Michael Cohen

Writer of American football and college basketball

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As the officials turned to face the West Virginia captains after a coin toss went in favor of the home team, the words of senior safety Aubrey Burks echoed across Mountaineer Field from an umpire’s microphone.

“We want the ball,” Burks said in a moment of confidence that was broadcast on the video boards on both sides of the stadium. “And we want to score.”

One, two, three times, Burks repeated himself until the referee motioned both sets of players to the sideline as kickoff approached. The Mountaineers entered Saturday’s nationally televised season opener full of confidence after closing the 2023 season with five wins in six games, capped by a 20-point victory over North Carolina in Duke’s Mayo Bowl last December. A 6-3 conference record and 9-4 overall mark were enough to generate optimism, excitement and a contract extension for head coach Neal Brown.

But the choice to receive the opening kickoff did little in West Virginia’s quest to fulfill the intent Burks had so publicly outlined. Four possessions came and went before the Mountaineers could put up any points, and even then, after losing the ball twice in the first quarter, they settled for a modest field goal. And field goals would never be enough against a new-look, new-age Penn State offense that was beginning to unleash the potential of former five-star quarterback Drew Allar (11 of 17 for 216 yards and three TDs).

Led by first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, whom head coach James Franklin plucked from Kansas, the Nittany Lions finally began to roar. There were chunk plays through the air from Allar to wideouts Omari Evans (two catches, 55 yards) and Harrison Wallace III (five catches, 117 yards, two TDs). There were chunk plays on the ground by tailbacks Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. There were chunk plays on both sides of a weather delay that kept both teams in their locker rooms for 2 hours, 19 minutes between the second and third quarters. There were enough chunk plays to send many of the 62,084 fans home long before the final seconds had elapsed.

The 34-12 victory was everything Franklin and Penn State could have hoped for in a high-profile opener against a Power-4 opponent. Here are some quick takeaways from Milan Puskar Stadium:

Early difference

An ill-timed snap that appeared to catch Allar off guard on his team’s first possession gave the Mountaineers prime field position just outside the red zone with 10:38 remaining in the first quarter. It was the first of four West Virginia drives that began or ended inside Penn State’s 30-yard line during the first two quarters, the combined results of which were just six points: a pair of field goals by kicker Michael Hayes II from distances of 38 yards and 39 yards, respectively. And each consecutive drive that didn’t produce a touchdown sapped more energy from what was, at least initially, a pretty raucous crowd.

West Virginia’s first play after Allar’s early fumble quickly turned into a disaster when center Brandon Yates’ snap hit the motion man and ricocheted deep into the backfield, with Penn State ultimately wresting possession from quarterback Garrett Greene. The Mountaineer’s next foray into Nittany Lions territory was thwarted by a botched “tush push” on fourth-and-short when Greene was denied at the line of scrimmage. Two more drives that totaled 98 yards in the middle and final stages of the second quarter stalled outside the red zone.

Kotelnicki’s offense was much more targeted on every possession that entered West Virginia territory. The Nittany Lions punctuated a 10-play, 71-yard march with a 20-yard touchdown from Allar to Allen and capped a three-play, 73-yard gut punch when Allar hit a beautiful throw to Wallace III for another score with :06 left in the second quarter, extending Penn State’s lead to 14.

Drew Allar connects with Harrison Wallace III dragging his feet for a TD, extending Penn State’s lead over West Virginia

Game of the game

Only a fraction of the crowd remained when play finally resumed at 4:23 p.m. with the Nittany Lions leading by 14 points. For the West Virginia faithful who remained—all of whom had spent more than two hours huddled under the stands because of lightning and torrential rain—it was clear how crucial the opening third-quarter turnover would be. If Penn State reached the end zone and pushed its lead north of 20, it was unlikely the Mountaineers would have a chance to claw their way back into contention based on the first half’s lackluster offensive output.

A pair of 10-yard scrambles from Allar and a successful swing pass to running back Nicholas Singleton got the Nittany Lions across midfield with relative ease. That’s when Singleton capped Penn State’s victory with a 40-yard touchdown run through the middle of the West Virginia defense. Two pulling linemen cleared a path that Singleton left untouched until he reached the third level, where the flailing arm of safety Anthony Wilson Jr. wasn’t nearly enough to slow the acceleration. Singleton raced downfield and into the end zone as Penn State’s lead ballooned to an insurmountable 21-point margin.

The combination of Singleton and Allen accounted for 167 rushing yards (134 rushing, 33 receiving) and two touchdowns.

Key Statistics

One of the driving forces behind Franklin’s decision to pursue Kotelnicki as his sixth offensive coordinator in 11 seasons was the reputation for explosive plays at Kansas, where the Jayhawks had developed into a high-octane offense under Kotelnicki’s leadership. Over a three-year span from 2021-23, the Jayhawks ranked 12th nationally in percentage of plays completing at least 20 yards (8.3%) and 15th in percentage of passing plays completing at least 30 yards (3.9%). Kansas topped 40 points nine times and topped 50 points five times during that span, even as nagging injuries to starting quarterback Jalon Daniels tested the offense’s adaptability.

Those types of field-tilting gains showed up early and often in Kotelnicki’s debut against West Virginia on Saturday, with Allar and the team’s high-level running back duo shredding the Mountaineers in more ways and in more than one phase. Allar needed just 11 completions to eclipse 200 passing yards and reached the end zone through the air three times. Singleton averaged nearly 9 yards per carry on his first 13 attempts, two of which went for 40 yards and one of which reached the end zone. Wallace eclipsed 100 receiving yards for the first time in his career with just five receptions.

At the 8:13 mark of the fourth quarter — when the Nittany Lions were sending a massive amount of reserves onto the field — Kotelnicki’s offense was still averaging an incredible 8.4 yards per play.

What’s next for Penn State?

By leaving West Virginia with an impressive away win, the Nittany Lions are positioning themselves for a potential climb up the national rankings in the coming weeks. Not only will Penn State be a heavy favorite in its next four games against Bowling Green, Kent State, Illinois and UCLA — the latter two of which are conference opponents — but they also won’t have to leave the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium. A quartet of home games keeps the Nittany Lions in Pennsylvania until mid-October, after which they fly to California for what should be a high-profile matchup with Big Ten newcomer USC. By then, Franklin’s team should be 5-0 overall, 2-0 in the league and squarely in contention to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time as the format expands to 12 teams. And if Saturday’s explosive offense against the Mountaineers is any indication of where Kotelnicki can take his unit in the coming weeks, then it might be worth including Penn State in the conversation as a legitimate Big Ten and national championship contender.

What’s next for West Virginia?

After an opener in which Penn State threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone, the priority for Brown and defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley between now and Week 2 should be to shore up a leaky secondary. The Mountaineers ranked 86th in the nation and eighth in the Big 12 in passing defense last season despite having an all-conference cornerback in Beanie Bishop Jr., whose 24 passes defensed (four INTs, 20 breakups) led the nation. But Bishop now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and West Virginia’s remaining corners have struggled to slow the Nittany Lions’ downfield passing attack, especially without the benefit of a viable pass rush. Northwestern transfer Garnett Hollis Jr., who drew the primary assignment against Wallace, was beaten for a 17-yard completion on a drive that ended with Penn State reaching the end zone and later allowing a back-shoulder touchdown that broke the game open just before halftime. West Virginia should have an easier challenge next Saturday against Albany.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on @Michael_Cohen13.

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