No. 7/7 Penn State Uses Strong Second-Half to Surge Past West Virginia, 38-15
Quarterback Drew Allar shines with 325 yards and three touchdowns
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – The No. 7/7 Penn State football team (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) defeated West Virginia (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) 38-15 Saturday night in front of 110,747 people, the fourth-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history. The Nittany Lions outscored the Mountaineers 24-8 in the second half to pull away for the season-opening victory.
Drew Allar shined in his first game as Penn State’s starting quarterback, completing 21 of his 29 pass attempts and finishing with 325 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Allar and wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith proved to be a strong connection all night, including a 72-yard touchdown on Penn State’s opening possession of the game. Lambert-Smith tallied 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns on four catches.
The Nittany Lions totaled 478 yards of offense (332 passing, 146 rushing) in the well-balanced attack. The dynamic running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 121 yards (70 for Singleton, 51 for Allen). Singleton scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter. Malik McClain gained 58 yards and caught a touchdown. Harrison Wallace III added 72 yards on seven receptions. Quarterback Beau Pribula scored his first collegiate touchdown with a five-yard run in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter.
The Penn State defense held West Virginia’s offense to 15 points and 310 total yards. The Mountaineers converted just four of their 14 third-down attempts. The Nittany Lions made three fourth-down stops during the game. Penn State contained West Virginia’s rushing attack, allowing 148 yards. The Nittany Lions’ secondary limited the Mountaineers to 167 yards through the air.
Linebackers Dominic DeLuca, Curtis Jacobs and Abdul Carter recorded sacks. Jacobs accumulated a team-best six tackles, while defensive back Kalen King notched five. Zakee Wheatley, Jaylen Reed and Cam Miller made four tackles each.
The Nittany Lions will be back home Saturday, Sept. 9 for a noontime game with Delaware. The Blue Hens opened their season with a 37-13 win at Stony Brook on Aug. 31.
