Analyzing Penn State football, Matt Campbell in victory vs Marshall
· Yahoo Sports
STATE COLLEGE — The Penn State football wide receivers were a revelation in Beaver Stadium.
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Of course, this season-opening success Saturday, Sept. 5, in new coach Matt Campbell's PSU debut all started with the man at quarterback, senior Rocco Becht. He stood calm and confident in the pocket, scanning the field, patiently waiting for his wideouts to break open.
And he found them, repeatedly, and in order.
Chase Sowell. Brett Eskildsen. And Koby Howard.
What a day, in particular, for Howard. The talented receiver who owned brief flashes of promise as a rookie last year, lit up the day this time, with more moves and jet power every time he touched the ball.
Four catches for 123 yards and a touchdown in the first half, alone. In all, he skewered the Thundering Herd for 76 yards after the catch.
Those three receivers totaled 13 catches for 242 yards and two scores on the day. Freshman Zay Robinson added another 18 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter.
What a start for the Lions' most maligned position group in recent years during the 45-0 victory, which will surely elevate expectations for how it all was accomplished.
Here are your grades from Penn State's feel-good opening:
Offense: B+
A great foundational start for this group with the heavy Iowa State influence. The line provided impressive protection for Becht to throw — a big part of his comfortability in completing 10-of-15 first-half passes for 205 yards and three scores.
The receivers were, dare we say, dynamic.
The run game was a bit bogged down, averaging only 3.3 yards per carry early on. No explosiveness yet. Worth watching the development there closely.
Defense: A
The pursuit and tackling efforts were sharp and consistent, especially for a season-opener.
They weren't game-wreckers so much as they contained and smothered a pretty good Marshall offense and star quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson at every turn. And that produced some awkward passing numbers: Rio-Wilson managed just 102 yards on his first 17 completions.
Marshall gained only 150 total yards through the middle of the fourth quarter.
Kudos to linebackers Tony Rojas and Caleb Bacon, who also played at defensive end. They combined for 13 tackles, five behind scrimmage, in a striking opening effort.
Special teams: B
A solid day in the kicking game with special notice to sophomore punter Nathan Tyice, making his Penn State debut. A 43.3-yard average on his four attempts.
Freshman Zay Robison looks like a keeper on kick and punt returns.
Coaching: A-
We like the way the Lions attacked a slower, overmatched Marshall defense in the pass game from the start.
The defensive scheme, stunts and rotation were smooth and successful in DC D'Anton Lynn's return home. Love the way they freed up Bacon to make plays from different spots on the field.
Overall: A-
Just about a perfect debut for Campbell and company on a gorgeous Beaver Stadium opening day.
Noting too fancy or exotic or even necessarily eye-opening beyond that big receiving day for Howard. Rather, a remarkable day of executing a basic gameplan with precision and enthusiasm. The preparation for this day showed up, exquisitely so.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Analyzing Penn State football, Matt Campbell in victory vs Marshall