On Saturday night, Penn State will open the doors to Beaver Stadium for the first time in the 2023 season. Within a span of hours, over 100,000 fans, mostly dressed in the appropriate Penn State attire, will make their way into the stands to set the scene for a primetime matchup made for the national television audience. With high expectations for this year’s Penn State season, Beaver Stadium should be electric.
The combination of the environment and the optimism surrounding this year’s team makes any opponent coming into Beaver Stadium one sitting in an unwelcome situation. Enter West Virginia. After being picked to finish last in the Big 12 and being labeled a nearly three-touchdown underdog on the road this weekend, West Virginia’s players are attempting to embrace the underdog mentality in hopes of turning some heads.
WVU Center Zach Frazier says he likes being an underdog. “I like being doubted.”
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) August 28, 2023
A number of West Virginia football players spoke with the media on Monday, and the recurring theme from some of the quotes relayed by West Virginia reporters seemed to be in sync with the idea of embracing the underdog role.
West Virginia center Zach Frazier said he didn’t mind being doubted. Safety Aubrey Burks said West Virginia will respect all of their opponents but fear nobody. And linebacker Lee Kpogba says the entire team is using the status as a big underdog as fuel for their upcoming matchup with Penn State, and perhaps beyond that as West Virginia looks ahead to Big 12 play.
WVU Safety Aubrey Burks: “Respect all and fear none.”
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) August 28, 2023
There can be something dangerous about a team like West Virginia realizing the position they are in as a decided underdog. There is little to lose in the minds of West Virginia, a team predicted by Big 12 media to finish last in the conference despite the addition of new members like BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston.
But playing with a nothing-to-lose mentality can only take most teams so far into a game. Penn State has a decidedly better overall roster, and that talent gap will eventually be too much to overcome for a team like West Virginia. So maybe West Virginia comes out with a little fire and causes some early fits for Penn State. Maybe West Virginia rattles sophomore quarterback Drew Allar early on in his first start.
WVU LB Lee Kpogba says the team is using being a heavy underdog as fuel.
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) August 28, 2023
But Auburn did the same thing last season down south before Penn State managed to turn on the jets and overwhelm the Tigers. Maybe Penn State doesn’t blow the doors off of West Virginia, but the Mountaineers are likely a heavy underdog for a reason, and it may show before Saturday night is over.
Penn State hosts West Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. This is the first meeting between Penn State and West Virginia since 1992.
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