Penn State and West Virginia begin their respective 2024 football seasons Saturday afternoon in Morgantown. The No. 8 Nittany Lions took control before halftime, then returned from a lengthy lightning delay to seal a 34-12 victory, led by three touchdown tosses from quarterback Drew Allar.
Review the moments that made the difference in this matchup below!
Penn State 34, West Virginia 12 (4th Q; 2:00)- It's just about a wrap in Morgantown. Penn State sophom*ore cornerback Elliott Washington plucks a pretty interception to give the Nittany Lions possession as the clock nears triple zeroes.
Penn State 34, West Virginia 12 (4th Q; 9:00)- Backup QB Beau Pribula finds tight end Tyler Warren for a 19-yard touchdown to complete a six-play, 70-yard drive. Running back Nick Singleton came up with another big play, gaining 40-yards on the first play of that possession. Singleton has 114 yards on 13 carries, giving him back-to-back regular-season games with 100-plus yards after maxing out at 80 yards through the first 11 contests last season. Pribula now has 11 total career touchdowns without a turnover.
Penn State 27, West Virginia 12 (Q4; 12;49)- West Virginia's fourth visit to the red zone produces its first touchdown of the afternoon. Running back C.J. Donaldson scores on a one-yard run, though replay made that call look questionable. A two-point try fails when Tony Rojas sacks Garrett Greene.
Penn State 27, West Virginia 6 (Q3; 4:42)-TheMountaineersproduced 32 yards on four players, helped by a 15-yard personal foul against Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter (late hit out of bounds), but ultimately punt from their own 43-yard line. Dual-threat QB Garrett Greene has managed only one cumulative rushing yard. WVU has produced only 164 yards on offense.
Penn State 27, West Virginia 6 (Q3; 10:16)- Penn State sprints out of the gates after a long wait, scoring on the first possession of second-half action. Running back Nick Singleton races 40 yards for a touchdown following a couple of key first-down pickups for QB Drew Allar on the ground. It was a nine-play, 78-yard drive, and Penn State has scored four touchdowns on its last five possessions to taken command. Singleton has 60 yards on eight carries, along with a 13-yard reception.
Penn State 20, West Virginia 6 (3rd Q; 15:00) -Following a two-hour, 19-minute weather delay, Penn State and West Virginia are back on the field. The Nittany Lions will receive the opening kickoff of second-half action.
Halftime Update:This matchup has entereda lightning delay due to weather in the area. The suspension is occurringat halftime, so whenever play resumes, it will be the start of third-quarter action with Penn State set to receiver the ball up by 14 points. Stay posted to Lions247 for the latest updates on this delayHERE.
Penn State 20, West Virginia 6 (HALFTIME) - Harrison Wallace strikes again, snagging a beautiful 18-yard touchdown toss from Drew Allar along the sideline. That throw came with six seconds left on the clock and occurred after a 55-yard completion from Allar to Omari Evans. Allar is 8-of-13 passing for 199 yards and three touchdowns, while Wallace has a career-high 117 yards and two scores on five catches.
Penn State 13, West Virginia 6 (2nd Q; 0:37) - WVU shrinks the Nittany Lions' lead again thanks to a 39-yard field goal from Michael Hayes. A controversial fourth-down conversion call was surprisingly upheld by official review during this drive, which spanned 43 yards on 13 plays. The Mountaineers have run 22 plays in PSU territory today but only have six points to show for it. QB Garrett Greene is 10-of-18 passing for 89 yards with ninerushing yards.
Penn State 13, West Virginia 3 (2nd Q; 2:00)- We've reached the two-minute timeout with WVUfacing 3rd-and-8 at PSU's 37-yard line. It's worth noting that Mountaineersrunning back Jahiem White headed to the locker room ahead of halftime after a collision with Penn State defensive tackle Alonzo Ford. White, a Pennsylvania native, has totaled 39 yards on seven touches today.
Penn State 13, West Virginia 3 (2nd Q; 6:15)- The Mountaineers make their mark on the scoreboard with a 38-yard field goal from Michael Hayes. That kick caps off a 10-play, 55-yard drive. A 25-yard completion from Garrett Greene to Kole Taylor, off a deflection, pushed West Virginia downfield.
Penn State13, West Virginia 0 (2nd Q; 9:46) -Penn State has caught fire offensively, scoring its second touchdown in a five-minute span. This trip the end zone comes via a 20-yard pass completion from Drew Allar to Kaytron Allen, who did much of the work. One play earlier, Allar found tight end Tyler Warren for seven yards on a 4th-and-3, while a 17-yard toss to Harrison Wallace was also key. A 10-play, 71-yard drive also featured first-down runs from Allar and backup QB Beau Pribula.
Penn State 6, West Virginia 0 (2nd Q; 14:53)- Penn State builds on momentum from its fourth-down defensive stand by scoring on a 50-yard toss from Drew Allar to Harrison Wallace, who already has a career-high 82 yards on three catches. Allar has opened 3-of-4 passing, which each completion to Wallace. That touchdown was the kind of explosive play that PSU was desperately searching for last season. Penn State lined up to kick an extra point with Sander Sahaydak but it was a trick play with backup QB Beau Pribula throwing an incomplete pass.
Penn State 0, West Virginia 0 (1st Q; 1:35)- The game remains scoreless but there has been some interesting action. The latest key development was a fourth-and-1 stop from the Penn State defense. QB Garrett Green's rush attempt was halted and the Nittany Lions take control at their own 16-yard line. West Virginia's 13-play, 64-yard drive took more than seven minutes off the clock but comes up empty on the scoreboard.
Penn State 0, West Virginia 0 (1st Q; 10:30) -Both teams already have turnovers in Morgantown. After forcing a punt on West Virginia's opening drive, Penn State picks up a first down (via a third-down run from backup QB Beau Pribula). But the ensuing snap surprised Allar and ended up with a Mountaineers defender at PSU's 28-yard line. However, momentum swung right back, as a bad snap got away from West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene. Penn State safety Jaylen Reed recovered and the Lions will take over at their own 47-yard line.
Pregame: Penn State's pregame availability report revealed receiver and punt returner Kaden Saunders is active for this matchup, while tight end Khalil Dinkins headlines the list of Nittany Lions who won't be in action for Game 1. Review that entire list HERE.
