It felt like an eternity but finally we’re here — a fresh start for Penn State under new head coach Matt Campbell.

Campbell makes his debut as the new leader of the Nittany Lions later this afternoon (3:30 ET, FS1) at Beaver Stadium against the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Coach Campbell comes over to Penn State from Iowa State after 10 years as the Cyclones head coach. He left the ISU program with a 72-55 record, which is the most wins in school history. Campbell does have a good shot to win his first game as Nittany Lions’ head coaches are 11-4-1 in their debuts.

But there’s no denying that coaching in Beaver Stadium is much different than his previous home stadium in Ames, Iowa, so it’s almost a certainty that emotions will be running high as Campbell leads his players out of the tunnel and onto the field this afternoon.

“I will be honest with you. The former defensive lineman doesn’t leave you sometimes. Sometimes I wear my emotions on my sleeve, which is not maybe my greatest quality. I apologize for that early,” said Campbell. “But the reality is when you love the sport and you love to watch your guys, you’ve seen how much they’ve sacrificed for these moments, I’m probably more excited for that, to be able to watch our football team grow forward starting on Saturday.

“I know I said this last week, but they’ve earned the right to get in the stadium, they’ve earned the right to get on this field and continue to define what they’re going to be, what kind of team we can become.”

There are countless unknowns to this ball game because there are so many new faces.

Penn State is undoubtedly the more talented team, but how it will all come together is anybody’s guess. One thing that makes me confident in the Nittany Lions looking good early on is the fact that veteran signal caller Rocco Becht is under center.

Becht has 39 career starts with 26 wins and has thrown for 9,773 yards and 64 touchdowns. Becht is a playmaker, and he can make plays with his legs as he’s rushed for 19 scores in his career. If you’ve read my column over the years, you know I’m a big fan of college quarterbacks that throw the ball down the field, and that can extend drives with their running ability.

Becht is that kind of player, and I think he’s going to have a big year for PSU.

The Marshall defense was not very good last season, giving up 30.3 points per game and 410.6 yards per game. The defense also took a major hit on Friday when courts ruled that the Thundering Herd’s best defensive player in defensive back Boogie Trotter has been ruled ineligible. Trotter had a big year a season ago, leading the team with 73 tackles and five interceptions, with two of those picks going for six.

Of course, like most teams, Marshall went to the transfer portal to try and revamp its defense. I definitely think the Thundering Herd defense will be improved, but Penn State’s offensive line should control the game giving Becht time to find his top targets in Iowa State transfers Brett Eskildsen and Chase Sowell and the dynamic Koby Howard, which was a big win for Campbell to get him to stay in State College.

“What I always love about Rocco is, Rocco is never trying to be anybody else but the absolute best version of himself. I think you’ve seen that in really critical, hard moments, him step up in key situations and win the football game with the ball in his hand,” said Campbell. “I think that aspect of it, it’s earned.

“Then I think the other aspect of who he is as a leader and human being. I think you guys have gotten to see that a little bit over the last seven months. Even greater than the football player is the man and the human being and how he goes about his process to be his best on Saturdays.”

The most interesting matchup of the day should come on the defensive side of the ball for Penn State. Marshall quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson has legitimate dual-threat capabilities. Del Rio-Wilson threw for 2,043 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions last season, while also rushing for 660 yards and six scores. The Thundering Herd will also be missing their top returning wide receiver in Demarcus Lacey, who was also ruled ineligible in the recent court ruling with Trotter.

A lot will be falling on Del Rio-Wilson’s shoulders in this one because the running back room, which wasn’t productive last season, is once again unproven. Marshall again went to the transfer portal to try and bolster the running back room brining in Jamarion Wilcox (590 rushing yards in 2024) from Kentucky and Josiah McLuarin from Maryland.

Campbell and new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn have changed the way the Nittany Lions are going to do business up front on defense, bringing in huge run stuffers and guys on the edge that can both set the edge against the run and rush the passer. Senior UCLA transfers Keanu Williams (6-5, 320) and Siale Taupaki (6-3, 326) along with Utah junior transfer Dallas Vakalahi (6-3, 327) should make it tough for teams to run the football.

Oklahoma State sophomore Nnodim Armstrong (6-2, 310) is one of the strongest players on the team and will serve as the main pass rusher in the middle. Iowa State sophomore transfer Alijah Carnell (6-5, 300) will also be in the mix. Simply put, Penn State should dominate in the trenches on defense in this matchup.

Marshall went 5–7 last season, so it’s understandable that the program leaned heavily on the transfer portal to strengthen its roster. But unlike Penn State, a lot of the new faces from Marshall are not from the same school, and they did not play under Marshall’s head coach the year prior. I think the Thundering Herd will be improved, but there are too many moving pieces on this football team to compete with the Nittany Lions.

Las Vegas has Penn State as a 24.5-point favorite.

My pick is: Penn State 42, Marshall 14.