When Penn State faced off against West Virginia last season, the Nittany Lion offense had one of their best days of the season.
Drew Allar threw for 325 yards while completing 21 of his 29 pass attempts and three touchdowns. Harrison Wallace III caught a team high seven passes for 72 yards. On the ground, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen both rushed for over 50 yards. It was a great all around offensive performance that led to a 38-15 victory.
The Mountaineers made improvements on the defensive side of the ball, but it is still a weaker unit that can be exploited by a strong offensive gameplan. The weakest position group on West Virginia’s defense is at cornerback where Penn state should try to exploit and give a much needed jolt to a receiving group that underwhelmed in 2023.
Related: 5 defensive keys for Penn State against West Virginia
Running the ball is always a staple of a PSU offense and with two elite running backs that shouldn’t change this Saturday despite the Mountaineers’ having a top-50 ranked run defense a season ago. Big plays on the ground could go a long way in changing the outlook of the game.
Expect a balanced Penn State offensive attack with Allar being given every opportunity to throw against a weaker West Virginia secondary. Here are five keys for Penn State’s offense heading into their week one matchup against the Mountaineers:
West Virginia is coming off a 9-4 season and has a dynamic offense, but even with upgrades to the secondary this offseason it looks like the Mountaineers’ weakest group.
The Penn State wide receiver room left a lot to be desired last year. However, with the addition of Julian Fleming and the expected growth from Harrison Wallace III and Kaden Saunders the Nittany Lions seem set up for a bounce-back year. A first game against West Virginia seems like an ideal time to let that talent loose. Kotelnicki was brought in to get skill players open and that should be an emphasis on Saturday.
The weather forecast for Morgantown on Saturday at noon looks to be very interesting. Rain and thunderstorms seem likely around kickoff making an early season road test even trickier.
Throwing the football in wet weather is always challenging, but Allar and the quarterbacks are prepared after playing with wet footballs during Wednesday’s practice. Even more important for the offense is for them to play to their strengths when the weather hits. With two talented running backs and an elite running quarterback, the Nittany Lions have the pieces to play through a wet field and that run the ball. As long as Penn State doesn’t get ahead of themselves, the weather shouldn’t limit the Nittany Lions chances at pulling off the victory.
Drew Allar shined in last year’s matchup against West Virginia while Beau Pribula did not see nearly as much of the field as many expected heading into week one.
This year should be different.
Pribula is just too good to be riding the pine for four quarters. A year after averaging 5.9 yards per carry and scoring six rushing touchdowns, Pribula is a dangerous weapon out of the quarterback position. With a hostile road environment expected his ability running the football can certainty play to Penn State’s advantage. It is exciting to think about what Andy Kotelnicki has in mind for Pribula this year and he seems like the perfect offensive coordinator to get the most out of his dual-threat QB2.
Tyler Warren had a huge game against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, but against the Mountaineers last year only caught one pass for nine yards. He is the Penn State receiving target with the most experience and should be an easy target for Drew Allar in week one.
Tight ends can open up the offense for everyone else so a big Tyler Warren game could mean great things for the rest of Penn State’s skill positions.
Easier said than done for sure, but it could be necessary in a wet weather road game against West Virginia. Last year the Mountaineers gave up 4.25 yards per rush and both Penn State running backs averaged over five yards per carry in last season’s matchup. The breakaway runs were missing for most of last year and having those explosive plays back this year would be a big game changer for the Nittany Lions, especially against West Virginia who lost its starting middle linebacker to the NFL.