Penn State beat West Virginia, 34-12, to start the 2024 season. There was a lot of thunder and lightning in Morgantown, both on and off the field. Penn State’s lightning offense debuted under Andy Kotelnicki, their new and creative coordinator. Tom Allen, the new defensive coordinator, and his defense brought the thunder against the vaunted West Virginia rushing attack.
Mother Nature brought her own thunder & lightning. The second half was delayed by more than two hours. It cut down the home field advantage substantially, with a lot fewer West Virginia fans in the stands in the second half.
This weather delay really getting the best of us 😅🤣☔️@RobStoneONFOX | @Brady_Quinn | @markingramII | @CoachUrbanMeyer pic.twitter.com/w9UkhNvFw2
— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) August 31, 2024
The Penn State Offense
Known for innovative formations and big plays in his offense, Kotelnickis saw it come together in the second quarter. After a few shaky drives to start, including a lost fumble, the big plays finally came after a scoreless first quarter. Coming off the field at the end of the first half, head coach James Franklin said, “Once we got calmed down, we did some really good things.”
In 2023, Penn State had five passing plays of 50+ yards in total. In the first half of 2024’s season opener, they had two such plays. Quarterback Drew Allar, who came into this second season as the starter with high expectations, did not disappoint. He was not crisp at first, as his early throws were off-target and behind his receivers. However, he hit on those two plays of 50+ yards in the first half alone, and his accuracy dramatically improved once the opening quarter nerves subsided. After the game, about the offense’s big plays, Franklin said that in addition to Allar, the “Development of the wide receiver position is a big part of that.”
The running backs got into the action more in the second half. When the game stretched to a three-score difference, managing the clock became the main objective. Penn State has one of the best running back tandems in the nation with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Allen was the first of the two-headed monster to break through with a score on a 20-yard touchdown reception. Singleton finished the first drive of the second half with a 40-yard touchdown run.
Building Trust
When a game doesn’t start as easily as planned, quarterbacks instinctively go to their security blanket. For Allar, this turned out to be Trey Wallace. Allar’s first four completions went to Wallace, for 99 yards. He finished the first half, and the game, with five catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
WHAT A THROW BY DREW ALLAR 🎯@PennStateFball adds on another TD just before the half 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Zn0WqruC5M
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 31, 2024
Similarly, a quarterback’s best friend is a solid running game. Singleton and Allen took the baton in the second half, looking to milk the clock and reduce West Virginia possessions. They achieved this in the game’s final 30 minutes. Singleton finished with the sixth 100-yard rushing game of his career.
Allar also instilled even more confidence in his abilities to be a closer. When West Virginia cut the lead to 15 in the fourth quarter, Penn State needed to put the game on ice. Allar responded by leading a six-play, 70-yard drive to make the score 34-12.
The Penn State Defense
The Mountaineers came out looking to control the clock after leading the Power Five in rushing offense last year. However, Penn State had the number-one rushing defense in 2023. The West Virginia rushing attack averaged 228 yards per game last year, but only produced 85 in this contest. Garrett Greene, an underrated player, is a dual-threat quarterback. His skill set was on display but contained by Penn State in this game.
The Nittany Lion defense bent but did not break. They even stopped a tush push attempt on fourth down and a yard to go. Heading in at halftime, Franklin said they “Need to get some three and outs on defense to get off the field.” That happened in the second half. Allen has called his safeties as good as any in the country. Kevin Winston and Jaylen Reed, as expected, ran the defense well in this game. The bend but don’t break mentality, and physicality worked well against the Mountaineer offense.
This game quickly became a tale of two halves regarding the West Virginia game plan. When Singleton made the score 27-6 with his touchdown to start the second half, the Mountaineers had to turn into a throwing offense. This allowed the Penn State defense to primarily focus on the pass rush. In the ensuing drive, Penn State picked up their first sack of the season, courtesy of Zane Durant. They later rushed Greene and caused a fumble that was recovered by Penn State. West Virginia fumbled a total of four times.
By the Numbers: Penn State Beats West Virginia 34-12
Penn State beat West Virginia, 34-12, to start the 2024 season. Here are some of the key statistics underpinning the Penn State win.
Offense
Passing: Penn State threw for 235 yards, compared to 161 for West Virginia. Allar completed 11 of 17 for 216 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Beau Pribula completed his only pass attempt for a 19-yard touchdown. For West Virginia, Greene was 15 of 28 for 161 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Rushing: Penn State had the edge with 222 yards, compared to West Virginia’s 85 yards. Singleton led all players with 114 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown. Allen ran 10 times for 20 yards, and Allar contributed a career-high 44 yards on six carries. CJ Donaldson, Jr. led West Virginia with 42 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Jahiem White had 33 yards on eight carries.
Receiving: Wallace led all receivers with 117 yards on five catches with two touchdowns. Omari Evans had two catches for 55 yards. For West Virginia, Preston Fox had two catches for 41 yards, and Traylon Ray had 37 yards on four catches.
Defense/Special Teams
Defense: Penn State’s safeties were their tackle leaders. Winston had 12 tackles, and Reed had nine. Elliot Washington II had an interception. Josiah Trotter led West Virginia with 10 tackles.
Special teams: Sander Sahaydak got the nod to kick for Penn State. Similar to his struggles against West Virginia in last year’s opener, he missed his only field goal attempt. Riley Thompson had four punts, averaging 44.0 yards per punt. Michael Hayes II converted both of his field goal attempts for the Mountaineers. Oliver Straw also punted four times, with an average of 44.0 yards per punt.
Penalties: Although it was a positive game for Penn State, if there is an area of concern, it is penalties. Abdul Carter, in his first game as a defensive end, was flagged for multiple penalties including a hit out of bounds. In total, Penn State was flagged for eight penalties and 60 yards, and West Virginia only had one penalty for five yards.
