Penn State's week one matchup against the Marshall Thundering Herd is very winnable, but it will have its challenges.
The Matt Campbell era of Penn State Football begins in week one against the Marshall Thundering Herd inside the newly renovated Beaver Stadium.
This is a matchup that, on paper, the Nittany Lions should absolutely dominate, but on the field, it won't be totally smooth sailing.
Starting with the Marshall side of things, the Herd are not a pushover team. According to CBS's ranking of all 137 Division One FBS teams, Marshall lands as the 88th-ranked team in the country.
Last year, their offense was actually 46th overall in the country, and the scary part is that it was thanks to their rushing attack. They averaged 197.6 yards per game on the ground, which was the 21st best in the country.
However, as is the case in today's day and age, if a player sees success at the lower level of college football, they are immediately in the transfer portal to see what is bigger and better. That was the case for Marshall's two bell cows last year. Antwan Roberts hit the portal to Arizona, and Jamarion Wilcox is giving it a go at Kentucky.
So, they will need new players to emerge in the back field.
© Dale Zanine | 2025 Aug 30 They also get back their quarterback, Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, for his final season. Del Rio-Wilson is a dual-threat quarterback who is safe with the football but can make plays with his feet. He was actually the Herd's leading rusher last year, so it will be good to have him back.
Now, these are the positives. The negatives for Marshall are that they were one of the worst defenses in the country, especially against the pass. In total, they were surrendering 261.7 yards per game and over 400 yards per game total.
It's that on the defensive side and the fact that they, like Penn State, will have a ton of transfers to account for next year.
For as unsure as the Nittany Lions will be with all of their transfers, so too will Marshall be.
Matt Campbell and Penn State will have to be fighting against a slow start thanks to all of the newness that they will experience at the start of the season.
Ultimately, Penn State shouldn't have any issue at all with Marshall, but that doesn't mean it will look clean from start to finish. With that said, this game is absolutely a must-win because a loss here would take all of Matt Campbell's goodwill and throw it out the window.
Saturday, September 5th, at 3:30 PM, the Matt Campbell era begins, and it will be a fun one.
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