Penn State begins its 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, hosting Marshall at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on FS1, with streaming available on Fubo.

The Nittany Lions enter the contest as a 24.5-point favorite,with the over/under set at 54.5 points. Penn State is coming off a season that ended with four consecutive wins,but the team returns only a handful of starters under first-year head coach Matt Campbell, who has overhauled the roster and staff.

While Penn State is a heavy favorite, Marshall brings a player who could factor prominently into the matchup. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, a redshirt senior quarterback, is a 6-foot-2, 225-pound dual threat. In 2025, he amassed 2,704 total yards and ️23 total touchdowns, including a single-season school record 661 rushing yards. Del Rio-Wilson was named the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

The Nittany Lions' offense will feature several newcomers with ties to Iowa State, including quarterback Rocco Becht, tailback Carson Hansen,and tight end Ben Brahmer. The unit is still developing cohesion,and the coaching staff will look for early production against a Marshall defense that showed vulnerabilities last season,when the Thundering Herd finished with a losing record.