Penn State Vs. West Virginia Predictions: Supercharged for the 'Sneaky Whiteout'

Penn State plans quite a show for its 2023 opener. Will the Lions rise to the occasion?

Nine years ago, James Franklin began his career as Penn State's football coach by leading a sanctioned team to Ireland for his first game. Though Penn State won, famously on Sam Ficken's field goal, it wasn't the introduction Franklin wanted. He much would have preferred this:

A sold-out home crowd ringing Beaver Stadium with what Franklin called the "sneaky Whiteout" (or helmet-stripe pattern) in prime time. Two former Penn State quarterbacks gushing over his team on the NBC broadcast. A Penn State legend performing the coin toss. And a College Football Playoff contender kicking off the promise of a potentially special season against a one-time regional rival.

"I couldn’t have scripted it any better than to be in my old alma mater in Happy Valley, for a game we used to play every year, Penn State and West Virginia," said Todd Blackledge. the former Penn State quarterback who will call the game for the debut of NBC's Big Ten Saturday Night.

Blackledge and Michael Robinson, two former Penn State quarterbacks, will be part of NBC's broadcast, while former Penn State assistant Tom Bradley returns to Beaver Stadium for a moment of catharsis. The past and present of Penn State football will join Saturday in ways they haven't before. Imagine what Blackledge, who led Penn State to its first national championship, will say when Allar, seeking to lead Penn State to its third, throws his first touchdown pass of the season.

Openers like Penn State-West Virginia don't come around often. The fans should enjoy this one.

Penn State vs. West Virginia

• When: 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday
• Where: Beaver Stadium
• TV: NBC
• Streaming: FuboTV (Start your free trial)
• Betting Line: Penn State is a 20.5-point favorite per SI Sportsbook
• Series History: Penn State leads 48-9-2
• Last Meeting: Penn State 40-26 in 1992
• Notable: Penn State is opening a season at home vs. a Power 5 opponent for the first time since hosting No. 2 Miami in 2001.

The Story Line

After practice Wednesday, Franklin detailed all the ways in which he wants his undeclared starting quarterback to approach Saturday: continue demonstrating poise, understand how to manage the offense, and avoid shouldering the game entirely on himself. "I also want him to let the plays come to him because with our running game and with the weapons that we have at tight and and at wide receiver, he doesn't need to force anything," Franklin said.

It sounds protective, and perhaps that's the message Franklin wants to convey regarding Allar's his first college start. But there's also a sense that Franklin and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich are going to unleash Allar at some point against West Virginia, allowing him to air out those skills. Players and coaches spent the preseason describing how Allar made smart decisions, protected the football and really limited interceptions. But then left tackle Olu Fashanu described a training camp throw Allar made that left him almost speechless.

"I don’t even know how to describe it," Fashanu said. "I mean, it was kind of like a perfect pass. He placed it perfectly in the hands of one of our receivers in the middle of the field. The receiver didn’t really have the best separation, but the type of ball that Drew threw, he quite literally threaded the needle. So that’s the type of play that really makes you excited to block for a guy like that. Seeing plays like that gets you really excited to see the type of potential that our quarterback room has."

Allar's debut is the centerpiece of this game, and season, for Penn State. It won't, and doesn't have to, be perfect. But the quarterback's long-range development is the hinge of a Penn State playoff run.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar completed 35 of 60 passes without an interception as a freshman for the Nittany Lions in 2022 :: Dan Rainville/USA Today Sports

Penn State Players to Watch

Kaytron Allen: Penn State has a fascinating backfield with Allen and Nicholas Singleton, whom the coaches view as co-starters. Allen remade his body this past offseason, getting back up to 221 pounds after shedding weight before his freshman year. 'Fatman' most certainly isn't anymore.

Kobe King: Among the team's most improved players, King will assume significant responsibility at middle linebacker, particularly against West Virginia's run game. The middle of Penn State's front seven bears watching early, and King is the fulcrum.

JB Nelson: Penn State lost an impact player on its offensive line when Landon Tengwall announced his retirement for medical reasons. Tengwall, the former left guard, and Fashanu would have dominated that left side. Now, Nelson, who began his career at Lackawanna College, gets promoted. Lackawanna has produced some strong players for Penn State, notably NFL safeties Jaquan Brisker and Ji'Ayir Brown. Nelson seeks to continue that line. 

West Virginia Players to Watch

Garrett Greene: He's not Pat White, but Greene does give the Mountaineers a dual-threat presence that they haven't had in a while. He'll be an interesting test for a Penn State defense built toward pass rush and turnover prevention. Greene has the ability to save broken plays, a trait that could keep the Mountaineers in this game.

Devin Carter: The former N.C. State receiver could have played for Penn State's offense this season — he committed to the Lions during their Rose Bowl celebration. A week later, Carter flipped to West Virginia. Now, the redshirt senior might be the Mountaineers' top receiver.

Wyatt Milum: West Virginia also has a pretty good left tackle in Milum, who will road-grade for running back CJ Donaldson. Milum leads an offensive line that returns 111 starts and is the strength of West Virginia's roster.

The Predictions

Mark Wogenrich: Penn State has been cultivating this defense since 2021, when Kalen and Kobe King, Zakee Wheatley and Jaylen Reed arrived and Manny Diaz became the coordinator in December. The Lions will turn their championship-caliber defense loose on West Virginia, which doesn't have the tools to counter. Even if the offense begins off-key, Penn State's defense should keep this game free of tension. Then the offense turns things loose in the second half. Penn State 34, West Virginia 13.

Max Ralph: I don’t see any struggles for Drew Allar against this West Virginia defense. He may not light the field up, but he doesn’t have to. Penn State will manhandle the Mountaineers in the trenches for a trio of scores from Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen (maybe even Trey Potts). Count Allar for a pair of touchdowns as well, with a number of forced turnovers giving short fields to the Nittany Lions. Penn State 38, West Virginia 17.

More on Penn State

Penn State Football on SI.com

The view from Morgantown: Scouting the West Virginia Mountaineers

Penn State's Landon Tengwall announces retirement from football

The Penn State 2023 forecast: College Football Playoff or bust?

Tom Bradley returns to Penn State for ceremonial coin toss

Meet Drew Allar, Penn State's 'low-key, level-headed' quarterback

Sean Clifford's final legacy move: A thriving quarterback room

Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich moves upstairs this season

From Todd Blackledge and Michael Robinson, a window into Drew Allar

How James Franklin could have become a pretzel mogul

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.