No. 8 Penn State crushes West Virginia, shakes off weather delay in Morgantown with 34-12 win

Penn State took a little longer than expected to earn its first win of the 2024 season due to a weather delay. But the No. 8 Nittany Lions made their presence felt in the second quarter en route to a xx-xx victory over West Virginia in Morgantown on Saturday.

Quarterback Drew Allar took advantage of a new offense that featured more downfield routes and trusted himself to make those throws. Allen completed two throws of 50-plus yards in the second quarter, each leading to Penn State touchdowns.

No one is likely happier with new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki than the junior QB.

Rain and lightning struck the Morgantown area during halftime, leading to a 2 1/2-hour weather delay. Still, the interruption didn’t seem to affect the Nittany Lions’ offense, which opened the second half with a nine-play, 78-yard drive capped by a 40-yard touchdown run from Nicholas Singleton.

Allar finished with 216 yards and three touchdowns on 11-for-17 passing. Harrison Wallace III caught five receptions for 117 yards and two scores, and Singleton rushed for 114 yards on 13 carries, exploding for two runs of 40 yards.

Penn State defense still strong

Head coach James Franklin also added a new defensive coordinator to his staff, hiring Tom Allen after Manny Diaz left for Duke. Penn State already had a great defense, finishing last season ranked No. 2 in the nation in yards allowed. Under Allen, the defense looked dominant, constantly pressuring West Virginia QB Garrett Greene, forcing him to rush throws and cover well.

Additionally, Penn State held Greene in the pocket and prevented him from running. Last season, Greene ran for 772 yards. On Saturday, he was limited to five yards.

The Mountaineers finally got into the end zone early in the fourth quarter. Greene missed a wide-open Treylan Davis for a touchdown on the goal line in the fourth quarter, throwing the ball too low. But C.J. Donaldson Jr. followed with a one-yard TD run. However, Greene was caught off guard and sacked on a 2-point conversion attempt.

Overall, the Nittany Lions held the Mountaineers to 246 yards of total offense and 85 yards rushing, while forcing three turnovers. Greene threw for 161 yards and completed 15 of 28 passes.

For West Virginia and head coach Neal Brown, losing the season opener after an encouraging 9-4 season and a tie for fourth place in the Big 12 is disheartening. Yet the Mountaineers also faced one of the nation’s best defenses on a team that should be competing for a Big Ten title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Penn State now faces a Week 2 game against Bowling Green (1-0). West Virginia hosts UAlbany next Saturday.