Week one of the college football season ended with a Penn State win. The Nittany Lions defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers 38-15 Saturday Night. While the game was off to a slow start, there is a lot of insight regarding what to expect from Penn State this season. Here is a look back on the Penn State win and what to look forward to as the season progresses.
Drew Allar’s First Start
While heading into this game, head coach James Franklin would not name a starter. Everyone did essentially know it was going to be Drew Allar, and it is safe to say that after this Penn State win, Nittany Lions fans should be excited. Of course, there were some mistakes, but for his first start, Allar played very well. By the end of the game, Allar completed 21 out of 29 passes for 325 yards and three passing touchdowns, according to ESPN. Two of those incompletions came very close to being an interception but were luckily dropped.
The good news is still that Allar can walk away passing for over 300 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. There were moments when he was tested, and he made the smart decision to throw the ball away to avoid the sack. His second pass of the day was for a 72-yard touchdown to wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Allar was able to extend a play while under pressure, and instead of rushing the ball for a couple of positive yards, he made it a huge play. This is just the beginning for Allar, and hopefully, he can take those two almost interceptions and learn from them. Either way, his first start led to a Penn State win.
Penn State QB Drew Allar (15) – Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
The Offensive Line
It could have been worse, but the offensive line needs to be better. Penn State did go through personnel changes with a retirement from Landon Tengwall, a projected starter; there is leniency there. Moving forward, they will need to adjust and avoid silly mistakes quickly. They may have another game worth of wiggle room in week two, but a solid offensive line leads to strong Penn State wins.
There were some plays where Allar had no time at all to get the ball out. There were miscues leading to unblocked defenders running right at the young quarterback. In some plays, it worked well, as Allar was able to get the ball out quickly; in other plays, it forced a sack or incompletions. The Penn State quarterback was only sacked one time throughout the night. It was mainly communication issues on the line, which is something the players can learn from. While it was a Penn State win, some moments could have been rough for the Nittany Lions. The line will need to adjust and move forward.
Where the Defense Needs to Improve
The defense for the Nittany Lions will be just fine this season. A lot of their issues are fixable, especially after losing key players on the defense to the 2023 NFL Draft. What will hurt them the most this season is their size on the defensive line. All credit to West Virginia, their offensive line was a strong group. It is worrisome to see the Mountaineers were able to rush the ball down the middle with ease at times.
West Virginia also did well with the QB sneaks, something that needs to be worked on by the Nittany Lions’ defense. By the second half of the game, the Penn State defense did step up and was able to put more pressure on the quarterback. There were just little things the team will need to work on, such as completing their tackles. West Virginia continuously got more yards than they should have because the Nittany Lions’ defense could not wrap the player up. This needs to be something that is fixed right away before the team starts facing other Big Ten opponents. If they can fix those minor mistakes, another Penn State win will be no problem next week.
There was one miscommunication that led to a big gain for West Virginia, luckily, that did not happen to that extent again. Aside from those mistakes that are fixable, this Penn State win demonstrates that the Nittany Lions defence will not slow down from where they left off in 2022.
Penn State S Keaton Ellis (2) – Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
The Kicker
One of the most surprising issues in this Penn State win is the team’s kicker. When the Nittany Lions scored their first two touchdowns, Sander Sahaydak took the two extra points and made them. All was looking well until the field goal attempts. Sahaydak missed both his attempts wide, and both kicks were under 40 yards out. The team made a switch that led to Alex Felkins going into the game. Felkins made all three extra points and one field goal. While it is yet to be seen if the team will make an official switch at kicker, Felkins helped boost the Penn State win and can be expected next week.
Penn State Win: What’s Next?
Next weekend, the Penn State Nittany Lions will face the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens. The game will once again be held at Beaver Stadium. This is a game that the Nittany Lions should win, so there are minor things that everyone should watch for. The first will be communication on the offensive line. No one expects Allar to have easy games every week, but he shouldn’t be hit because a defender went unblocked down the middle. The second thing to watch for is the defense stopping the run down the middle. This is where the West Virginia game hurt them. The game will take place on Saturday, September 9th at 12 pm Eastern.
