MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The eighth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions secured a 34-12 victory over West Virginia in front of a sold-out crowd of 62,084 at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday afternoon. This match marked Penn State’s first visit to Morgantown since 1992 and showcased the strength of a team reminiscent of past Nittany Lions squads that often defeated the Mountaineers.
West Virginia’s coach acknowledged the team’s performance, stating, “Bottom line is we played poorly, but credit Penn State. Today was just not good enough to beat a team like Penn State.” Quarterback Drew Allar showcased his skills, completing 11 of 17 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to scrambling for 44 yards.
Allar capitalized on West Virginia’s secondary, throwing three touchdown passes in the first half, including two to Harrison Wallace III. Wallace opened the scoring with a 50-yard touchdown reception just seven seconds into the second quarter. A 20-yard touchdown pass to running back Kaytron Allen soon followed, extending Penn State’s lead to 13-0.
West Virginia managed to score after a 10-play, 55-yard drive, concluding with a 38-yard field goal, reducing the score to 13-3. After a defensive stop, the Mountaineers regained possession but were only able to add another field goal, trimming the Nittany Lions’ lead to 13-6.
However, in the dying seconds of the first half, Penn State capitalized on West Virginia’s defense with a 55-yard completion to Omari Evans, setting up an 18-yard touchdown pass to Wallace in the corner of the end zone, expanding their lead to 20-6 at halftime.
Following a lengthy weather delay, Penn State’s offense resumed with vigor, as Singleton dashed for a 40-yard touchdown, increasing the lead to 27-6. West Virginia responded with a touchdown of its own after a significant drive, capped off by a score from Donaldson. However, a failed two-point conversion left the score at 27-12.
Penn State quickly regained momentum, with an efficient drive concluding with a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Warren, pushing the score to 34-12. Overall, Penn State outperformed West Virginia, racking up 457 total yards compared to the Mountaineers’ 246.
Singleton led the rushing attack for the Nittany Lions with 114 yards on just 13 carries. West Virginia’s quarterback Greene completed 15 of 28 passes for 161 yards before being replaced in the fourth quarter, where his backup’s only pass attempt resulted in an interception.
While West Virginia struggled, freshman linebacker had a standout performance with 10 tackles in his college debut. The game marked the conclusion of a two-game series between the teams, with Penn State extending its lead in the historical series to 50-9-2.
West Virginia (0-1) will return to action next Saturday at home against Albany, while Penn State will kick off its season at home against Bowling Green.