The Mountaineers were unable to put up much of a fight against No. 8 Penn State, losing the season opener 34 – 12.
As inclement weather swept in during halftime, the game was suspended and a lengthy delay ensued. After over two hours, the two teams retook the field for the second half.
WVU ultimately struggled on both sides of the ball. On offense, they dealt with ball security issues, suffering four fumbles, two of which were recovered by Penn State. Defensively, they allowed over 400 yards of total offense, four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. They didn’t come up with any sacks and forced just one turnover (fumble).
West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene struggled. He was 15-28 passing (54%) and ineffective running the ball, taking 10 carries for five yards and fumbling multiple times. Towards the end of the game, Greene was taken out in favor of Nicco Marchiol.
While Penn State QB Drew Allar had an impressive performance. Allar was 11-17 (65%) throwing the ball for 216 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 44 rushing yards on six carries.
In the first quarter, both squads got off to a slow start. Three fumbles occurred in the first nine minutes, two of which were recovered by the opposing team.
On West Virginia’s third possession, they were backed up in their own territory after a loss of 11 on the first play of the drive. They drove the ball down the field, inside Penn State’s 20, but they couldn’t convert their second fourth down on the drive, turning the ball over on downs.
Towards the end of the first quarter, Penn State quickly moved the chains and had a first and 10 on the midfield mark to begin the second quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar hit Harrison Wallace III in stride for a 50-yard touchdown to get them on the board first. It was a four-play, 84-yard scoring drive for the Nittany Lions.
After West Virginia went three-and-out on the following drive, Penn State put together another scoring drive that included 10 plays, 71 yards and a fourth-down conversion. Kaytron Allen caught a short pass from Allar for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Nittany Lions up by two scores.
Towards the middle of the second quarter, West Virginia gradually drove down the field, partially thanks to two big catches by Preston Fox and Kole Taylor. They were inside Penn State’s 30-yard line for the third time in the game and came away with a 38-yard field goal by Michael Hayes.
As the first half was coming to a close, the Mountaineers drove down the field again and Hayes knocked in his second field goal of the game, making it a one-possession game 13-6.
After the WVU field goal, Penn State put together a scoring drive with minimal time. In just 26 seconds, the Nittany Lions had three plays for 71 yards, ending with a score seconds before halftime. A 55-yard reception by Omari Evans put PSU in excellent position before Wallace caught his second touchdown of the game.
At 2:04 p.m. EST, the game was suspended during halftime due to lightning in the area. After a delay lasting two hours and 19 minutes, the game resumed, with Penn State receiving the kick to begin the second half.
The Nittany Lions effectively moved the chains on the first drive of the second quarter, before Nicholas Singleton scored a 40-yard rushing touchdown. Penn State led 27-6 before West Virginia’s first offensive drive of the second half.
On their first drive of the second half, West Virginia’s offense showed no signs of improvement from the first half, as they went three-and-out. On their second drive, they were unable to get past midfield despite three Penn State defensive penalties.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that West Virginia would score their first touchdown of the game. CJ Donaldson punched it into the endzone on a one-yard rush.
Penn State followed up the Mountaineers scoring drive with one of their own. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tylen Warren to go back up by three scores.
The Nittany Lions ran out the clock and will run out of Morgantown with the victory. West Virginia falls to 0-1, losing their fourth-straight season opener, unable to come up with the upset, as Penn State starts its season on the right foot.
