Wk 1 · 2026

Marshall Thundering Herd at Penn State Nittany Lions — Sat, Sep 5

Sat, Sep 5 · Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA · FS1

Weather at kickoff

77°F partly cloudy

8% chance of precipitation · wind 4 mph

Forecast from Open-Meteo

Marshall Thundering Herd

Sun Belt · no games yet

3:30pET

PSU -24.5 · total 54.5 DraftKings

Ratings differential PSU by 15.4

#18 Penn State Nittany Lions

Big Ten · no games yet

What is at stake

A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race. Penn State is ranked #18 (AP Top 25 · 2026-08-17).

What the ratings imply

The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers: The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus 2.4 points of home field. It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026 games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have changed.

Efficiency · 2026 ratings

Marshall: -3.5#87

Efficiency margin

Penn State: +9.5#22

Marshall: 27.3

Offense (pts/100)

Penn State: 30.8

Marshall: 30.8

Defense (pts/100)

Penn State: 21.3

Marshall: 65.5

Pace (plays/g)

Penn State: 65.5

Marshall: no data

Yards / play

Penn State: no data

Marshall: no data

Yards / play allowed

Penn State: no data

Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.

Team stats · 2026 per game

Marshall: no data

Points / game

Penn State: no data

Marshall: no data

Points allowed

Penn State: no data

Marshall: no data

Yards / game

Penn State: no data

Marshall: no data

Yards allowed

Penn State: no data

Marshall: no data

Pass yds allowed

Penn State: no data

Marshall: no data

Rush yds allowed

Penn State: no data

Marshall: no data

Turnovers / game

Penn State: no data

From completed 2026 box scores; defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.

Marshall form

No completed games on record.

Penn State form

No completed games on record.

Marshall this season

No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.

Penn State this season

No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.

Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.

Common opponents · 0

These teams share no opponents on the 2026 schedule.

Open these two in the comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.

Series history · 2006–2026

These teams have not met in the 2006–2026 window.

Marshall leaders 2025 regular season

Passing	Carlos Del Rio-Wilson QB #7	171/256, 2043 YDS, 17 TD, 5 INT
	Zion Turner QB #1	40/59, 409 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing	Carlos Del Rio-Wilson QB #7	159 CAR, 657 YDS, 6 TD
	Antwan Roberts RB #44	90 CAR, 512 YDS, 4 TD
	Michael Allen RB #21	77 CAR, 385 YDS, 4 TD
Receiving	Demarcus Lacey WR #4	65 REC, 769 YDS, 5 TD
	De'Andre Tamarez WR #0	32 REC, 395 YDS, 2 TD
	Toby Payne TE #81	37 REC, 393 YDS, 3 TD
	Adrian Norton WR #2	28 REC, 383 YDS, 5 TD

Defense

Tackles	Boogie Trotter CB #1	73
	Cam Smith S #0	69
	Kerion Martin LB #22	66
Sacks	Braydin Ward DL #58	4
	Paul Hutson III DT #99	3.5
	Jamaal Whyce Jr. DL #99	3
Interceptions	Boogie Trotter CB #1	5
	Daytione Smith S #17	3
	Paul Hutson III DT #99	2

full roster and per-player history

Penn State leaders 2025 regular season

Passing	Drew Allar QB #15	103/159, 1100 YDS, 8 TD, 3 INT
	Ethan Grunkemeyer QB #17	100/144, 1079 YDS, 6 TD, 4 INT
Rushing	Kaytron Allen RB #13	210 CAR, 1303 YDS, 15 TD
	Nicholas Singleton RB #10	123 CAR, 549 YDS, 13 TD
	Drew Allar QB #15	36 CAR, 172 YDS, 1 TD
Receiving	Trebor Pena WR #8	44 REC, 452 YDS, 1 TD
	Devonte Ross WR #5	28 REC, 417 YDS, 5 TD
	Kyron Hudson WR #11	23 REC, 288 YDS, 2 TD
	Luke Reynolds TE #85	24 REC, 229 YDS

Defense

Tackles	Amare Campbell LB #0	96
	Zakee Wheatley S #6	74
	Dominic DeLuca LB #0	63
Sacks	Dani Dennis-Sutton EDGE #33	6.5
	Zane Durant DT #28	4
	Amare Campbell LB #0	3
Interceptions	Alonzo Ford Jr. DT #50	1
	Zakee Wheatley S #6	1
	Zane Durant DT #28	1

full roster and per-player history

These are regular-season totals for the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year, taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still appears against the year he earned it; the roster pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is. A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.