UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State celebrated the Matt Campbell era beginning with a 45-0 win over Marshall Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.
Matt Campbell Era Begins With 45-0 Penn State Rout of Marshall
Quarterback Rocco Becht tossed four touchdown passes and threw for 271 yards in just over two quarters before Alex Manske took over the offense in the third quarter for good.
Here are three takeaways from Campbell’s first win at Penn State.
KOBY!
Koby Howard electrified the crowd of 108,848 with spectacular catches AND yards after the catch something truly unbeknownst to many on the Nittany Lions offense last season.
All told, Howard corralled six receptions from Becht and Manske including this 42-yard bomb from Becht for the first touchdown of the game.
Rocco Becht goes DEEP to Koby Howard for the 42-yard @PennStateFball TD🔥 pic.twitter.com/pvhA1NMTcs
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 5, 2026
Howard had a career-high 161 yards against Marshall.
GETTIN’ AFTER IT
The Penn State defense debuted under first-year coordinator D’Anton Lynn, and although it was Marshall, there’s a lot to be said with how dominant the defense played in the shutout.
There were eight tackles for loss and two sacks by the Penn State defense and it had Thundering Herd quarterback Carlos Del-Rio Wilson under duress most of the afternoon.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The defense allowed only 147 yards against Marshall and held the Thundering Herd to 1-for-11 on third down. Marshall crossed midfield thrice against the Nittany Lions.
VIBES
There was a completely different vibe throughout Happy Valley Saturday afternoon. There were no worries about the outcome of the game and the tension felt by many last year was all but gone.
Fans were treated to a Penn State team doing exactly what they should do against an inferior team: dominate.
There was no mention of Matt Campbell during warmups nor was he the one who led the team out for the game. It was all business and all about the team in a major way.
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EXTRA: Troll Mode – Activated
Could it be coincidental? Sure, but playing Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson and We Are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift after touchdowns was pure theater by the in-stadium DJ.
When they dialed up Enter Sandman, a Virginia Tech staple, prior to a kickoff after a touchdown, it was yet another musical masterclass and incredible troll job.
Of course, all of those songs are played regularly at Beaver Stadium, but timing is certainly everything.
