Penn State’s newcomers say experiencing Beaver Stadium will be a ‘dream come true’
Saturday’s season opener will kick off the new era under Matt Campbell. While the head coach is looking forward to the Big Ten atmosphere, he’s more concerned about the result against Marshall.
Several Penn State players and coaches will experience the famous Beaver Stadium atmosphere for the first time on Saturday.
With the season opener almost here, Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser expressed their excitement about taking the field and confidence in this Nittany Lions team, particularly in quarterback Rocco Becht.
Here’s what was said ahead of Penn State’s matchup against Marshall (3:30 p.m).
Week 1 emotions
Mouser described the season opener as a “dream come true.”
He never thought he would be calling plays for Penn State after starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Campbell at Iowa State in 2016.
“It’s a dream come true to go out there on stage like this,” Mouser said. “It’ll be an emotional moment for me.”
» READ MORE: Matt Campbell’s path to Penn State began with small-town roots and led him through a decade in the Big 12
Campbell said he was brought to tears the first time he saw Beaver Stadium after being hired as Penn State’s head coach. His excitement for Saturday, however, is more about watching his team reap the benefits of the hard work they put in this offseason.
“Sometimes I wear my emotions on my sleeve, which is not maybe my greatest quality, so I apologize for that early,” Campbell said. “The reality is, when you love the sport and you love to watch your guys, and you’ve seen how much they sacrifice for these moments, I’m probably more excited for that, to be able to watch our football team grow forward starting on Saturday. They’ve earned the right to get in the stadium. They’ve earned the right to get on this field.”
Confidence in Becht
Becht hasn’t played a game fully healthy since last September. His stats took a hit as a result, which included a dip in passing yards and touchdowns compared to the rest of his career.
But Penn State’s staff is fully confident in their veteran quarterback and is expecting him to regain form this season.
“What I always love about Rocco is, Rocco was never trying to be anybody else but the absolute best version of himself,” Campbell said. “I think you’ve seen that in really critical, hard moments, him step up in key situations and win the football game with the ball in his hands.”
Mouser trusts Becht. He involves his quarterback in the game planning process each week and gives him “full control of the wheel” at the line of scrimmage.
“Most of the time, he goes out there executing to the best of his ability,” Mouser said. “But he does have autonomy and control of the offense out there.”
Injury updates
The status of safety Jeremiah Cooper, tight end Gabe Burkle, and linebacker Alex Tatsch is unclear entering Week 1.
Campbell said Cooper is “probable” for Saturday, while Burkle and Tatsch are “doubtful.”
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“All three guys are back on the practice field,” Campbell said. “All three guys are progressing themselves forward. It’s just making sure they’re absolutely prepared to step back on the field. But I think Jeremiah Cooper is probably the closest to that.”
Cooper and Burkle are both rehabbing torn ACLs, with Cooper tearing his in late September and Burkle in November of 2025. Tatsch’s injury, which he suffered leading up to last year’s Pinstripe Bowl, is unknown.
