5 things Penn State proved after dominant Week 1 win vs. Marshall

Penn State wanted to get out to a fast start to the season, and that's exactly what happened Saturday afternoon. Things started off shaky when Marshall held the Nittany Lions to a field goal on the first drive of the game, but then the floodgates opened soon after.

They put up 45 points on the day and looked dominant in all three phases at different points of the game. There were a lot of questions for Penn State to answer, and while it didn't play the toughest opponent in the world, this opening game gave a lot of insight into how the team could operate this year.

Let's look at the five biggest takeaways from this high-flying start to the season.

Penn State desperately needed one of its wide receivers to emerge as an impact player, and Koby Howard was the guy on Saturday. Not only did the sophomore have one of the better receiving games in team history — he had one of the best performances of any wideout in the country this week, including Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Howard exploded for 161 yards and a touchdown on just six catches. Whether it was a catch-and-run, a great route to get him wide open, or a jump ball that quarterback Rocco Becht gave him a chance on, the second-year wideout did it all. We'll see what he looks like later in the year against better competition, but Howard looks like a potential star right now.

It doesn't matter what team lines up on the other side of you, shutting out an opponent is difficult at any level of football. But that's exactly what Nittany Lions defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn did, calling as close to a perfect game as humanly possible.

The variety that he displayed on defense was beautiful to watch. Rarely was there ever a typical four-man pass rush — instead Lynn opted to have linebackers frequently lurking around the line of scrimmage and blitzing. This resulted in Thundering Herd quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson running for his life all day, with Penn State picking up two sacks and forcing him out of the pocket much quicker than he wanted to be.

There were no holes in the running game and no space down the field for Marshall to throw into. This is only Week 1, so it's exciting to think of how much room this defense still has to grow.

The special teams unit will be one that flies under the radar for Penn State after such a convincing win. However, its impact could very well be felt later in the year when the margins are closer and teams need every advantage they can get.

The Nittany Lions had a great return to start the season, taking the opening kickoff about 35 yards before a penalty set them up at midfield. Then, they nearly blocked Marshall's first two punts of the day. And the unit's solid showing was capped off by a punt late in the game that was downed at the one-yard line, putting the Thundering Herd in an impossible situation that resulted in an interception by safety Bryson Williams . Don't sleep on the special teams unit — they might come in play against a tougher opponent.

Matt Campbell is known to have a terrible temper, and while Saturday's game didn't offer many moments for anger, he still let the emotions loose a little bit. Cameras showed him screaming on the sidelines a couple times, and that ruggedness showed up in the new Penn State coach's decision making as well.

Campbell decided to kick a field goal on his first fourth-down situation of the game, but went for it twice later on in the game when his team was up big. It isn't indicative of how he will treat every fourth-down call for the rest of the season, but it shows he isn't afraid to roll the dice, even if the situation doesn't call for risk.

Penn State has been far too conservative at times in the past, so this is a welcome change of philosophy if it continues.

The Nittany Lions came into Week 1 with a mixed bag of expectations. Some expected them to improve marginally from last year but take some lumps as the roster gels, while others expected the team to immediately click and make the College Football Playoff .

It's just one game, but it's pretty clear which one of those expectations Penn State is closer to at this point. A lot of other Big Ten teams got favorable matchups to open the season, but not all of them dominated the game the way this team did. It's clear that the roster has impact players on both sides of the ball and a schedule that will allow them to maximize their potential.

There is still a lot of football left to be played, but Penn State made a big statement in Week 1. There's no reason this team can't be a player near the top of the conference when this season is over.

Best photos form Penn State's season-opener against Marshall