--Penn State played like a team that was ranked as the No. 8th in the country and West Virginia simply did not. The Nittany Lions already had the advantage in terms of personnel coming into this game but the Mountaineers basically did everything they could to make it harder on themselves. You can't win games against quality teams beating yourself. Before the starters left the game, West Virginia scored 12 points on 11 drives and were 4-14 on third downs while averaging 3.7 yards per play. Compare that to Penn State who was at 7.6 yards per play for the game and 5-11 on third down and rolling up 34 points and 457 yards and it's pretty easy to see how this one became so one-sided. This was a weird game with a 2 hour and 19 minute delay and a completely different atmosphere from one half to the next, but today wasn't good enough.
--West Virginia struggled to win up front on defense and that allowed for some big plays down the field in the passing game. I felt that West Virginia was able to make Drew Allar uncomfortable a couple times, but too far and few between. Where Allar was really killing the defense as well is with his legs. He made at least three third down runs for first downs. In the two games, Allar completed 32-45 passes for 541 yards and 6 touchdowns with no interceptions. The entire defense was very up and down today, with the second half really struggling. This group has to be better overall.
--West Virginia did not record a sack and had only three tackles for loss.
--West Virginia led the nation with 16 consecutive 140+ yard rushing performances coming into this game and that's now over as the Mountaineers managed just 85 yards on the ground. Not having Zach Frazier definitely didn't help matters, but the longest run on the day was 12-yards and as a team the Mountaineers averaged just 2.3 yards per carry which is the lowest average since the game at Texas in 2022 at 2.0 per carry. That isn't going to get it done. Not having Wyatt Milum the second half was noticeable and the Mountaineers only had 11 total rushing yards.
--Garrett Greene simply didn't have his best day today and that's going to happen. He completed just 15-28 passes for 161 yards and while he didn't turn it over, he simply missed some things in this one. Penn State held him to only 5 yards rushing on 10 attempts, and some of that is the fumbles but I felt that Greene had to outplay Allar and while it isn't all on him that didn't happen.
--West Virginia just seemed out of whack with the motions and shifts early in this game and it directly cost them a turnover and then almost another one. That's worked well for them in the past but today it definitely was off and ended up costing them. The Mountaineers had the ball twice inside the 30 and came away with zero points early in this game.
--Penn State averaged 8 yards on first down, West Virginia was at 3. That just makes it hard. Penn State also had 346 yards on 15 big plays. It was their ability to create on offense that matters and tip the cap to their offensive coordinator who did a great job scheming up the Mountaineers.
--Josiah Trotter definitely played well in what I was able to see from him. He finished with 10 tackles and always seemed to be around the football. He also had one of the two pass breakups.
–I understand that there was a glaring missed offensive pass interference call that led to the 55-yard catch right before the half, but that can’t be allowed to happen. West Virginia had gotten a field goal to cut the score to 13-6 with 37 seconds left and the Mountaineers stuffed the Nittany Lions on first down. But then they hurried up to the line and hit on a 55-yard pass play, followed by an 18-yard pass play to take a 20-6 lead into half. Right when you felt there was some momentum building that was simply a back breaking sequence especially since Penn State got the ball to start the second half and would score again. It isn't the reason West Virginia lost, but just another example of how much didn't go right.
--Penn State did a good job taking advantage of what West Virginia gave them and capitalizing on mistakes. They basically did what a good team does and turned those miscues into points. When it came to the red zone Penn State was 3-3 with three touchdowns and West Virginia was 3-4 with 12 points.
--The one area that was clean for the Mountaineers were penalties with only one for five years. Penn State had 8 for 60, but it doesn't matter when you play so poorly in other departments.
--No complaints from special teams. Thought West Virginia did a good job with their punt teams and also limited Penn State on kick returns. Oliver Straw averaged 44 yards per kick and pinned two inside the 20 while Michael Hayes made both of his field goals.
--Credit to the fan base with the attendance being 62,084 and really showcasing the program and the support behind it. Before the delay, the crowd did their best to stay in it despite what was unfolding on the field and while the football team didn't deliver today it's important to note that the past few days has been a lot of positive for the school.
--West Virginia is now 0-4 in season openers the past four years. Now granted, two of those were a top ten team but the disappointing part is with all the momentum the program had built it was disappointing to see things turn out the way that it did. This isn't going to make or break the season and I've always felt this way, but there is no doubt that it is a wake up call that even with the expected improvements today the Mountaineers seemed far away from competing at the top. Now, this team has 11 more opportunities to improve and they won't play a team on paper that is as talented as this Penn State team but I said it in my prediction and I'll say it again - if it isn't going to be this year with how much talent returns when will it be? That's a scary question to ask.
--Time to lick the wounds, get healthy and buckle up for Albany. This game is over and it's a disappointing one, but there's an entire season left and it starts next week. West Virginia has never lost to an FCS team and if they want any shot of making this a season to remember it better not start then.
--West Virginia struggled to win up front on defense and that allowed for some big plays down the field in the passing game. I felt that West Virginia was able to make Drew Allar uncomfortable a couple times, but too far and few between. Where Allar was really killing the defense as well is with his legs. He made at least three third down runs for first downs. In the two games, Allar completed 32-45 passes for 541 yards and 6 touchdowns with no interceptions. The entire defense was very up and down today, with the second half really struggling. This group has to be better overall.
--West Virginia did not record a sack and had only three tackles for loss.
--West Virginia led the nation with 16 consecutive 140+ yard rushing performances coming into this game and that's now over as the Mountaineers managed just 85 yards on the ground. Not having Zach Frazier definitely didn't help matters, but the longest run on the day was 12-yards and as a team the Mountaineers averaged just 2.3 yards per carry which is the lowest average since the game at Texas in 2022 at 2.0 per carry. That isn't going to get it done. Not having Wyatt Milum the second half was noticeable and the Mountaineers only had 11 total rushing yards.
--Garrett Greene simply didn't have his best day today and that's going to happen. He completed just 15-28 passes for 161 yards and while he didn't turn it over, he simply missed some things in this one. Penn State held him to only 5 yards rushing on 10 attempts, and some of that is the fumbles but I felt that Greene had to outplay Allar and while it isn't all on him that didn't happen.
--West Virginia just seemed out of whack with the motions and shifts early in this game and it directly cost them a turnover and then almost another one. That's worked well for them in the past but today it definitely was off and ended up costing them. The Mountaineers had the ball twice inside the 30 and came away with zero points early in this game.
--Penn State averaged 8 yards on first down, West Virginia was at 3. That just makes it hard. Penn State also had 346 yards on 15 big plays. It was their ability to create on offense that matters and tip the cap to their offensive coordinator who did a great job scheming up the Mountaineers.
--Josiah Trotter definitely played well in what I was able to see from him. He finished with 10 tackles and always seemed to be around the football. He also had one of the two pass breakups.
–I understand that there was a glaring missed offensive pass interference call that led to the 55-yard catch right before the half, but that can’t be allowed to happen. West Virginia had gotten a field goal to cut the score to 13-6 with 37 seconds left and the Mountaineers stuffed the Nittany Lions on first down. But then they hurried up to the line and hit on a 55-yard pass play, followed by an 18-yard pass play to take a 20-6 lead into half. Right when you felt there was some momentum building that was simply a back breaking sequence especially since Penn State got the ball to start the second half and would score again. It isn't the reason West Virginia lost, but just another example of how much didn't go right.
--Penn State did a good job taking advantage of what West Virginia gave them and capitalizing on mistakes. They basically did what a good team does and turned those miscues into points. When it came to the red zone Penn State was 3-3 with three touchdowns and West Virginia was 3-4 with 12 points.
--The one area that was clean for the Mountaineers were penalties with only one for five years. Penn State had 8 for 60, but it doesn't matter when you play so poorly in other departments.
--No complaints from special teams. Thought West Virginia did a good job with their punt teams and also limited Penn State on kick returns. Oliver Straw averaged 44 yards per kick and pinned two inside the 20 while Michael Hayes made both of his field goals.
--Credit to the fan base with the attendance being 62,084 and really showcasing the program and the support behind it. Before the delay, the crowd did their best to stay in it despite what was unfolding on the field and while the football team didn't deliver today it's important to note that the past few days has been a lot of positive for the school.
--West Virginia is now 0-4 in season openers the past four years. Now granted, two of those were a top ten team but the disappointing part is with all the momentum the program had built it was disappointing to see things turn out the way that it did. This isn't going to make or break the season and I've always felt this way, but there is no doubt that it is a wake up call that even with the expected improvements today the Mountaineers seemed far away from competing at the top. Now, this team has 11 more opportunities to improve and they won't play a team on paper that is as talented as this Penn State team but I said it in my prediction and I'll say it again - if it isn't going to be this year with how much talent returns when will it be? That's a scary question to ask.
--Time to lick the wounds, get healthy and buckle up for Albany. This game is over and it's a disappointing one, but there's an entire season left and it starts next week. West Virginia has never lost to an FCS team and if they want any shot of making this a season to remember it better not start then.
