MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 8-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions defeated West Virginia 34-12 in front of a sold-out crowd of 62,084 at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday afternoon. This marked Penn State’s first visit to Morgantown since 1992, echoing the dominant performances of past teams that frequently triumphed over the Mountaineers.
“We played poorly, but credit goes to Penn State,” stated West Virginia’s coach. “Today wasn’t 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, while also rushing for 44 yards on six carries.
Allar utilized West Virginia’s secondary weaknesses, throwing three touchdown passes in the first half, two of which were caught by Harrison Wallace III. Wallace scored the first touchdown just seven seconds into the second quarter on a 50-yard pass. Later, Allar connected with running back Kaytron Allen for a 20-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 13-0.
West Virginia finally got on the scoreboard with a 38-yard field goal after a 10-play drive but missed an earlier opportunity to score when they were stopped on downs at Penn State’s 16-yard line. The Mountaineers managed to reduce the deficit to 13-6 with a second field goal before halftime.
With just 32 seconds left in the half, Penn State quickly moved the ball downfield. Allar threw a 55-yard pass to Omari Evans, setting the stage for another touchdown to Wallace from 18 yards out, increasing the lead to 20-6.
After a weather delay of over two hours due to thunderstorms, the game resumed, and Penn State’s offense continued to dominate. Singleton added a 40-yard touchdown run, bringing the score to 27-6. West Virginia responded with a touchdown, but failed to convert a two-point attempt, making it 27-12.
Penn State didn’t slow down after the Mountaineers’ score, moving rapidly down the field again. Pribula completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Warren, capping off a six-play, 76-yard drive.
West Virginia struggled offensively, managing only 246 total yards compared to Penn State’s 457, with a significant decrease in rushing yards due to poor snaps. Greene finished the game with 161 passing yards before being substituted in the fourth quarter, where backup Marchiol had an interception on his only attempt.
West Virginia’s defense was led by a freshman linebacker who recorded 10 tackles in his debut. The game concluded a two-game series with Penn State. The Nittany Lions now hold a 50-9-2 series advantage. West Virginia (0-1) will host Albany next weekend, while Penn State is set to face Bowling Green at home.