MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The eighth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions secured a 34-12 victory over West Virginia on Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium, attracting a sellout crowd of 62,084. This marked Penn State’s first visit to the venue since 1992, reminiscent of earlier days when they frequently defeated the Mountaineers.
West Virginia’s coach acknowledged the team’s struggles, 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, along with an additional 44 yards gained through scrambles. He effectively exploited West Virginia’s secondary, throwing three touchdown passes in the first half, two of which were to Harrison Wallace III.
Wallace opened the scoring by catching a pass from Allar and sprinting 50 yards into the end zone just seven seconds into the second quarter. Although a two-point conversion attempt by backup quarterback Beau Pribula failed, Penn State extended their lead five minutes later when Allar found running back Kaytron Allen for a 20-yard touchdown.
West Virginia managed to break through on their second trip to the red zone, successfully kicking a 38-yard field goal after a 10-play, 55-yard drive. The Mountaineers later trimmed Penn State’s lead to 13-6 with another field goal just before halftime, following a series of successful conversion runs and a short pass.
However, momentum shifted dramatically just before the half. In the final moments, Allar connected with Omari Evans for a 55-yard gain, setting up another touchdown pass to Wallace with just seconds remaining, giving the Nittany Lions a commanding 20-6 lead at halftime.
After a weather delay, which forced an extended halftime, the game resumed with Penn State’s offense continuing to dominate. Allar contributed with two first-down scrambles before Singleton broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run to widen the lead to 27-6.
West Virginia found the end zone in the fourth quarter when running back Donaldson scored after a series of plays, bringing the score to 27-12. However, Penn State quickly responded with another touchdown, this time from tight end Tyler Warren, on a six-play, 76-yard drive.
Despite West Virginia’s efforts, they could not regain control of the game. Penn State’s offense registered a total of 457 yards to West Virginia’s 246, with Singleton leading all rushers with 114 yards. West Virginia’s quarterback Greene completed 15 of 28 passes for 161 yards before being replaced in the fourth quarter, while Donaldson was the Mountaineers’ top rusher with 42 yards.
The match concluded a two-game series between the teams, with Penn State extending its historical series record to 50 wins, 9 losses, and 2 ties against West Virginia. Next week, West Virginia (0-1) will face Albany at home, while Penn State will open their season against Bowling Green.