Penn State’s new era gets its first real test Saturday, and the opening act comes against a Marshall team that suddenly has even less margin for error.
The No. 17 Nittany Lions host the Thundering Herd at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m.
ET on FS1. Penn State is trying to shake off a 7-6 season and a 3-6 Big Ten finish, while Marshall comes in after a 5-7 year and a 3-5 conference mark in 2025.
The sportsbooks still see the Herd in the Sun Belt picture, but this opener is a different kind of assignment entirely.
Marshall’s best path starts with senior quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. He gives the Herd a dual-threat punch after throwing for 2,047 yards and 17 touchdowns while also leading the team with 660 rushing yards and another score in 2025. But the matchup took a major hit Saturday when DB Boogie Trotter had the extra year of eligibility he had been granted revoked by a court, stripping Marshall of its best defensive player before the trip to Penn State.
Penn State, meanwhile, is bringing a roster that barely resembles last year’s group. The Nittany Lions have 62 new players, including 40 transfers, and 24 of those came from Iowa State with new coach Matt Campbell.
That group includes quarterback Rocco Becht, who put together a big career with the Cyclones, finishing with 9,274 passing yards and 64 touchdowns in 42 games. Penn State also added running back Carson Hanson, a 6-3, 220-pound back with 1,771 yards and 19 touchdowns in 38 games, plus receiver Chase Sowell, who has 115 career catches, 1,823 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Even with all that turnover, key holdovers like potential All-American linebacker Tony Rojas and potential All-American offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh are back to help shape the next version of the program.
This is also a rare meeting. The teams haven’t played in 96 years, and Penn State won the last two matchups, 65-0 in 1930 and 26-7 in 1929.
The betting market has Penn State installed as a huge favorite, but the price is steep enough that the moneyline is a pass. The recommendation here is to stay away from laying that kind of number and look elsewhere.
The spread lean goes to Marshall at +24 (-112). Penn State should have plenty of firepower with a deep running back room, a deep tight end room, what is described as the best wide receiver room the team has seen in years, and a quarterback who can push the ball.
Still, all those pieces are brand new, and a new head coach means this offense may need time to find its rhythm. On the other side, Penn State’s defensive back group and linebacker core should be strong, but the pass rush is a question mark against a Marshall offensive line that is not considered elite.
The total leans under 52.5 (-118). With so many new faces and a new system on both sides, this has the feel of a game that could be messy rather than crisp.
Del Rio-Wilson also has the ability to make things uncomfortable for Penn State, especially with both starting edge rushers young and unproven compared to what the program has been used to in recent years. Penn State may settle in and find a groove late, but not enough to push this one over the number.
The projection: Penn State 34, Marshall 17.
In Other News...
Penn State Just Lost An Important Young Defender At A Bad Time
Penn States defense took a hit at an inconvenient moment when LaVar Arrington II went down with a knee injury that will require a procedure, a development confirmed by his father on Fox Sports Radio. The sophomore defensive end had been carving out a role for himself through special teams work, and the coaching staff had pointed to his effort and explosiveness as part of what made him an intriguing young piece on the roster.
Matt Campbell has not offered details on the injury or how long Arrington might be out, leaving the Nittany Lions with one more uncertainty as they sort through their depth. For a player still trying to build momentum in his second season, the timing is especially rough, and it now leaves Penn State waiting to see how the rotation and special teams plans hold up without him. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Reopens A Painful Joe Paterno Debate
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Even so, the announcement has reopened a painful debate that never quite fades on this campus. For some fans, any new nod to Paterno inevitably brings back the universitys ties to the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal, making the move feel less like a museum addition and more like a test of how Penn State chooses to frame its past. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Reignited Its Most Divisive Football Legacy Debate
A new permanent Joe Paterno exhibit has opened at the Penn State All-Sports Museum, giving visitors a closer look at one of the most influential and polarizing figures in the schools football history. The display includes items from Paternos office, awards and a timeline of his career, underscoring how deeply his name remains woven into the identity of the program decades after his peak years on the sideline.
The exhibits framing is what makes it impossible to ignore, especially for a fan base that has spent years wrestling with how to remember that era. It does not mention the child sexual abuse charges against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky or Paternos handling of the situation, and that choice is already shaping the conversation around the museum addition. Penn State coach Matt Campbell noted the importance of the programs history, but the question of how much of that history should be celebrated, and how much should be confronted, remains very much alive. [Read more 🡒]