UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s running game may not have overwhelmed Marshall on the stat sheet, but head coach Matt Campbell saw something more important developing in the trenches.
The Nittany Lions’ offensive line passed its first test.
Penn State rushed for 159 yards as a team in its 45-0 season-opening win over Marshall, averaging 3.8 yards per carry. The production was modest early, with Penn State gaining 62 yards on 19 first-half carries, but the ground game gradually found its footing.
The Nittany Lions running backs rushed 23 times for 97 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry, and had two touchdowns in the second half.
Part of the slow start had less to do with Penn State’s inability to run and more to do with what Marshall was willing to sacrifice to stop it.
“I would say there’s a reason there were 62 rushing yards is because there were probably 300 passing yards,” Campbell said.
Marshall frequently committed eight or nine defenders to the box, daring quarterback Rocco Becht and Penn State’s receivers to make them pay.
They did.
Becht threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns, and Campbell credited his quarterback for recognizing what Marshall was giving him rather than stubbornly trying to establish the run.
“Sometimes being a great quarterback is like being a great point guard,” Campbell said. “You got to be a great distributor of where the ball needs to go, and I thought he was outstanding today.”
But Becht couldn’t distribute the football without protection.
That might have been the most encouraging development for Penn State.
Despite Marshall bringing pressure, Penn State’s offensive line allowed only one sack and one hurry as a unit, according to PFF.
At the center of that performance, or more accurately, protecting Becht’s blind side, was former five-star offensive lineman Malachi Goodman.
Goodman Shines in First Start
Making his first career start at left tackle, Goodman played 56 snaps, tied with center Brock Riker for the most among Penn State offensive players
He didn’t allow a single pressure.
PFF credited Goodman with 27 pass-blocking snaps without allowing a sack, hit or hurry. He finished with an 85.9 pass-blocking grade, the highest among Penn State offensive linemen.
Not bad for career start No. 1.
Goodman also posted a 77.3 overall offensive grade and 71.6 run-blocking grade.
For all the individual numbers, however, Goodman kept returning to one thing when discussing Penn State’s performance.
Communication.
“Our front is all about communication, so I’ve got to have a relationship with my guards, my center, across the line,” Goodman said. “Just us keeping ourselves aware and being able to communicate with each other. That’s how we get it done.”
That communication becomes particularly important when defenses crowd the line of scrimmage.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Marshall’s willingness to load the box forced Penn State’s offensive line to diagnose where pressure could come from while Becht handled his own responsibilities behind them.
Campbell came away impressed.
“When we were pass protecting, we did a great job, so hats off to those guys,” Campbell said.
A Fourth-Down Test
Perhaps no play better represented what Campbell wanted to learn about his offensive line than one that could have backfired spectacularly.
Facing fourth-and-one from its own 22-yard line, Penn State kept the offense on the field.
Campbell admitted afterward he wasn’t entirely sure about the decision.
“I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t know if that was a great call or not,” Campbell said. “I just wanted to see who are we, and obviously that was a great step one.”
Penn State converted.
For Campbell, it became one of those early-season plays that can establish an identity.
“Those were moments that we can bank and we take it forward,” Campbell said.
That’s particularly meaningful for an offensive line still developing its chemistry.
Riker is replacing Nick Dawkins at center. Goodman is beginning his career at left tackle. Penn State also worked multiple linemen into the game.
Goodman already sees the connection developing with Riker.
“I feel like that communication,” Goodman said when asked about adjusting to a new center. “Hearing him on the field, I just knew we were talking to each other.”
The challenge will get more difficult from here.
Penn State won’t be able to judge its offensive line based solely on what happened against Marshall, and 3.8 yards per carry leaves room for improvement.
But the opening afternoon provided some encouraging evidence.
The running game improved as the game progressed. The pass protection largely kept Becht clean. Penn State converted a fourth down deep in its own territory when Campbell challenged his offense to establish what it wanted to be.
And a former five-star tackle making his first career start looked comfortable protecting his quarterback’s blind side.
Goodman described Penn State’s objective much more simply.
“Our goal is to go out there and play physically,” Goodman said. “So we’re just running off the ball, trying to get people on the ground.”
For Penn State’s rebuilt offensive front, that’s a pretty good place to start.
