Rating the Good and Bad From Penn State Football's Week 1 Win Over Marshall

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State opened the Matt Campbell era with a 45-0 rout of Marshall on Saturday afternoon, and a lot of good happened for the Nittany Lions. To be honest, it’s even tough to say anything went bad, as the negative is just nitpicking.

It felt like everything went Penn State’s way, with the offense having a quick start and the defense pitching a shutout. Campbell probably couldn’t ask for a much better debut with the Nittany Lions.

Here’s the good and the bad from Penn State’s opening win at Beaver Stadium.

Rocco Becht, Koby Howard lead productive passing game

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Koby Howard runs with the ball vs. the Marshall Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Quarterback Rocco Becht was effective and efficient in less than three quarters of action Saturday. He completed 13 of 18 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns, consistently making the correct throw against Marshall’s defense.

“I didn’t know exactly what to expect, and I think for Rocco to be able to handle that and distribute the ball, sometimes being a great quarterback is like being a great point guard,” Campbell said. “You’ve got to be a great distributor of where the ball needs to go, and I thought he was outstanding today.”

Sophomore receiver Koby Howard was a large part of that impact, hauling in six passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. A common topic last season was getting Howard more involved, and this performance raised questions as to why he didn’t see the field more in 2025.

Receiver Brett Eskildsen caught one of Becht’s touchdowns as well, coming on a 25-yard screen pass where Eskildsen made some defenders miss. It’s just one game, but Penn State might’ve shaken off the receiver issue it’s had for the past three years.

“I think everybody all around was just on point and doing their job,” Becht said. “The receivers doing their job, catching the ball, getting yards open to catch. The O-line picking up the blitzes, the protection was great.”

Caleb Bacon makes significant impact

Penn State fans cheer on the Penn State Nittany Lions before an NCAA football game against Marshall at Beaver Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Defensive end Caleb Bacon, a former linebacker, was a constant presence in Marshall’s backfield. He recorded six tackles (three for loss) and a sack, an effort that was praised by his defensive teammates.

“That's no surprise,” linebacker Kooper Ebel said. “He's been doing that for a long time, and we're super happy. He did a great job today. It makes our job easy up front.”

Bacon wasn’t the starter alongside No. 1 defensive end Ikenna Ezeogu — that was sophomore Yvan Kemajou instead — but he made a case to be one. Bacon sacked Marshall quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson for a 3-yard loss, bringing up a fourth down to prevent the Thundering Herd from generating any points to start the second half.

Shortly after, Bacon tackled Del Rio-Wilson for a short gain to force another fourth down. Bacon once had to earn a scholarship at Iowa State, but he’s now a key reason why Campbell could start his time at Penn State with a shutout win.

“He's such an incredible story,” Campbell said. “I mean, he started off as a walk-on. He was a guard coming out of the middle of nowhere, Iowa, and so the reality is this guy's earned the right to become a great player, and he was a great player in the past.”

Plenty of Nittany Lions played

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Alex Manske (7) runs with the ball vs. the Marshall Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the scoreboard getting out of hand in the second half, Penn State had the opportunity to give its depth players some more playing time.

“We were a little worried about the heat today,” Campbell said. “We didn't know what that was going to look like, so I think there was a plan early to try to play as many guys as we possibly could. And I think the bigger credit is the amount of guys that maybe were prepared to go play and play really well from the start of the game to the finish of the game.”

The Nittany Lions had 15 offensive players record a stat in addition to 25 defensive players. After Becht left the game in the third, backup quarterback Alex Manske and third-string Connor Barry both saw the field. Manske went 6-for-8 passing for 57 yards.

More than 70 players got into the game, including several true freshmen. Defensively, safety Bryson Williams had an interception early in the fourth quarter, setting up Penn State’s offense at Marshall’s 30-yard line. These depth players getting game experience now would be helpful should they see playing time in more meaningful situations later in the season.

Penalties allow first downs for Marshall

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell walks on the field before the game vs. Marshall at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In looking for weaknesses, penalties were an occasional issue defensively. Penn State committed four defensive penalties, three of which led to Marshall first downs. Notably, the Nittany Lions had the Thundering Herd in a third-and-17 situation, but a holding call on cornerback Josiah Zayas gifted them another opportunity.

None of these penalties resulted in Marshall scoring on a drive that should’ve been over earlier, but this could be a real problem if it happens against teams like USC or Michigan. On the upside, Penn State’s offense did not commit a penalty.

The run game didn’t impress, though it didn’t need to

Penn State running back Carson Hansen carries the ball vs. the Marshall Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State’s running game wasn’t all that effective, particularly in the first half, though it didn’t need to be. The Nittany Lions had only 62 rushing yards, with a 3.3 yards-per-carry average, at halftime, but Campbell downplayed it due to the passing game.

“I would just say there's a reason there were 62 rushing yards,” he said, “because there was probably 300 passing yards.”

There could be nitpicking about the running game, but Becht and the passing game was playing effectively, so this never developed into a true concern. That said, running back Carson Hansen made a key play with a 10-yard rush on a fourth-and-1 at Penn State’s 22-yard line, a drive the Nittany Lions ended up scoring on.

How will Penn State respond to adversity?

Penn State Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell looks on from the sideline vs. the Marshall Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The question of how Penn State will respond to adversity wasn’t answered Saturday. This game was never in doubt, which is a credit to the Nittany Lions for taking care of business.

However, Penn State will be in closer games once Big Ten play starts up. Campbell often mentions responding to the “storm,” which his team didn’t face Saturday. That’s a positive.

The Nittany Lions can quickly put this question to rest once they end up in a close situation, but that remains to be seen for now. Otherwise, Penn State played about as well as it could Saturday, making it tough to say anything truly negative.

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