⚡ CFB Dashboard

- Pick/market: If anyone does care to see how the transfers out perform, Onward State does a weekly roundup of their stats

- Garrett Sexton was the only non-starting Penn State offensive lineman involved during the first half against Marshall, giving him the earliest reserve work in the rotation. - Will Tomkins was described as Penn State's busiest reserve offensive lineman overall and received work at guard.

- Penn State's defense allowed Marshall zero big passing plays and only one big run in the opener. - The podcast noted Penn State used smaller defensive line looks with Ike Iwunnah and Caleb Bacon inside and Max Granville plus Yvan Kemajou outside. - Tony Rojas was praised as a presence on the field in his return from last September's knee injury.

- Pick/market: Koby Howardy, Penn State's second-year wideout, produced a career-high 161 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Lions' 45-0 win over Marshall.

- Across a 44-snap sample from Penn State's first eight drives against Marshall, Taylor Mouser used one-back, one-tight-end personnel 20 times and one-back, two-tight-end personnel 16 times, plus five heavy formations with Garrett Sexton as a sixth offensive lineman. - Within that Penn State sample, Carson Hansen took 24 running-back snaps, James Peoples 13 and Quinton Martin Jr. seven, with six of Martin's snaps on the eighth drive as the offense transitioned toward backups. - Penn State used only Brett Eskildsen, Koby Howard and Chase Sowell at receiver during the first half, with Zay Robinson and Amarion Jackson entering in the third quarter after Eskildsen took a hard hit rather than an immediate six-man rotation. - Penn State mixed Ben Brahmer, Andrew Rappleyea and Finn Furmanek at tight end, with Furmanek also taking three fullback alignments, while Gabe Burkle warmed up but did not play as he continued returning from a torn ACL. - Penn State kept Malachi Goodman, Trevor Buhr, Brock Riker, Cooper Cousins and Anthony Donkoh together for the first eight offensive drives, while the reviewer identified Sexton, Will Tompkins and Vaea Ikakoula as next-up candidates from their reserve usage and work at multiple positions.

- Injury: Wrote more this week on feedback from Jeremiah Cooper's return and what comes next

- Penn State safety Jeremiah Cooper played a restricted role in the opener while returning from the ACL injury he suffered the previous September, according to the podcast's account of Matt Campbell's Wednesday update. - Penn State's Campbell expected Cooper's role to expand after strong recent practices, but the discussion did not provide a snap target or a timetable for a full workload. - Penn State's questionable offensive and defensive linemen were participating in practice, but the podcast reported that Campbell's staff had held them out of the opener because they were not fully ready and wanted to reduce setback risk before Big Ten play.

- Injury: Each game week at Lions247, leading up to Penn State football's latest matchup, we'll check in with an opponent beat reporter and send over some questions.

- Injury: Penn State defensive back Jeremiah Cooper waited nearly a full year in between game reps while recovering from a torn ACL.

- Injury: It's worth noting that Zion Tracy was equipped with a splint on his hand, so an injury may have played a role in this personnel plan.

- Injury: More on what we're hearing regarding the progress and impact of Jeremiah Cooper after his return from a long-term injury absence

- Injury: Tracy's role was limited due to the cast/splint on his left hand.

- Penn State defensive back Jeremiah Cooper returned from a torn ACL in the Marshall opener, but the staff deliberately limited him to 12 safety snaps split between the box and deeper alignments; his return does not yet establish an unrestricted workload. - Matt Campbell described Cooper's previous three practice weeks as exceptional, citing interceptions and growing confidence after he progressed from limited August participation to full practice, and expects him to play more than he did in the opener. - Cooper brings more than 30 career starts, eight interceptions and 22 pass breakups, with experience at corner, nickel and safety; coordinator D'Anton Lynn plans to use that versatility, but his eventual role within Penn State's multiple defensive packages remains unsettled. - Penn State starting safeties Jamison Patton and Marcus Neal Jr. each played more than 30 opener snaps, while freshman Josiah Zayas and veteran Zion Tracy led slot coverage, so Cooper's increasing involvement could alter an already active rotation. - Audavion Collins and Daryus Dixson are established as Penn State's perimeter cornerback starters, with Jahmir Joseph at corner and Vaboue Toure at safety among the primary reserves expected to receive regular work.

- Injury: Penn State coach Matt Campbell, defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn and a few Nittany Lions players met with reporters during Tuesday press conferences at Beaver Stadium.

- Penn State has optimism that the former Iowa State starter Matt Campbell called the best blocking tight end in college football could be available next week in Philadelphia. - Tony Rojas played his first game back from last September's knee injury and drew praise for his presence. - Penn State's defense started the Marshall game with repeated three-and-outs, while the new offensive pieces gave Rocco Becht a cleaner first impression despite prior shoulder injuries.

- Pick/market: Penn State quarterback commit Will Wood walks it off in overtime in his senior season debut.

- QB/LB: Penn State's defense held Marshall QB Carlos Del Rio-Wilson to 102 passing yards on 17 completions.

- QB/DL: Penn State's captains for Game 2 feature a quarterback, offensive lineman, linebacker and defensive tackle.

- QB: Cooper Cousins says Rocco Becht, as a quarterback and a leader, was “nothing short of elite” in his Penn State debut.

- QB/TE: There are four former Penn State players on Temple's roster: defensive tackle Kaleb Artis, safety Kolin Dinkins, tight end Joey Schlaffer and quarterback Jaxon Smolik, who remains in a competition for the full-time starting...

- QB/RB: They have a legit chance at back-to-back shutouts next week.

- QB: Through all those starts, this was Becht's first game with 4 touchdown passes.

- QB: Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht couldn't have had a much better Nittany Lion debut.

- QB: Rocco Becht's third quarter touchdown made history for the Penn State senior quarterback.

- DL/LB: Through 60 minutes of 2026 Penn State football game action, we still have much to learn about the new-look Nittany Lions.

- Penn State's Temple depth chart is Lions247's projection, not an official team release. At tight end, Gabe Burkle is practicing after ACL recovery and warmed up but did not play against Marshall; Matt Campbell says he should be available for Temple. Cooper Alexander did not dress for the opener after an unspecified preseason injury; the article supplies no return date. - Penn State OL depth remains affected by injuries. Campbell calls Owen Aliciene questionable for Temple after he missed Marshall; Garrett Sexton played second-team right tackle in the opener. Dominic Rulli projects as the backup center when healthy, but offseason injury issues limited his Marshall role to special teams. - Penn State DTs Alijah Carnell and Armstrong Nnodim missed Marshall with unspecified injuries, and Campbell lists both as questionable for Temple. DE LaVar Arrington II is reported out 4-6 weeks following late-camp clean-up surgery. These are the report's availability assessments, not confirmed game-day absences for the two tackles. - Lions247 expects Penn State to use primarily a two-linebacker set, with Caleb Bacon mainly at defensive end despite his SAM listing. Alex Tatsch missed Marshall while returning from injury, but Campbell says he is available for Temple. That availability does not establish a starting role or snap count. - Penn State freshman Josiah Zayas started at nickel against Marshall. Zion Tracy played 18 snaps with a splint on his left hand and also worked at corner; Lions247 is monitoring that positional usage. Jeremiah Cooper, returning from injury, played 12 snaps and is expected to be a key secondary contributor when fully healthy.

- Game breakdown: First-year Penn State head coach Matt Campbell brought a lot with him from Iowa State, including players, assistant coaches, staffers and elements of the playbook.

- QB/OL: In terms of personnel groupings, I charted Penn State's usage through eight drives (43 plays) that I considered the first team (first OL was out there for all of those; Becht got 7, Manske...

- Josiah Zayas worked into Penn State's starting lineup immediately as a true freshman defensive back. - The podcast said Penn State can get creative in the secondary because of the different names and faces available to move around. - Caleb Bacon's move into the defensive line was discussed against the backdrop of last year's linebacker depth concerns, but Penn State is expected to have only two linebackers on the field most of the time.

- Penn State running backs produced 88 yards on 20 carries behind the first-team offensive line against Marshall, averaging 4.4 yards with no negative runs in that sample despite the team's lower overall 3.6-yard rushing average. - Penn State coach Matt Campbell reiterated that Alex Tatsch will play at Temple, while the reporter projected that his initial workload could be limited and reduce Cam Smith's linebacker reps rather than citing an announced rotation or snap cap. - Penn State backup quarterback Alex Manske played 24 offensive snaps and completed six of eight passes for 57 yards against Marshall after entering with 8:55 left in the third quarter, giving the staff game repetitions for a reserve with little recent playing experience.

- Matt Campbell listed Penn State offensive lineman Owen Alicene as questionable for Temple after he practiced Tuesday but was not considered fully recovered for the opener. - Campbell said Penn State defenders Elijah Reeder and Armstrong Nnodim practiced Tuesday but remain questionable after being held out of the opener because they were not at full strength. - Campbell said Gabe Burkle and Alex Tatsch will be available for Penn State this week after both narrowly missed the opener because they needed additional contact work in practice. - Campbell estimated a four-to-six-week recovery period for LaVar Arrington II following cleanup surgery for an injury sustained late in Penn State's preseason camp. - Campbell said Jeremiah Cooper and Zion Tracy are working back toward full strength while Penn State continues using multiple safety and nickel combinations, with Josiah Zayas, Marcus Neal and Vaboue Toure also earning positive opening-game reviews.

- Coaching: Kudos to Tyler for extricating himself from the elementary-school chair/desk, which can be seen in T-Frank's video.

- KICKER: Yea, he was banged up in special teams coverage during Game 1.

- OL: New Penn State right guard Cooper Cousins believes playing next to right tackle Anthony Donkoh has made his job easier.

- RB: My one-shot (no cuts), 12-minute video of interviews with: DT Keanu Williams (00:14) S Marcus "Shark" Neal (01:24 _ long & fun) RB Carson Hansen (08:38 _ short) S Jamison Patton (09:29 _ fun).

- OL: Full Campbell quote about Riker: "Brock graded out the highest on the offense.

- OL: O-line: Boehme-Harbour-Tompkins-Fitzgerald-Onoh

- Pick/market: Penn State's defensive line played a major role in the team's 45-0 shutout victory over Marshall last Saturday.

- DB: If the goal is to compete to be the best, the competition is not only on the field.

- DL: DL Ernesto Ballesteros caught Penn State's attention in June with a strong camp performance.

- Penn State defensive end Caleb Bacon recorded six tackles, all before halftime, with three tackles for loss and a solo sack in the 45-0 win over Marshall. - Penn State's next test is its first road game of 2026, against Temple at Lincoln Financial Field on September 12 with a noon kickoff.

- Pick/market: Penn State's defense, coming off a 45-0 victory over Marshall on Saturday, faces a Temple team that beat Rhode Island in its opener.

- DB: CB Daryus Dixson said he's fine after exiting the game after laying a big hit in the second half.

- DL: Was very intrigued by this D-line look Saturday: Granville-Bacon-Ezeogu-Kemajou

- Defense: The combination of explosive pass plays and defensive shut-outs is undefeated.

- Intel: Thoughts, predictions who and what to watch for as Penn State hits the road to play Temple on Saturday at noon.

- Intel: Stadium is definitely a little reminiscent of the cookie-cutter multipurpose stadiums of the 70s.

- Practice: Matt Campbell coming up soon after Penn State wraps practice

- LB: The PennLive football beat predicts how they think the Nittany Lions will fare against Temple.

- Intel: They were indeed competitive but yeah, the odds of winning the division are slim to none at this point.

- Intel: Penn State football is once again a Top 20 team following a Week 1 rout of Marshall.

- Intel: Lots of info in here to sift through Snap counts, standouts and final thoughts as we turn the page on Penn State's Week 1 performance Story: https:// insidethelions.substack.com/p/snap-counts- standouts-and-final-thoughts …

- Intel: Zay Robinson on his performance in the return game: "I'd say I was mid.

- OL: Matt Campbell wasn't front and center when his team came out of the tunnel.

- Penn State opened Matt Campbell's tenure with a 45-0 shutout of Marshall, holding the Thundering Herd to 147 total yards. - Rocco Becht completed 13 of 18 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns before Alex Manske entered in the third quarter and completed six passes for 57 yards. - Koby Howard led Penn State with 161 receiving yards and scored the first touchdown, while Brett Eskildsen, Zay Robinson, and Benjamin Brahmer also caught touchdowns. - Penn State spread rushing work among Carson Hansen, Quinton Martin Jr., Cam Wallace, and James Peoples, with Martin and Wallace each scoring on the ground. - Tony Rojas and Caleb Bacon led Penn State's defensive front production, combining for multiple tackles for loss and one sack apiece, while freshman safety Bryson Williams added an interception.

- Intel: Redshirt freshman quarerback Alex Manske relieved Rocco Becht in the third quarter of Penn State's win over Marshall and led the Lions to a touchdown on his first drive.