Story by
The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
Penn State top 5: Lions hit road for first time
- Story byThe Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
- Penn State top 5: Lions hit road for first time
The Matt Campbell era could not have gotten off to a much better start than last week's 45-0 drubbing of Marshall. Now the Nittany Lions go on the road for the first time.
Even though Penn State will technically be the road game at Temple , expect the Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field to be covered in white.
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Saturday's game is set for noon and will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Nittany Lions are 23.5-point favorites.
Here are five things to know heading into the first road game of 2026:
1. Bacon cooking
Caleb Bacon made an immediate impact, not only with his new team but in a new position
The senior from Lake Mills, Iowa, transferred from Iowa State in the spring, and with the depth Penn State had at linebacker and those who came with Bacon from Iowa State, it allowed the coaches to move Bacon to defensive end.
He made six first-half tackles and tied a career-high with three tackles for loss, including a quarterback sack. He was the Big Ten's Co-Defensive Player of the Week
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"It's game one, we've got a game next week," Bacon said. "You can't let your highs get too high. You can't let your lows get too low."
2. Plenty of looks
Led by Josiah Zayas becoming the first true freshman to start on Penn State's defense in more than a decade, 15 different Penn State players made their collegiate debuts in the win over Marshall.
Eight of those players — Christian Askew, Pete Eglitis, Peyton Falzone, Jackson Ford , Lucas Tenbrock, Byrson Williams and Zayas — are true freshmen. Zayas and redshirt freshman left tackle Malachi Goodman made their first career starts.
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Falzone and Ford were the only two players to sign with Penn State during the early signing period in December before Campbell was hired. Falzone, who has switched from quarterback to tight end, appeared on offense. Bryson Williams had Penn State's lone interception and Ford recovered a fumble late in the game.
The Nittany Lions played 76 different players during the game, even with expected contributors such as Ben Burkle and Alex Tasch out. Both are expected back this week.
3. Rapp attack
Campbell said his favorite play from Saturday's opener — Rocco Becht 's opening touchdown pass to Koby Howard — went far beyond the quarterback working through his progression and Howard finding a spot in the zone.
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Campbell pointed to tight end Andrew Rappleyea 's stoning of a blitzing corner that gave Becht the time to reset after his initial reads were covered.
"I thought Rapp was phenomenal. Maybe my favorite play of the entire game. Corner crash, he's in protection. The physicality that he picks that up, it really allows Rocco to get to his third progression. I thought that was a difference-maker play. I thought Rapp was outstanding."
4. On the road
Campbell said he has already talked to his former college teammate and Eagles' coach Nick Sirianni about playing at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday.
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Because it will be the shortest road trip of the year, Campbell and the Lions can use it as a test run for road games at places such as Michigan and Washington later in the season.
"Great teams play great on the road. That's just how it goes," he said. "Understanding the focus it takes. I think a lot of things that this group is going to have to navigate forward, with the leadership of our coaching staff, the leadership of our players. We're going to have to handle it. I think this is a huge opportunity for us to get this and get this opportunity to kind of grow through it."
5. Coaches cross paths
Temple coach KC Keeler and Campbell have a history that dates back to a historic streak.
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Campbell played his college football at Division III power Mount Union in Ohio . The Purple Raiders set the NCAA football longest winning streak at any level from 1994-99, winning 54 games in a row.
Campbell was a part of the 1999 Mount Union team when that streak was snapped. On Dec. 11, 1999, the Rowan Profs, coached by Keeler, snapped the streak with a 24-17 playoff win in overtime.
