Thoughts after the PSU - Marshall Game

[PSU Soupy 615]

Defense
Was worried about us generating pass rush with front four, not as much a worry after todays game. DTs got some pressure, but the DEs were very disruptive: Bacon, Granville, Kemajou, Ezeogu were in the backfield a lot. Very impresssed with Bacon. Rojas and Ebel and Cam Smith they were all over the field.Josiah Zayas was a very good at blitzing....he really timed it well on some plays. Overall very solid. Were aggressive but did not give up a big play. We have a ton of DBs. Collins, Dixon, Toure, and Marcus Neal were all over the WRs. Very good tackling in the game. As good as I have seen from PSU in a number of years.

Offense
Smart coaching, Marshall took away the run so we max protected and hit WRs. Good start by Sorrell, great game for Koby Howard. Did not see much from the TEs but really was not needed today. OL was great in pass protection but was less impressive in run blocking....a lot due to Marshall bringing so many bodies. RBs were fine.....but not exceptional in my opinion. Not sure how I would rank from this game.....would like to see more of 25 and 26. Very interested to see how we do against a stout team like Wisconsin. We did not give up much penetration from Marshall, but we did not move them as much as I had expected.

Becht and Manske were both good. Becht was solid, made good decisions pretty much same with Manske.

Special Team:
Kicker should be good all year....was good today.

Punting was good and the short punts were excellent.

Zay is a dynamic punt returner. Want to see him more in the offense as he is quick and explosive.


Very solid game. Would like to see more domination from the running game....but it feels like a petty complaint with the way the team played. Very few penalties, no turnovers, good tackling, good clock management........... really well played game.

 

[Chumboshifko1]

Defense
Was worried about us generating pass rush with front four, not as much a worry after todays game. DTs got some pressure, but the DEs were very disruptive: Bacon, Granville, Kemajou, Ezeogu were in the backfield a lot. Very impresssed with Bacon. Rojas and Ebel and Cam Smith they were all over the field.Josiah Zayas was a very good at blitzing....he really timed it well on some plays. Overall very solid. Were aggressive but did not give up a big play. We have a ton of DBs. Collins, Dixon, Toure, and Marcus Neal were all over the WRs. Very good tackling in the game. As good as I have seen from PSU in a number of years.

Offense
Smart coaching, Marshall took away the run so we max protected and hit WRs. Good start by Sorrell, great game for Koby Howard. Did not see much from the TEs but really was not needed today. OL was great in pass protection but was less impressive in run blocking....a lot due to Marshall bringing so many bodies. RBs were fine.....but not exceptional in my opinion. Not sure how I would rank from this game.....would like to see more of 25 and 26. Very interested to see how we do against a stout team like Wisconsin. We did not give up much penetration from Marshall, but we did not move them as much as I had expected.

Becht and Manske were both good. Becht was solid, made good decisions pretty much same with Manske.

Special Team:
Kicker should be good all year....was good today.

Punting was good and the short punts were excellent.

Zay is a dynamic punt returner. Want to see him more in the offense as he is quick and explosive.


Very solid game. Would like to see more domination from the running game....but it feels like a petty complaint with the way the team played. Very few penalties, no turnovers, good tackling, good clock management........... really well played game.

Much improvement all the way around. No BGJ dancing around, much improvement with discipline.

 

[SleepyLion]

Did you see Rocco Becht's arm band with all those plays? He must not know the playback.

 

[Nothing Special]

I have a few questions:
1 - Are teams allowed to throw that many passes to a wide receiver? I hope we don't get scolded by the NCAA or B10.
2 - How long until Penn State is on upset alert vs. Temple?

Serious thought:
I'm looking forward to see how these schemes travel. I'm glad PSU plays @ Temple next week. It will be a Penn State crowd.

 

[BCS PSU]

Defense
Was worried about us generating pass rush with front four, not as much a worry after todays game. DTs got some pressure, but the DEs were very disruptive: Bacon, Granville, Kemajou, Ezeogu were in the backfield a lot. Very impresssed with Bacon. Rojas and Ebel and Cam Smith they were all over the field.Josiah Zayas was a very good at blitzing....he really timed it well on some plays. Overall very solid. Were aggressive but did not give up a big play. We have a ton of DBs. Collins, Dixon, Toure, and Marcus Neal were all over the WRs. Very good tackling in the game. As good as I have seen from PSU in a number of years.

Offense
Smart coaching, Marshall took away the run so we max protected and hit WRs. Good start by Sorrell, great game for Koby Howard. Did not see much from the TEs but really was not needed today. OL was great in pass protection but was less impressive in run blocking....a lot due to Marshall bringing so many bodies. RBs were fine.....but not exceptional in my opinion. Not sure how I would rank from this game.....would like to see more of 25 and 26. Very interested to see how we do against a stout team like Wisconsin. We did not give up much penetration from Marshall, but we did not move them as much as I had expected.

Becht and Manske were both good. Becht was solid, made good decisions pretty much same with Manske.

Special Team:
Kicker should be good all year....was good today.

Punting was good and the short punts were excellent.

Zay is a dynamic punt returner. Want to see him more in the offense as he is quick and explosive.


Very solid game. Would like to see more domination from the running game....but it feels like a petty complaint with the way the team played. Very few penalties, no turnovers, good tackling, good clock management........... really well played game.

The only thing that I didn’t like in this game is that I noticed that almost all of our offensive linemen weren’t wearing knee braces, which I think should be a requisite.

 

[JimNazium]

I loved the short passing game. The athletic receivers turned the short, high percentage passes, into good gains. Hopefully that will open up more run opportunities in the future.

 

[OKLALionsFan]

All of the experience on both sides of the ball showed in the good execution and minimum mistakes. It sure looks like CMC is the right man for the job. And just think, we almost hired Matt Rhule.

 

[CDLionFL]

I didn't realize that it was legal to use the middle of the field so much in the passing game. That was a very refreshing change.

Overall, I wasn't all that impressed with the o-line in the running game. Marshall decided to stack the box so what's that going to mean when PSU plays better talent and those defenses decide to do the same? Of course, if Rocco and the wideouts can continue to torch those sets, then maybe that'll open up the running game. Defensively, they looked faster and more aggressive than I can remember a lot of PSU defenses being. They swarmed to the ball and as noted above, the tackling was very fundamental and I don't remember any of the lazy shoulder bumps that lead to longer gains. I was a little disappointed that the first stringers didn't generate any turnovers but Marshall didn't put the ball in the air much to potentially snatch one. A great debut for Campbell and a ballsy call to go for it from his own 22 at the end of the half which led to a backbreaking TD.

On to the Hooters!

 

[BCS PSU]

I didn't realize that it was legal to use the middle of the field so much in the passing game. That was a very refreshing change.

Overall, I wasn't all that impressed with the o-line in the running game. Marshall decided to stack the box so what's that going to mean when PSU plays better talent and those defenses decide to do the same? Of course, if Rocco and the wideouts can continue to torch those sets, then maybe that'll open up the running game. Defensively, they looked faster and more aggressive than I can remember a lot of PSU defenses being. They swarmed to the ball and as noted above, the tackling was very fundamental and I don't remember any of the lazy shoulder bumps that lead to longer gains. I was a little disappointed that the first stringers didn't generate any turnovers but Marshall didn't put the ball in the air much to potentially snatch one. A great debut for Campbell and a ballsy call to go for it from his own 22 at the end of the half which led to a backbreaking TD.

On to the Hooters!

It’s always going to be hard to run the ball at the beginning of the game when the defense is selling out to stop the run and you don’t have a blocking back. That’s when play calling matters.

 

[Rocco3]

I have a few questions:
1 - Are teams allowed to throw that many passes to a wide receiver? I hope we don't get scolded by the NCAA or B10.
2 - How long until Penn State is on upset alert vs. Temple?

Serious thought:
I'm looking forward to see how these schemes travel. I'm glad PSU plays @ Temple next week. It will be a Penn State crowd.

A short bus ride for an away test. Even though most of the fanny's in the seats will be ours it's harder to win on the road and this will be good game to get this team out of their comfort zone after a big win at home. IMO Temple will be a tougher game than Marshal.

 

[Rocco3]

All of the experience on both sides of the ball showed in the good execution and minimum mistakes. It sure looks like CMC is the right man for the job. And just think, we almost hired Matt Rhule.

Speaking of Rhule today Nebraska looked like his team. Thank the Lord we got MC.

 

[KingLando]

Did you see Rocco Becht's arm band with all those plays? He must not know the playback.

Maybe the quote of the day

 

[DaytonRickster]

The only thing that I didn’t like in this game is that I noticed that almost all of our offensive linemen weren’t wearing knee braces, which I think should be a requisite.

I don't know the pros and cons of knee braces.

 

[BCS PSU]

I don't know the pros and cons of knee braces.

It seemed to be a requirement under the previous regime, with which I agreed because it seemed like we didn’t have a lot of long term injuries with the o line in recent seasons other than Donkoh.

 

[DaytonRickster]

I didn't realize that it was legal to use the middle of the field so much in the passing game. That was a very refreshing change.

Overall, I wasn't all that impressed with the o-line in the running game. Marshall decided to stack the box so what's that going to mean when PSU plays better talent and those defenses decide to do the same? Of course, if Rocco and the wideouts can continue to torch those sets, then maybe that'll open up the running game. Defensively, they looked faster and more aggressive than I can remember a lot of PSU defenses being. They swarmed to the ball and as noted above, the tackling was very fundamental and I don't remember any of the lazy shoulder bumps that lead to longer gains. I was a little disappointed that the first stringers didn't generate any turnovers but Marshall didn't put the ball in the air much to potentially snatch one. A great debut for Campbell and a ballsy call to go for it from his own 22 at the end of the half which led to a backbreaking TD.

On to the Hooters!

Steve Jones & Jack Ham mentioned that the running game has more diverse plays that weren't used today. They thought the running focus was more between the tackles today.

 

[JimNazium]

What was the attendance and what was capacity? I thought I saw some tarped off areas.

 

[DaytonRickster]

It seemed to be a requirement under the previous regime, with which I agreed because it seemed like we didn’t have a lot of long term injuries with the o line in recent seasons other than Donkoh.

In my untrained opinion, I too would like knee braces to be used.

 

[creamery freak]

Did you see Rocco Becht's arm band with all those plays? He must not know the playback.

I even noticed several of the receivers looking at armbands.

 

[Alphalion75]

The offense precision seemed more seasoned than an season opening game. Probably attributed to Becht's experience. Did we have an offensive penalty? The other observation I had was that I didn’t see the ridiculous, arrogant, in- your-face celebrations that we came to expect in the past. The kids were having fun but I didn't see any taunting.

 

[NittanyLionRoar]

It was just so refreshing see our coach ice THEIR kicker, rather than icing our OWN kicker!

 

[NittanyLionRoar]

What was the attendance and what was capacity? I thought I saw some tarped off areas.

The tarped off areas are the parts of the new construction they haven’t added seats to yet.

 

[G3624]

As I said, completely disciplined. No turnovers, 4 penalties? Clean tackling, no taunting, grandstanding(celebrations).

 

[Connorpozlee]

Defense looked good to me. Seemed to always be more than 1 defender at the person with the ball. Offensively, the running backs concerned me. There was one replay where they showed a pretty big hole, the RB hit it, but he wasn’t fast enough to it to exploit it. Of the four, I like Martin the best.

 

[Bison13]

Under center and I formation….

 

[Dixi]

...I wish we had a better 3rd down song

 

[NewEra 2026]

The offense precision seemed more seasoned than a season opening game. Probably attributed to Becht's experience. Did we have an offensive penalty? The other observation I had was that I didn’t see the ridiculous, arrogant, in- your-face celebrations that we came to expect in the past. The kids were having fun but I didn't see any taunting.

Excellent observation. The over-the-top celebrations of yesteryear reflected the lack of winning football being played by Penn State when under adversity. Today was the best I have seen Penn State execute in a really long time.

 

[4theglory54]

Just watched the replay (too good of a beach day to be in front of the tv....) anyhow, very enjoyable/refreshing to watch!
-No qb barking signals then looking to sideline for further instructions while ol tightens up in stance.
-Plays run from qb under center.
-No Big Name rb's or lb's expected to make highlight film plays, just very good collegiate players playing hard and looking good.
-Running backs posting a stiff arm.
-wr's getting open in space and running well after catches.
-Low profile HC getting animated with genuine excitement after a smart/effective use of a timeout before the half.
It almost felt like old time PSU Football.......Very Enjotable!

 

[Roar More]

Announced attendance was 108,489.

 

[s1uggo72]

In my untrained opinion, I too would like knee braces to be used.

Some places require them for practice but it’s left to the player during games. I don’t know what PSU does

 

[JWB389]

If Bacon is not getting paid by Pennsylvania Pork Producers it’s a crime.

 

[Lil Nicky Scarfo]

As I said, completely disciplined. No turnovers, 4 penalties? Clean tackling, no taunting, grandstanding(celebrations).

I was out and about with my son and only got to see garbage time. Then we went out again and I was listening to the postgame. Jack Ham brought up the 2-0 TO margin and only 4 penalties against. You will win a ton of games playing that clean.

Good start

 

[JoePaMajorCFBrecord409Ws]

Defense
Was worried about us generating pass rush with front four, not as much a worry after todays game. DTs got some pressure, but the DEs were very disruptive: Bacon, Granville, Kemajou, Ezeogu were in the backfield a lot. Very impresssed with Bacon. Rojas and Ebel and Cam Smith they were all over the field.Josiah Zayas was a very good at blitzing....he really timed it well on some plays. Overall very solid. Were aggressive but did not give up a big play. We have a ton of DBs. Collins, Dixon, Toure, and Marcus Neal were all over the WRs. Very good tackling in the game. As good as I have seen from PSU in a number of years.

Offense
Smart coaching, Marshall took away the run so we max protected and hit WRs. Good start by Sorrell, great game for Koby Howard. Did not see much from the TEs but really was not needed today. OL was great in pass protection but was less impressive in run blocking....a lot due to Marshall bringing so many bodies. RBs were fine.....but not exceptional in my opinion. Not sure how I would rank from this game.....would like to see more of 25 and 26. Very interested to see how we do against a stout team like Wisconsin. We did not give up much penetration from Marshall, but we did not move them as much as I had expected.

Becht and Manske were both good. Becht was solid, made good decisions pretty much same with Manske.

Special Team:
Kicker should be good all year....was good today.

Punting was good and the short punts were excellent.

Zay is a dynamic punt returner. Want to see him more in the offense as he is quick and explosive.


Very solid game. Would like to see more domination from the running game....but it feels like a petty complaint with the way the team played. Very few penalties, no turnovers, good tackling, good clock management........... really well played game.

Biggest thought thar hit me was that Campbell was the correct hire over Chesney. Campbell brought way more talent with him than Chesney has brought to UCLA.

 

[Marshall2323]

Playing a lower tier opponent can be a no win situation. See Michigan and Rutgers. The math is always the same. 50% winners and 50% losers.
For whatever one wishes to take away from this game, it was as positive a performance as one could have wished for. All 3 phases clicking and on to the next victim. A veteran team, well prepared and establishing dominance as it should vs an over matched opponent.

 

[[email protected]]

The tackling by the d was outstanding all game

 

[BobPSU92]

The tackling by the d was outstanding all game

They need to work on throwing shoulders. Their demonstrative celebrations after ordinary plays need work too.

 

[Bwifan]

Forget who said after the game but I thought it was a solid point about the running game. 4 new starters on the oline, new RB, new QB and scheme. The running game will come but will be the last thing to gel on the offense. Rocco had played with these WR and TE before so he had some chemistry in the passing game. Glad we have 3 games or so so build rhythm and chemistry together in the run game. If this is the main area for improvement for this team it was a absolutely solid showing for their first game.

 

[Rocco3]

Maybe the quote of the day

It's part of a system that prevents other teams from stealing plays and the numbers change for every game.

 

[BobPSU92]

We won time of possession 36:13 to 23:47.

 

[Rocco3]

It was just so refreshing see our coach ice THEIR kicker, rather than icing our OWN kicker!

LOL but seriously yes!

 

[Rocco3]

Defense looked good to me. Seemed to always be more than 1 defender at the person with the ball. Offensively, the running backs concerned me. There was one replay where they showed a pretty big hole, the RB hit it, but he wasn’t fast enough to it to exploit it. Of the four, I like Martin the best.

By the time we hit Big 10 play the RB rotation may look a little more diverse and don't be shocked if the scheme evolves a little along the way