Takeaways for Penn State football following Week 1 shutout of Marshall

HAPPY VALLEY, Pa. (WHTM) -- Clear and consistent communication was a marker for success for Penn State football in its season-opening 45-0 win over Marshall .

For so many players and coaches, it was their first experience playing inside West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, so playing with limited mistakes gave them a ton of confidence headed into week two on the road against Temple .

"The ability to make in-game adjustments as a coaching staff with new players and then the ability for our players to communicate on the field, and I thought we did some really good things that way. Then I think, on the second thing of it, playing in complementary football, think those things are what great football teams have the ability to do," head coach Matt Campbell said.

That complementary football, thanks in part to a lockdown defense that allowed just 44 rushing yards, which defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn said contributed to the tone set by the interior defensive line.

"There's still a lot more left on the plate, there's a couple things we left, technical, technique-wise, as a group, but our whole defense did a good job," senior defensive tackle Siale Taupaki said.

Lynn opted to call the plays from the press box instead of down on the field.

"I spent the majority of my time in the NFL in the booth, and I just felt like, with the coaches we had on the field, I trust all those guys and just, in-between drives, just felt like, man, you are able to gather so much more information," Lynn said.

Perhaps the biggest lesson to learn in week 2 is how to travel. The Nittany Lions get the opportunity to play on the road in Chicago, Ann Arbor and Seattle later in the season during Big Ten play.

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Here's a look at Penn State's schedule for 2026: