What Penn State's Week 1 Snap Counts Uncovered About the Nittany Lions

Penn State football coach Matt Campbell is big on "videotape evidence." He uses the phrase often when discussing his evaluation process.

Campbell watched more than a decade of Penn State football during the offseason and of course had plenty of footage of his former Iowa State players. But until the Nittany Lions' 45-0 win over Marshall last Saturday, Campbell lacked film of his new team playing together.

"I was so anxious [about] watching who this football team could be, and where we could respond," Campbell said after the win. "And obviously we know just a little bit, but we got greatvideo tape evidence now in a chaotic game environment."

We learned plenty about the Nittany Lions from Saturday's win and can glean more from the game's final snap counts, courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Penn State offensive snap counts

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

Penn State ran an efficient 72 offensive plays and scored .625 points per play, a top-15 ranking nationally. Better still, starting quarterback Rocco Becht (38 plays) was able to leave in the third quarter with four touchdown passes and give Alex Manske plenty of work.

Offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said that Manske earned playing time with a strong camp, and though he didn't get a first-half series, the quarterback got 24 snaps in the second half. That's the largest workload of his career and a valuable start to his Penn State career.

The backfield reps were divided fairly evenly, a product of the blowout. Penn State's highest-rated back, per PFF, was Quintin Martin Jr., who probably deserved more than 19 plays and 10 carries. The lowest-rated back was starter Carson Hansen, who had 24 snaps and 14 carries and, despite converting a 4th-and-short, had trouble generating yards.

We'll be watching James Peoples' workload Saturday against Temple in Philadelphia. The Ohio State transfer played just 14 snaps, ceding the second half to Martin and Cam Wallace (16 snaps). Peoples lost his footing twice and gained 31 yards on eight carries but still has that explosive tone waiting to emerge.

Koby Howard, the star of Penn State's offense, also earned the team's highest player grade at 95.3. He was PFF's second-best receiver nationally of the weekend and the highest-graded Penn State receiver ever.

Koby Howard: 95.6 PFF Grade in Week 1 vs Marshall

Highest Graded Game EVER by a Penn State WR in the PFF Era👀@PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/u58kyLPriS
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 7, 2026

Chase Sowell (36) and Brett Eskildsen (30) played more reps than Howard, who had nearly half (161) of the team's 324 receiving yards. Sowell is going to play a lot at his outside spot and is the team's best blocking receiver, so the snap count made sense. Howard occasionally moved out of the lineup in two tight-end formations.

Speaking of tight ends, Penn State conserved reps for its top two in Ben Brahmer (25) and Andrew Rappleyea (29). Junior Finn Furmanek, a State College High product who earned a scholarship, got 29 reps in by far the busiest game of his career. Mouser had foreshadowed this during training camp. Furmanek also got reps as fellow tight ends Gabe Burkle and Cooper Alexander were out.

Speaking of tight ends, Peyton Falzone made his position debut after shifting from quarterback a week into camp. The freshman got 11 valuable reps in pass protection for Manske and No. 3 quarterback Connor Barry.

Up front, right tackle Anthony Donkoh was the highest-graded lineman (68.7), just ahead of left tackle Malachi Goodman (68.3). Goodman got a lot of work in his first time on the field, tying guard Trevor Buhr with 56 snaps, most of the starters.

Penn State used some unbalanced lines, leading Garrett Sexton (23 snaps) into the game. And the Nittany Lions ultimately play 12 linemen, more than they expected.

Penn State defensive snap counts

The Penn State Nittany Lions defense tackles Marshall Thundering Herd running back Jo'Shon Barbie. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Perhaps the biggest defensive lineup news was freshman Josiah Zayas starting at nickel cornerback over senior Zion Tracy, who began the season with 13 starts. Campbell said that Zayas, a 2026 signee from New Jersey, had climbed the ladder in camp and would contend to start. Still, that was a surprise.

Zayas, the first Penn State freshman to start on defense in 11 years, made two tackles and recorded a quarterback hurry in his debut. He also led the cornerbacks with 34 snaps. Tracy, who Campbell said was working back from a hand issue late in camp, played 18. This is a roster spot to watch.

Penn State played six defensive ends, occasionally four at a time, with the top PFF grade going to Caleb Bacon (70.4). The senior was the Big Ten co-defensive player of the week after making six tackles (three for loss) and a sack. He did that in an efficient 19 snaps, moving in and out of the lineup.

Sophomore Yvan Kemajou led the ends with 29 snaps, followed by Ike Ezeogu (24), Max Granville (22) and Alex McPherson (21). Jackson Ford was among the seven freshmen who played, getting four snaps.

At tackle, Ty Blanding got plenty of second-half work in the rotation, playing a position-high 24 plays. Starters Keanu Williams (22) and Siale Taupaki (15) got a lot of help in the rotation, notably from Dallas Vakalahi, who returned from a camp injury to play 19 plays.

Tony Rojas looked to be at full strength, earning a grade of 84.3 in his 35 plays. Middle linebacker Kooper Ebel (28) snaps was solid, as was his replacement Cael Brezina (25).

Veteran cornerbacks Daryus Dixson and Audavion Collins (32 snaps each) actually trailed Zayas, who played nickel. Dixson earned a solid PFF grade of 72. Fifteen defensive backs played, with starters Marcus Neal Jr. and Jamison Patton getting 31 each.

And who was that freshman who made Penn State's first interception? Cornerback Bryson Willams, is a 3-star prospect from Omaha, Nebraska, who made 139 tackles and nine interceptions in his high school career. He intercepted a fourth-quarter Marshall pass for the first of the game's two turnovers.

Penn State Nittany Lions safety Bryson Williams celebrates with teammates after intercepting the ball vs. Marshall. — Penn State Nittany Lions safety Bryson Williams (28) celebrates with teammates after intercepting the ball vs. the Marshall Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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