No. 18 Penn State begins the Matt Campbell era in the season opener

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — A new chapter of Penn State football officially kicks off Saturday afternoon as No. 18 Penn State hosts the Marshall Thundering Herd at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on FS1, with the Nittany Lions set to host their 11th annual Stripe Out game.

Nittany Lions fans across Northeast Pennsylvania can catch full live coverage on WILK, beginning with the pregame broadcast at 2:00 p.m. Fans can tune in locally on 103.1 FM, 910 AM, and 980 AM, or listen live online or with the free Audacy app to follow every snap of the season opener.

The contest marks the official debut of head coach Matt Campbell, who takes over the Penn State program after a ten-year tenure at Iowa State. Campbell departed as the Cyclones' winningest coach with a 72-55 record and has compiled winning records in 12 of his 14 seasons as a head coach. Historically, Penn State head coaches hold an 11-4-1 record in their inaugural games.

Penn State enters its 140th overall football season and its 67th at Beaver Stadium, carrying an all-time 2-0 series lead over Marshall. The previous matchups between the programs took place in 1929 and 1930, resulting in 26-7 and 65-0 victories for the Nittany Lions.

Leading the offense is redshirt senior quarterback Rocco Becht, a transfer from Iowa State who enters the season named to the watch lists for the Davey O'Brien, Manning, Maxwell, and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards. Becht brings 39 career starts and 9,274 passing yards into 2026, ranking first among active FBS quarterbacks in career starting wins with 26 and tied for first in 200-yard passing games with 29.

On the other side of the ball, Penn State features a reloaded defense boasting a collective 631 games played and 207 career starts. The unit is anchored by redshirt junior linebacker Tony Rojas alongside safety Jeremiah Cooper, linebacker Kooper Ebel, defensive end Max Granville, and defensive tackle Siale Taupaki, all of whom earned preseason watch list honors.

Marshall enters the opener following a 5-7 campaign in 2025. The Thundering Herd offense is led by dual-threat quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, who passed for 2,043 yards and 17 touchdowns while adding 660 yards and six scores on the ground last season. Defenseman Boogie Trotter also returns to Marshall's secondary after leading the team with 74 tackles and five interceptions a year ago.