West Virginia Hammered in Season Opener

The Mountaineers fell to the No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions in the season home opener

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) runs up the middle in the first half of an NCAA football game against West Virginia, Saturday, August 31, 2024, in Morgantown, W. Va. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Morgantown, WV – Penn State quarterback Drew Allar threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns, connecting on 11 of his 17 pass attempts on the afternoon as the No. 8 Nittany Lions (1-0) beatdown the West Virginia Mountaineers (0-1), 34-12.

WVU vs. Penn State stats / WVU Athletic Deparment

After trading fumbles and ending the first half scoreless, Allar hit Harris Wallace III for a 50-yard touchdown pass. The Nittany Lions failed on the two-point conversion and held a 6-0 advantage.

On Penn State’s ensuing drive, Allar led the Nittany Lions on a 10 play 71-yard drive, capped off with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Kaytron Allen for a 13-0 lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the second quarter.

West Virginia got on the board on the following possession, moving the ball 55 yards down to the Penn State 20-yard line before settling for a field goal and cutting into the Nittany Lions lead, 13-3.

The Mountaineer defense forced a three and out, and momentum began to shift. However, the WVU offense stalled at the PSU 21-yard line and Michael Hayes hit his second field goal of the afternoon to get WVU within a possession, 13-6.

Penn State took possession with 32 seconds remainin in the first half, and facing a second and 10, Allar threw a deep ball to Omari Evans, who created separation on an underthrown ball, for 55 yards to the WVU 22-yard line. Two plays late, Allar found Wallace in the endzone again for the 20-6 lead.

The game was delayed two hours and 19 minutes at halftime due to severe weather in the area.

Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton opened the second half with a 40-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 21-, 27-6.

The West Virginia offense continued to sputter, producing 56 yards in the third quarter.

The Mountaineers finally got into the endzone early in the fourth quarter, following a 10-play 70-yard drive capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by CJ Donaldson. Head coach Neal Brown opted to go for two and quarterback Garrett Greene was sacked on the play as Penn State was holding  27-12 lead.

The Penn State offense answered quickly, driving 70-yards with Allar tossing his third touchdown pass on the day for a 34-12 lead with nine minutes left to play.