UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 18/17 Penn State Football (1-0) routed Marshall (0-1) by a 45-0 margin in front of 108,489 fans at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The win also marked the first victory for head coach Matt Campbell at the helm of the Nittany Lion program and first shutout win in a Penn State head coach’s debut game since Dick Harlow’s 26-0 win against Westminster in 1915.
Penn State scored early in the first quarter on a field goal and never relinquished its lead over the Thundering Herd, scoring six touchdowns from six different Nittany Lions while holding Marshall scoreless throughout the game.
Penn State’s offense totaled 464 yards, with 271 yards coming from senior quarterback Rocco Becht. Becht completed 13 of 18 passes and recorded a career-high four touchdowns through the air. Redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Manske came in during the third quarter and completed six passes for 57 yards.
Sophomore wide receiver Koby Howard led the Nittany Lions in receiving yards with 161 and recorded the first touchdown of the game. Junior wide receiver Brett Eskildsen and redshirt freshman wideout Zay Robinson combined for an additional 87 receiving yards, each recording a touchdown for the Nittany Lions. Senior tight end Benjamin Brahmer was the fourth different receiver to record a touchdown, scoring on an eight-yard pass from Becht.
Senior running back Carson Hansen led Penn State in rushing yards, picking up 48 yards on 11 carries. Redshirt sophomore running back Quinton Martin Jr. ran for 38 yards with a touchdown, and redshirt junior running back Cam Wallace ran for an additional 42 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown. Junior running back James Peoples tallied 31 yards on the ground in eight attempts. Redshirt junior kicker Ryan Barker provided an effective kicking game, connecting on the game’s only field goal, a 38-yarder, and converting all six extra-point attempts.
Redshirt junior linebacker Tony Rojas led the squad on defense with seven total tackles, including six solo, in the first game of the season. Redshirt senior defensive end Caleb Bacon followed Rojas with six total tackles, including five solo. Three of Bacon’s tackles went in the book as tackles for loss. Both Bacon and Rojas recorded a sack. Freshman safety Bryson Williams recorded an interception for Penn State, leading to the Nittany Lions’ sixth touchdown of the game. The Blue & White’s defense held the Thundering Herd to 147 total yards throughout the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State got on the board first using a 38-yard kick from Ryan Barker. The PSU defense forced a three-and-out on Marshall’s first attempt down the field, allowing the Nittany Lion offense to take over at its own 38-yard line. It took just four plays for Penn State to find the end zone, capped by a 42-yard connection from Becht to Howard.
Once again, the Thundering Herd punt unit was forced to the field after just three plays. Penn State made use of the change in possession, capping off a six-play drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Becht to Eskildsen. Becht found his receivers on three occasions for 15-plus yards each throughout the series.
Marshall moved the sticks for the first time but was stopped short at its own 38-yard line and forced to punt. As the clock flipped into the second stanza, the PSU offense maintained possession. Nathan Tiyce made his first appearance of the game after Penn State was unable to convert on third down at its 45-yard line.
The Herd was still unable to cross midfield, punting the ball at the 42-yard line following a three-and-out. Josiah Zayas came up with his first career tackle for a loss of five yards on first down.
The Nittany Lions offense used up over 11 minutes of the game clock to get to the end zone for the third time. Becht closed out an 11-play, 87-yard drive with an eight-yard toss to Brahmer.
Marshall crossed into Penn State territory for the first time in the game but came away empty. Despite moving the ball 41 yards, the Herd missed a 52-yard field goal attempt, and Penn State took a 24-0 lead into halftime.
The Penn State defense made quick work of the opening drive of the second half, forcing the Herd to punt after three attempts. The offense followed suit, utilizing just four plays to string together its fourth touchdown of the afternoon. Becht connected with Robinson on a 39-yard catch to pull ahead 31-0 with 11:14 to play in the third frame.
Once again, Marshall could not move the chains, giving the ball to Manske at quarterback for the Nittany Lions. Manske threw the ball downfield four times to get into the red zone and handed it off to Martin to finish off the drive with a six-yard run.
Both teams traded trips up the field, which resulted in each punting unit making an appearance as the third quarter came to a close. The Nittany Lions turned defense into offense after an interception. Williams secured the takeaway at the Marshall 30-yard line, allowing the offense to take over with 11:17 on the clock. Manske threw two passes and handed the ball off to Wallace three times before Wallace carried the ball for six yards to the end zone, giving PSU a 45-0 advantage.
Neither team managed to put any more points on the board for the remainder of the contest, sealing the shutout victory for the first game in the Campbell era.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and tickets for the 2026 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com, or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.