It was a calm week for Penn State athletics as no teams had games scheduled. Men's soccer was initially scheduled to play Bucknell at Jeffrey Field on Tuesday, Sept. 1, but that matchup was canceled.
The women's volleyball team wrapped up its Penn State Invitational on Sunday, starting the season with a 3-0 record. Now, all attention has turned to the Nittany Lions' football team as their season kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Penn State football vs. Marshall: Player updates to follow
Head coach Matt Campbell shared some injury updates earlier in the week for safety Jeremiah Cooper, linebacker Alex Tatsch, and tight end Gabe Burkle. He shared that Cooper is the most likely of this trio to play on Saturday, but listed him as "probable."
As for Tatsch and Burkle, the two were designated as "doubtful," per Campbell's press conference. Since the Nittany Lions take on three non-conference opponents to start the season, they aren't rushing anything when it comes to any player's recovery timeline.
As for players who are available, Campbell confirmed that the starting offensive line is left tackle Malachi Goodman, left guard Trevor Buhr, center Brock Riker, right guard Cooper Cousins, and right tackle Anthony Donkoh. Goodman winning the left tackle job is representative of his fall camp efforts, but he'll have to continue meeting a certain standard to keep it.
Also on offense, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser explaiend his comfortability playing six of 14 wide receivers on the roster. That's a significant jump from previous seasons when it was difficult to imagine one wideout putting on an impressive performance. That's not to say all six will play meaningful snaps or have a fantastic game every Saturday, but it's a step in the right direction for Penn State.
More information on the Week 1 matchup here.
Updates on the field and in the stands matter in this non-conference matchup
The Nittany Lions have a very important visitor this Saturday. Four-star cornerback nasir Richardson is scheduled to come to Happy Valley on a gameday visit. He's the No. 1 cornerback in the 2028 class and ranked No. 12 nationally.
With cornerback Deonte Fleming Jr.'s commitment up in the air, it's important that the blue and white put on a good performance. Tallying a win in Week 1 is important regardless, but Penn State can't play down to its opponent.
On the field, the Nittany Lions weren't sure if everyone on the Thundering Herd's roster would remain there. Boogie Trotter, their star cornerback, was denied eligibility to play this season. He was a member of the 2022 recruiting class.
It's good and bad news for Penn State as playing against some of the top defensive backs in the Sun Belt Conference would have been better competition and preparation.
Throughout the day on Thursday, though, Trotter was aded back to the roster, so it's uncertain what his status will be Saturday.
More: Penn State wrestling releases non-conference opponent match
The full 2026-27 schedule is not out yet for Penn State wrestling, but its Big Ten opponents are already known. The Nittany Lions will face Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Maryland at home. They have Minnesota, Rutgers, Ohio State, and Michigan State on the road.
The exact dates have not been determined, except for one. Penn State faces Northern Colorado, a PAC-12 team, on Feb. 19 at Rec Hall, per Greg Pickel of Blue White Illustrated. A time has yet to be determined. This is the first time these two programs will meet as well.
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