Position Grades: Marshall

Welcome back to another fine season of Position Grades! Per usual, my grades will either be too harsh, too lenient, or just right, depending on your point of view. As always, feel free to drop your takes in the comments section below, but let's get right to dissecting one of the most satisfying head coaching debuts in program history, shall we?

Can you really ask for a better Blue and White debut than that of Rocco Becht's? Throwing for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns in just 18 passes feels like the very definition of efficiency. Getting Alex Manske into the game by mid-third quarter was especially clutch for his development as he continues his incredible comeback from open heart surgery. And if that wasn't enough, we even got a Connor Barry sighting towards the very end of the game.

Offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said earlier in the week that he planned to play all four running backs, and he was a man of his word. Carson Hansen lacked "pop" but he sure came up with one of the most clutch runs of the game, taking a 4th-and-1 snap from PSU's own red zone 10 yards to move the chains, in a drive that ultimately finished in the end zone for seven more points. James Peoples showed a little more burst, but the vision could've used some work. Quinton Martin and Cam Wallace both scored TD's, with Martin arguably looking like the most assertive and polished of all four running backs, showing little hesitation in hitting the holes that his offensive line was providing him. Here's to Quinton getting a bit more run going forward…

Koby Howard's 161 yards receiving were the most by a PSU receiver since Parker Washington put up 179 against Ohio State in 2022. Brett Eskildsen also showed off that track speed by taking a screen pass to the end zone for six, Chase Sowell had a pair of catches early on to move the chains, and Zay Robinson made the most of his lone catch by taking it 39 yards to the house. For a room that had been much maligned and missing in action for a good chunk of the last few years, it was refreshing to see the wideouts get open, catch the ball, and rack up some serious YAC.

It may have been a quieter afternoon on the receiving front, but Ben Brahmer had a TD catch late in the first half to give PSU a comfy 24-0 halftime cushion, while Andrew Rappleyea picked up some serious YAC for an 18-yard reception. On the blocking front, both tight ends were pretty solid.

A great day overall for the O-line, allowing just one sack and allowing Rocco Becht to remain in the pocket and scan the field for an open receiver. I know some folks are going to mention the lack of explosiveness in the run game, but I blame that more on Marshall's defense stacking the box and selling out to stop the run and force Becht and the receivers to beat them, which in fairness, was a pretty good strategy against PSU the previous few years.

SPOILER ALERT: The entire defense is getting straight A's, as is the case whenever they pitch a shutout. Caleb Bacon showed that moving him permanently to defensive end was the right move by the coaching staff, racking up six total tackles, with three of them for a loss and one sack, as he was all over the Marshall backfield the entire day and had the Thundering Herd quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson scrambling for his life. Yvan Kemajou also dialed up some nice pressure on the other end, and bigger dudes in the middle at defensive tackle made running the ball a lot more difficult for the guys in green.

Tony Rojas led the team in tackles with seven of them, including two for a loss and a sack, but everyone is talking about Kooper Ebel, who was tremendous in his first game as the "Mike" linebacker and was flying to the ball to either make or assist on a stop.

Marshall's longest completed pass from scrimmage went just 14 yards, and while part of that is due to the front seven generating tons of pressure, it's also due to the secondary covering Marshall's receivers like a fire blanket on a kitchen fire. They did nearly get burned over the top at the end of the half, but thankfully Del Rio-Wilson couldn't quite put the right amount of touch on the ball. Otherwise, a pretty flawless game from the secondary. Shout-out to Bryson Williams, who had an incredible diving interception late in the game.

I've said it ad nauseam on here and on our YouTube show (please subscribe, if you haven't already), but Ryan Barker may have been the most important keep from last offseason, and he showed it by calmly nailing 38-yard field goal on PSU's opening drive, which was aided by a nice 34-yard kickoff return by Zay Robinson. Nathan Tiyce was solid in his debut at punter, with a long of 55 yards and also putting a punt deep inside the Marshall red zone. In addition to his kickoff return, Robinson also had a 23-yard punt return that set PSU up nicely.

For all the wonderful things we read and saw that Matt Campbell and this coaching staff were doing from the time they arrived last December leading up through Fall camp, Nittany Nation was still holding its collective breath when it came to what the actual on-field product would look like in live game action. Well, we got a definitive answer yesterday in the best way imaginable. Seeing Taylor Mouser going downfield in the passing game early and often felt like a breath of fresh air after being subjected to the horror's of Andy Kotelnicki's "horizontal air raid" last season, as was seeing wide receivers who ran crisp routes and got open enough to make plays, not to mention the defense flying around and playing with a real sense of purpose, dictating the game on their terms. I'd also be remiss if I didn't shout out Matt Campbell for celebrating like a teenager who just won the national championship in EA Sports' College Football 27 after a perfect use of a timeout to freeze Marshall's kicker right before halftime.

Yes, it's only one game, and we will find out what this team is truly made of when they face some adversity, but if they showcase the attitude and coaching prowess that was only display yesterday, then you should be feeling a tad more optimistic.

It was pointed out by numerous folks on social media yesterday that the Beaver Stadium sound system at one point during a TV timeout played "Since You've Been Gone", "We're Never Getting Back Together", and "Enter Sandman" consecutively. Whoever is responsible for putting together the music on gameday, a tip of the cap to you, good sir/madam, because that is some A-plus level of trolling!