Head coach James Franklin will bring his eighth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions into Morgantown, West Virginia to start the 2024 season. Penn State has aspirations to make the College Football Playoff, coming off their second straight double-digit win season. However, they start the season on the road against a team (and fanbase) looking for respect heading into the 2024 season. West Virginia won five of their final six games last season and finished with nine wins. The Mountaineers will also be looking to avenge a 38-15 Penn State victory in State College to start the 2023 campaign. Interestingly, Penn State was ranked seventh heading into last year’s showdown. Below are the key Nittany Lions to watch, that will make or break the Week One matchup.
Offensive Coordinator Andy Kotelnicki
In his first year with Penn State since coming over from Kansas, Kotelnicki has a lot more firepower to work with in Happy Valley. Additionally, he has some familiarity with West Virginia as a competitor in the Big 12. As the offensive coordinator at Kansas, his team put up 28 points in 2021 and 55 in 2022 against the Mountaineers defense (they did not play in 2023). His ability to produce similar results with his new team makes him a key Nittany Lion to watch.
For Kotelnicki and the Nittany Lions offense, the key will be hitting the ground “running” in his first game. The rushing attack has traditionally opened up long plays in the passing game in Kotelnicki offenses. At Penn State, he has a solid offensive line, perhaps the best running back room in the nation, and a solid tight end. While the quarterbacks should also be a strength, the wide receivers are the biggest question mark of the offense. Consequently, Kotelnicki will likely use a similar approach of running to open up the passing game, in week one in Morgantown.
Quarterback Drew Allar
Much has been discussed about Allar as he enters his second season as Penn State’s starting quarterback. While he had a statistically solid 2023, Allar looked like a different player against upper-echelon Big Ten competition, relative to the lower-level teams that were on the schedule. He feasted on lesser competition and appeared as more of a game manager against the big-time opponents.
In last year’s opener against West Virginia, Allar made his first career start. He threw for 325 yards in completing 21 of 29 passes, including three touchdowns without an interception. Allar was able to show his team, and the rest of college football, what was possible against the Mountaineers. This included a 72-yard touchdown to KeAndre Lambert-Smith. There is no doubt West Virginia remembers Allan’s performance and will be looking for revenge.
Allar has had to listen to doubters all offseason. He was not able to beat Ohio State. He lost to Michigan. His stats were padded against lesser competition. He looked mediocre in the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss. Allar gets a chance to write a new chapter in his career starting with the same opponent as 2023 started with. For the offense, he is an obvious choice as a key Nittany Lion to watch in this game.
“He will do whatever you ask him to do to improve.” 🗣️
OC Andy Kotelnicki speaks about QB Drew Allar’s desire to improve. #B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/6zl1mATYAF
— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) August 7, 2024
Defensive End Abdul Carter
After playing the prior two seasons at linebacker, Carter has switched to primarily defensive end in 2024. While he will still likely see some time at linebacker, the defensive end position is where he will see the most action. Last season at linebacker, Carter was named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and second-team by the media. As the defense’s best player, in his first game playing a new position, Carter is a key Nittany Lion to watch.
Carter’s transition to primarily defensive end will be a key enabler of success for new defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s defensive line and defense overall. He is rooted in the Linebacker U tradition and wears the much-respected uniform number 11 on the Penn State defense. Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson were defensive ends drafted from last year’s team. This left a gaping hole in production that Carter will look to fill. Carter will be a focal point of opposing offensive coordinators as well, so his ability to produce will be paramount to Penn State in this game and this season.
Kicker Sander Sahaydak
Sahaydak is listed as the kicker to watch here, purely as a placeholder. It is a position in flux and one that could make or break the game if it is close, on the road against a team looking to avenge last year’s season-opening loss. A solid kicking game and special teams will be important for the Nittany Lions. Penn State had a kicker competition this spring, and that competition could continue into the regular season. New special teams coordinator Justin Lustig called the competition an “unbelievable battle.” Whoever is kicking is a key Nittany Lion to watch, given the importance of converting field goals on the road. For now, the nod is given to Sahaydak.
In last year’s season opener against West Virginia, Sahaydak had a nightmare of a start. He missed 38-yard and 34-yard field goal attempts. Consequently, he was replaced by Alex Felkins. Felkins converted a field goal and the final three extra-point attempts. Felkins then kept the job for the rest of the season. Given the depth of the kicker position, Franklin and Lustig could have a similarly quick trigger if the first starter hits a rough patch in 2024.
The other competitors for the starting kicker spot are Chase Meyer and Ryan Barker. Meyer is a junior who transferred from Tulsa. In 2023 at Tulsa, he converted 17 of 20 field goals and 30 of 31 extra points. Barker is a redshirt freshman.
