UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — West Virginia held their own in the first half against No. 7 Penn State, but the Nittany Lions were too much in the end, beating WVU, 38-15 in the week one opener.
For the first time in 31 years, regional rivals West Virginia and Penn State met on the gridiron. The Mountaineers trailed by just seven at halftime, but a controlling second half from Penn State was the difference.
As expected, Penn State sophomore quarterback Drew Allar got the start for the Nittany Lions. It would take him just four plays to show off his talent, hitting KeAndre Lambert-Smith on a 72-yard touchdown pass.
Allar ended the night passing for 329 yards and three touchdowns, completing 72 percent of his passes.
Trailing by seven, the Mountaineer offense tried to get going for the second time but failed to do so. After getting just one first down on their opening drive, they repeated themselves on their second drive.
West Virginia’s offense found their footing on the third drive of the game, using Greene’s legs to their advantage. On 3rd and 10, Greene scrambled from the one side of the field to the other, gaining nine yards and putting West Virginia in position to go for it on fourth down.
Greene took a quarterback sneak for a yard to pick up the fourth down, before he hit a wide-open Devin Carter for 37 yards. WVU then used Donaldson solely inside the 10 yard line, running for the final 11 yards of the drive, including punching in a score, tying the game 7-7.
Donaldson finished the evening rushing for 81 yards on 18 carries, adding a touchdown on the ground as well.
Penn State’s offense answered Greene right away, going on almost a five-minute drive and scoring a touchdown for themselves. Allar would escape pressure, hitting Lambert-Smith for 30 yards, setting up a Nicholas Singleton 2-yard touchdown rush to give Penn State a 14-7 lead.
That lead would carry into halftime as Penn State got down into WVU territory twice, but Sander Shayak missed two field goals from 38 and 34 yards.
The Mountaineers got the stop they needed to start the second half. They trailed by seven and got the ball back looking to cut into Penn State’s lead or to tie the game.
WVU’s offense went three and out, and a poor punt from Oliver Straw set Penn State up in good field position. Penn State capitalized going seven plays for 56 yards and a score, capped off with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Allar to Lambert-Smith.
West Virginia got the ball back, and again got into Penn State territory. They faced a fourth down try, and Greene was pressured, delivering a bad pass that had no chance of being completed.
Penn State’s offense again marched down the field, this time ending in three points from Alex Felkins.
Trailing 24-7, the Mountaineers needed to put points on the board, but it was another fourth-down stop for the Nittany Lions that won out.
The Mountaineers had a 3rd and 5 from the 50-yard line and Donaldson rushed for three yards setting up a fourth down and short. Backup quarterback Nicco Marhciol was called on, attempting a trick play that went nowhere, as the Mountaineers were unsuccessful on another fourth down.
On the evening, WVU went 4 for 14 on third down conversions and 3 for 6 on fourth down conversions.
Greene went 16 for 27 on the night (59 percent), adding 71 yards on the ground on 15 attempts rushing. WVU’s leading receiver was Devin Carter who caught six passes for 90 yards.
WVU would get the game within two scores late as Greene added a 1-yard touchdown rush. The Mountaineers added two points on a shovel pass to Donaldson. The Mountaineers attempted an onside kick, but it went out of bounds.
Lambert-Smith finished the night with 123 yards and two touchdowns on four catches. Wallace added 72 yards receiving as well. Singleton rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Kaytron Allen added 51 yards on 10 carries on the ground.
Penn State added a touchdown on their final possession of the evening, with backup quarterback Beau Pribula scoring on a 5-yard touchdown rush.
