Box Score
The obvious place to start was with the head coach. Matt Campbell led his team to a 45-0 win over Marshall in his debut at the 17th head coach in Penn State history.
The obvious place to look would be the west sideline, which debuted a towering new second deck looming over the Beaver Stadium turf and high into the Happy Valley sky.
The obvious place to feel it was in the rumble and roar from the crowd after Koby Howard crossed the goal line.
But on Saturday, as Penn State football began its newest era, something and plenty of things felt different inside of Beaver Stadium.
Penn State in its debut under Campbell played with poise and power throughout the afternoon, comfortably controlling the game from the opening drive.
Its offense made quick work of the Marshall defense. And Penn State’s defense played sound football, recording the first-season opening shutout since 2017.
Early in the first half, Rocco Becht – the senior who followed Campbell from Iowa State – played the part, finding Howard open in space for a 42-yard touchdown, the game’s first. It was one of Howard’s six catches in the afternoon that resulted in 161 yards. Penn State last had a pass catcher catch for more than 150 yards when Tyler Warren picked up 224 against USC. Howard singlehandedly recorded more receiving yards than Penn State had recorded in five games in 2025.
Later, Becht found fellow transfer Brett Eskildsen for a 25-yard score. And the quarterback finished the afternoon with four touchdowns.
It was an obvious rhythm of confidence that exuded from Becht that kept Penn State’s offense steady, but that confidence radiated from Penn State’s entire roster on Saturday.
The Thundering Herd never really threatened on Saturday except for the final drive of the first half where it missed a 52-yard field goal.
The longest play of the game for Marshall was just a 14-yard pass. It struggled to get going over a Nittany Lion defense that remained solid from start to finish, allowing 147 total yards.
For a team built from more than 40 transfers, Penn State showed no signs of confusion, understanding its defense scheme and offense attack strategy that felt less stressful for the more than 108,000 fans watching than last year.
It will be hard not to compare – or rather contrast – Penn State’s 2026 season against its 2025 season.
But it was noticeable in the air on Saturday from the start. As Penn State ran out onto the field, its head coach was within the pack, not in the center of it. That leadership seemed to deliver a sense of optimism that was felt and seen in the confidence in the way Penn State was playing. Even when plays broke a part, like the one where Becht found Howard for a touchdown, Penn State never panicked.
And the obvious additions to the west sideline made the atmosphere, which was engaged heavily during the relatively more competitive parts of the game, all the more raucous. The west sideline – all a part of a $700 million renovation – made the gigantic football stadium almost create a sense of claustrophobia that could be brutal for any future opponents that come into the stadium.
It was one of the tangible things fans could say felt different but there were intangible things – particularly with the style of play – that Penn State hadn’t had since the late 2010s. There was a sense of optimistic freedom that allowed for the ability to play confident, fun football.
It is also important to acknowledge that it was one game against an opponent that regardless of who was coaching, Penn State should always look like the stronger team. But those things that Penn State did, in the manner in which it did them on Saturday, matter. Those things will only compound into the future of Penn State this season.
Something felt different and some things were different on Saturday for Penn State. In a new era though, that is exactly what Penn State needs and wants.
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