5 reasons why Penn State could win vs. West Virginia
Penn State opens up their season hosting the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday night in NBC’s new prime time Big Ten television package. The highly anticipated season for the Nittany Lions will be put to the test against an upset minded West Virginia team who heard all offseason they have no chance to win this game.
It’s highly unlikely that James Franklin has allowed that sentiment to enter into his locker room and they should be ready to dominate as soon as the game begins.
Here are five reasons why Penn State could win on Saturday.
Stopping the Run
West Virginia is a run first team and will lean heavily on their ground game Saturday. It will up to Penn State’s interior defensive line and linebacking corps to make sure that doesn’t happen.
If they’re able to accomplish that, then they’ll force the Mountaineers into obvious passing situations where their talented rushers can get after the passer.
Allar Looks Good
There are high expectations for new quarterback Drew Allar as he likely starts his first game for Penn State. He’ll be a major factor in this game, attacking a West Virginia defense that struggled mightily defending the pass last season.
It won’t be his first college action since he appeared in 10 games last year, but there could still be some nerves starting his first ever game in primetime at Beaver Stadium. If he limits mistakes, finds open receivers and flashes his talent, then Penn State should cruise to victory.
Wide Receivers Flash
The biggest question mark surrounding the Penn State team this season is the wide receiver group. They lost their two leading receivers and will need a young unit to step up and fill that void.
Keandre Lambert-Smith is set to take over the number one role, something that he hasn’t had to do during his career. Opposite of him as the other starter will be Harrison Wallace, who’s gotten limited targets when active. There are others on the roster who are competing for the third starting spot and playing time. They’ll have an opportunity to showcase what they have during this game and be a reason why Penn State wins.
Elite Pass Rushing
Don’t let the opposing quarterback get comfortable. That will be the goal all season long for Penn State’s pass rushers coming off the edge. If they are able to stop the run against West Virginia, they’ll have ample opportunities to make sure that’s the case during passing situations.
Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is known to dial up the pressure. It’s up to the edge players to make sure they get to the quarterback and make it a long Saturday night.
Dominate on the Ground
Behind Allar in the backfield will be one of the best running back tandems in college football. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are both coming off dominant freshmen seasons are looking to take their game to the next level this year. That should be the case as they’ll have perhaps the best offensive line in the Franklin era blocking for them.
Dominating on the ground will open up the passing game as well and will be a major factor in Penn State’s victory.
