easily made it 3-0, but that was the first glimpse of Campbell's coaching ethos. He chose points on his first drive.
Penn State began the drive with superb field position at midfield following Zay Robinson's big return and a sideline violation on Marshall. But the Thundering Herd made a key third-down stop of running back Carson Hansen to force the field goal.
Penn State has a new tunnel banner heading from the locker room to the field. The former1-0" banner that greeted the team under head coach James Franklin has been replaced by a "Success With Honor" banner.
That's a callback to the program's mission statement under the late head coach Joe Paterno. It also was the name of Penn State's first NIL collective, which eventually became Happy Valley United.
Penn State is making more references to Paterno at Beaver Stadium this season. An exhibit called the Paterno Family Football Experience Room recently opened in the All-Sports Museum and includes a recreation of Paterno's former office.
There's also a nod to Paterno in the new West stands, as Section 409 is signed in blue while the rest of the section is labeled in white.
Penn State players will wear a "WJS" sticker on their helmets to honor Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, the program's long-time director of athletic medicine and team physcician. Sebastianelli passed away in May at age 68.
Sebastianelli served four Penn State head football coaches from Joe Paterno to Bill O'Brien to James Franklin to Matt Campbell. He was Penn State's director of athletic medicine for many years until 2013 and returned in 2016 as part of Franklin's medical staff.
Sebastianelli performed surgery on dozens of Penn State players and was an instrumental caregiver to Adam Taliaferro, the former defensive back who was paralyzed during a game vs. Ohio State in 2000. Taliaferro credited Sebastianelli's care for helping him walk again.
"I speak on behalf of every Penn State football letterman when I say that Dr. Sebastianelli was so much more than our doctor; he was family," Taliaferro said in a statement. "For me personally, his eyes were the first I looked into when I was paralyzed on the field. In that moment he gave me and my family something we desperately needed: Hope. Without him, my story would not be what it is today."
An exterior view of the construction of the new West Tower at Penn State's Beaver Stadium. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI
Looking for predictions? Here's what we think will happen in today's game vs. Marshall .
How about storylines? We've got four to chew on .
Penn State's pre-game injury report looks favorable, though we're playing wait-and-see on a few key players. One player definitely out is sophomore defensive linebacker LaVar Arrington II , according to his father.
More than five dozen Penn State players will enter Beaver Stadium today for their first gameday. Here's how they're handling it .
Those in State College for the game can visit the new Paterno Family Football Experience Room at the All-Sports Museum at Beaver Stadium. Can't make it? Here's a peak at the exhibit.
Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno's office is recreated in the Paterno Family Football Experience Room at Beaver Stadium. | Will Horstman | Penn State on SI
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/pennstate as Penn State Football Live Updates: A Nearly Flawless Week 1 vs. Marshall .
