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UNIVERSITY PARK -- It may not have been the perfect day for the home opener in West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, but it probably wasn't far off from it.
It was a picture-perfect 78-degree day for Matt Campbell's first game as the head football coach for the Nittany Lions, and he delivered in a big way in a 45-0 shutout of Marshall in front of 108,489 fans.
"It was really special to be a part of this for the first time," Campbell said. "I know a lot of people have said it is special to play football here. It was really special to coach in this environment."
Campbell earned a reputation over 15 seasons as a head coach with Toledo and Iowa State of being able to do more with less than a traditional college football power. He compiled a record of 107-70 at those two schools before getting win No. 108 on Saturday in State College.
After the game, quarterback Rocco Becht said Campbell was presented with the game ball for his efforts in his first nine months as the coach of the Lions.
"It's super special," Becht said. "The amount of pressure he's been under, the amount of stuff he's been through, to get to this point where we are now is unbelievable."
Off the field, there were some more special moments. The program held a moment of silence in memory of Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, a physician with Penn State football for more than 30 years.
There was also a flyover after the national anthem, and former placekicker and NFL All-Pro selection Robbie Gould was the honorary captain for the week.
If there is anyone that misses former coach James Franklin in Penn State's camp, the people in charge of music selections probably aren't among them. There were familiar picks during breaks in play such as "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson, but there was also "Baby" by Justin Bieber and "We Are Never Getting Back Together" by Kelly Clarkson.
There was also a brief period of "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. Virginia Tech enters their home games to Enter Sandman.
There was also a notable change inside the Penn State tunnel where there was formerly a 1-0 sign on the overhang. That sign was changed to one that read, "Success With Honor." That was a slogan under legendary PSU coach Joe Paterno. Campbell has been enthusiastic about honoring Penn State's past in his nine months as the head man in State College.
While Penn State still has plenty of holdovers left from the James Franklin era on its roster, including assistant coaches Terry Smith and Justin Lustig, Campbell nodded to the numerous transfers and coaches that uprooted their lives to join him at Penn State.
"There's a lot of men that picked up and moved across the country because of their belief in what we were doing. I had nothing to do with that," Campbell said. "I am so grateful for them because they set the standard."