TEAM
- Penn State is now 3-0 all-time against Marshall and moved to 10-0 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference.
- The Nittany Lions have won 22 of their last 25 season-opening contests and 10 of their last 11. Penn State is 116-22-2 all-time in season openers and 123-13-1 all-time in home openers.
- Matt Campbell earned his first win as head coach. Penn State head coaches are 12-4-1 in their debut games.
- Penn State’s 45-0 win is the third-largest margin of victory in a head coach’s debut game behind only Dan Reed (60-0 vs. Dickinson Seminary, 1903) and Jack Hollenback (58-0 vs. Harrisburg AC, 1910).
- Penn State recorded a shutout in a head coach’s debut game for the first time since 1915 (Dick Harlow, 26-0 win vs. Westminster).
- Since 2014, Penn State is 58-1 when leading by 10+ points at halftime.
- CB Josiah Zayas became the first true freshman to start on defense in a season opener for Penn State since CB John Reid (2015 at Temple).
- OL Malachi Goodman and Zayas both made their first career collegiate starts.
- 15 Nittany Lions made their collegiate debuts: CB Christian Askew, WR Karon Brookins, DE Dayshaun Burnett, OL Pete Eglitis, TE Peyton Falzone, DE Jackson Ford, Goodman, OL Donnie Harbour, WR Amarion Jackson, TE Brian Kortovich, CB Donte Nastasi, P Lucas Tenbrock, OL Will Tompkins, S Bryson Williams and Zayas.
- Eight true freshmen played: Askew, Eglitis, Falzone, Ford, Jackson, Tenbrock, Williams, Zayas
STREAKS
- Penn State has not allowed a special teams touchdown in 91-straight games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
OFFENSE
Team
- Penn State scored on a 38-yard field goal on its opening drive of the season.
- The Nittany Lions scored on their opening drive for the second-straight season.
- Penn State scored on each of its first three offensive drives (FG, TD, TD).
- The Nittany Lions completed seven passes of 20+ yards.
- PSU completed multiple 40+ yard passes in a game for the first time since 2024 against Kent State.
- Penn State had four different receivers (Koby Howard, Brett Eskildsen, Benjamin Brahmer, Zay Robinson) with a touchdown catch in a game for the first time since 2024 against Purdue (Kaytron Allen, Tyler Warren, Harrison Wallace III, Luke Reynolds).
- Penn State has scored 40+ points on 38 occasions since 2016.
- The Nittany Lions totaled 487 yards on 72 plays (6.8 yards per play). Penn State has tallied 400+ total yards on 84 occasions since 2014. PSU is 70-14 in those games.
- Penn State threw for 324 yards, marking the 100th occasions of throwing for 200+ yards since 2014. PSU is 76-24 in those games.
- QB Rocco Becht completed 13-of-18 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns, including five completions of 20+ yards.
- Becht has led his teams to 27 career wins, most among current FBS quarterbacks.
- Becht made his 40th career collegiate start, most of any active FBS quarterback.
- The redshirt senior set a career high with four touchdown passes. He had three on seven previous occasions, last against Kansas in 2025.
- Becht became the first Nittany Lion quarterback with four touchdown passes in a game since Drew Allar’s five touchdown passes at Maryland in 2023.
- He connected with Koby Howard on a 42-yard touchdown in the first quarter and added a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brett Eskildsen later in the first quarter.
- The Florida native added an 8-yard touchdown pass to Benjamin Brahmer in the second quarter.
- Becht threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Zay Robinson in the third quarter.
- He owns 68 career passing touchdowns.
- Becht recorded his 22nd career game with multiple touchdown passes and his eighth career game with three touchdown passes.
- Becht has a touchdown pass in each of his last six games.
- Becht posted his 20th career game with 200+ passing yards.
- QB Alex Manske completed 6-of-8 passes for 57 yards.
- Manske completed a 26-yard pass to Koby Howard in the third quarter.
- RB Quinton Martin Jr. scored on a 6-yard rush in the third quarter. It was his first career rushing touchdown.
- RB Cam Wallace scored on a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter. It was his second career rushing touchdown.
- WR Koby Howard hauled in a career-best six receptions for a career-high 161 yards and a touchdown. His previous bests were two catches for 34 yards against Clemson in 2025.
- Howard’s 161 receiving yards are the most in a game by a Nittany Lion since Tyler Warren’s 224 yards at USC in 2024.
- The sophomore earned his first career 100-yard receiving game.
- Howard hauled in a 42-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter. It was his first career touchdown reception.
- He added a 23-yard catch in the first quarter and a 42-yard grab in the second quarter.
- The Florida native had a 26-yard catch in the third quarter.
- Seven of Howard’s 13 career catches have gone for 20+ yards.
- WR Brett Eskildsen caught five passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
- Eskildsen hauled in a 25-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. It was his sixth career touchdown reception and ninth career 20+ yard reception.
- WR Zay Robinson’s first catch as a Nittany Lion went for a 39-yard touchdown in the third quarter. It was Robinson’s first career touchdown catch.
- WR Chase Sowell hauled in a 20-yard reception on Penn State’s opening drive.
- TE Benjamin Brahmer caught an 8-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. It was his 10th career touchdown reception.
- Brahmer has a catch in 13-straight games.
DEFENSE
Team
- Penn State recorded its first shutout in a season opener since 2017 against Akron (52-0).
- The Nittany Lions are the only FBS team with a shutout in each of the last six seasons.
- Penn State has recorded 14 shutouts since 2015 (tied with Alabama for most among FBS teams) and 19 shutouts since 2007.
- Since 2014, the Nittany Lions have held opponents to 7 or less points on 37 occasions and held opponents without a touchdown on 24 occasions.
- S Bryson Williams intercepted a pass in the third quarter. It was his first career interception and PSU’s 53rd interception since 2022.
- DE Jackson Ford recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter. It was PSU’s 38th fumble recovery since 2022.
- Since 2022, Penn State is 24-2 when forcing multiple takeaways in a game and has forced multiple takeaways 68 times since 2014.
- Penn State limited Marshall to 147 total yards. Since 2014, PSU has held opponents under 300 total yards on 75 occasions.
- The Nittany Lions held Marshall to 44 rushing yards, marking the 32nd time since 2022 holding an opponent under 100 rushing yards, most in the FBS.
- PSU has held opponents to under 50 rushing yards on 26 occasions since 2014 and under 100 rushing yards on 71 occasions since 2014.
- DE Caleb Bacon recorded six tackles, all in the first half.
- Bacon tied a career high with three tackles for loss. He also had three tackles for loss at Oklahoma State in 2025.
- Bacon recorded a pair of solo tackles for loss on back-to-back plays in the first quarter.
- Bacon added a solo sack in the second quarter.
- It was his second career game with multiple tackles for loss.
- He owns 19 career tackles for loss and seven career sacks.
- DT Ty Blanding secured a solo tackle for loss in the fourth quarter. He has four career tackles for loss.
- DE Jackson Ford recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter. It was his first career fumble recovery.
LB Tony Rojas
- LB Tony Rojas tied his career high with two tackles for loss. He also had two tackles for loss against Villanova in 2025.
- Rojas recorded a solo sack in the first quarter.
- Rojas added a solo tackle for loss in the third quarter.
- It was his third career game with multiple tackles for loss.
- He owns 16 career tackles for loss.
CB Zion Tracy
- CB Zion Tracy notched four tackles in the first half and finished the game with a career-high-tying five tackles. He’s had five tackles on six occasions, last against Clemson in 2025.
- S Bryson Williams intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter. It was his first career interception.
- CB Josiah Zayas became the first true freshman Nittany Lion to start a season opener on defense since CB John Reid in 2015 (at Temple).
- Zayas recorded a solo tackle for loss on Marshall’s opening drive. It was his first career tackle and tackle for loss.
- Zayas added a solo tackle for loss in the second quarter.
SPECIAL TEAMS
- K Ryan Barker converted a 38-yard field goal to cap Penn State’s opening drive.
- He hit all six extra-point attempts. Barker now has 98 career extra points made and is now tied with Al Vitiello (98; 1971-72) for ninth all-time at Penn State.
- With nine total points on Saturday, Barker now has 200 for his career.
- P Nathan Tiyce averaged 43.2 yards on four punts.
- Tiyce booted a 55-yard punt in the second quarter. It was his third career 50+ yard punt.
- Tiyce landed a 42-yard punt at the Marshall 1 in the fourth quarter. He has eight career punts inside the 20 and six inside the 10.
- P Lucas Tenbrock landed two-of-four kickoffs for touchbacks.
- KR/PR Zay Robinson had a 34-yard return on PSU’s opening kick return and added a 23-yard punt return.