West Virginia rolls into Happy Valley on Saturday night, and it will take a lot if they want to upset No. 7 Penn State.
The Ground Game Matters
On both offense and defense, West Virginia will have to win the ground game. The Mountaineers’ strength is on their offensive line and their stable of running backs. They also have a mobile quarterback which adds another element to the game.
On the flip side, Penn State also has two very good running backs in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The Nittany Lions are 13-0 over the past two seasons when rushing for 125 or more yards. West Virginia will have to stop the ground game on defense, but also use it on offense to help control the clock, especially as the new clock rules kick in.
The Mountaineers are going to have to run the ball well, and they have to force Penn State to throw the ball to beat them.
Put the game on Allar’s shoulders
Drew Allar will start at quarterback for Penn State. A true sophomore who played in 10 games last season, Allar will most likely be making his first-career start on Saturday. With that being said, the West Virginia defense is going to have to try and put Allar in pressure situations and hope he can’t rise to the occasion.
Simply put, Penn State is supposed to win — by a lot. If WVU can hang around and keep things close, it will be interesting to see how the Penn State quarterback handles that.
Control the emotions
The environment will be loud, and WVU will have to control their emotions between the highs and lows of what a night game at Penn State brings. The Mountaineers can’t let the moment get too big if they want to win. Controlling themselves by not having bad penalties, or trying to do too much, will give the Mountaineers the best chance for a win.
