For the Penn State Football Transfers, an 'Unreal' First Experience at Beaver Stadium

STATE COLLEGE | Linebacker Kooper Ebel’s voice was hoarse when speaking to the media after Penn State’s 45-0 win over Marshall on Saturday. He said he could hardly talk after communicating plays on defense over the crowd noise and celebrating with his teammates.

It was the first game at Beaver Stadium for Ebel and many other Nittany Lions, who hosted a Stripe Out to kick off the Matt Campbell era. The announced attendance was 108,489, which surprised Ebel when he learned of that postgame.

“That's unreal, and we could feel all of it,” Ebel said. “We could feel the energy from those guys after every big play. Man, those guys brought the juice, and we're super thankful to have them. That was awesome.”

Ebel was one of the 24 Iowa State transfers who followed Campbell to Penn State this offseason. The Cyclones’ home venue, Jack Trice Stadium, has a capacity of 61,500 people, much less than Beaver Stadium’s.

Ebel said the most fans he played in front of prior to his first game with Penn State was when Iowa State played road games at Iowa. The Hawkeyes’ home field of Kinnick Stadium holds 69,250 fans.

So, it seemed to be a surreal experience for Penn State’s 62 new players to play their first game at Beaver Stadium.

“It was crazy to see everybody out there, the [Stripe Out] that the fans were doing,” quarterback Rocco Becht said. “You see the energy and feel the environment and all was totally unique for me and different, so I was just excited to be part of it.”

Matt Campbell opens up his press conference with a thank you to the fans.

“The environment was second to none.” pic.twitter.com/5H5KY8amHF
— Chase Fisher (@chase_fisher4) September 5, 2026

Becht and the rest of the starters received a warm welcome from the fans when they were introduced on the video boards before the game. The crowd was loud with “Zombie Nation” playing when the Nittany Lions made their entrance to the field.

And the positive reactions from fans continued into the game. With much going right for Penn State during its rout of Marshall, there wasn’t anything for fans to complain about.

Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen was looking up at the fans and was impressed how the blue-and-white Stripe Out theme was “almost perfect.” Penn State posted a seating chart before the game to tell fans which color to wear based on the section they were sitting in.

“I've never been a part of a theme like that, so that was really cool,” Eskildsen said. “I still don't understand how they actually coordinated that so well, but I mean they got it down, so that was awesome.”

Returning linebacker Tony Rojas, who played at Beaver Stadium for the first time since the 2025 White Out, said he enjoyed watching the reactions of those playing in the stadium for the first time.

"It was cool just to watch the facial expressions of everyone," said Rojas, who led the Nittany Lions with seven tackles. "It's something you've got to embrace and it's not always something you're going to have in your life."

After thanking the fans for showing up in his opening statement, Campbell said he was focused more on coaching his team than on giving a “magic answer” when asked about the experience of coaching at Beaver Stadium for the first time.

"Just a sincere thank you to the fan base and the student body," Campbell said. "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 coach here today. The environment was second to none."

Campbell made his Penn State head coaching debut about everyone but himself, but the new players relished the opportunity to compete in front of the Nittany Lions’ faithful. Ebel’s voice proved that.

“It's awesome, but it's obviously difficult playing defense at home just because of how loud our fans are trying to disrupt their offense and stuff,” Ebel said. “That's a challenge that we're going to continue to work on, but it's a great challenge, and we love it. You can hear it in my voice.”

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht walks off the field following a win over the Marshall Thundering Herd. — Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht walks off the field following a win over the Marshall Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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