The rain fell hard as lightning strikes scattered the Appalachian landscape. It was a season opener that was both partially headlined by Penn State’s strong offensive performance and a weather delay that lasted over two hours. Despite the extended halftime, the fans stuck around and were there to celebrate as the Nittany Lions completed a 34-12 victory at West Virginia.
Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant soaked in the postgame energy with his teammates, coaches and the surprising amount of fans in blue and white who outlasted the storm. “Look how many people there are, man,” Durant said as he walked off the field and into the tunnel.
It’s a new year for the Nittany Lions. There are three new coordinators and a fresh crop of talent from the high school and transfer sectors. But despite the handful of novelties, Penn State began to prove their legitimacy in dominating what’s been projected as a competitive Mountaineers’ team. The show only continues from here.
The Nittany Lions were challenged “both physically and mentally,” James Franklin said following what could be his team’s last truly tough non-conference regular season game for quite a while. With that said, there were lessons learned by players, coaches and viewers. What can be taken away from the season opener?
Drew Allar thriving under Andy Kotelnicki system
There were highlights and lowlights in quarterback Drew Allar’s first year as a starting quarterback. And if his first game of 2024 said anything, it’s that he’s set to thrive in his second year as a starter, the first under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
Allar completed 11-of-17 pass attempts for 216 yards and three scores, also rushing for 44 yards on just six attempts. He threw two passes of at least 50 yards, one being a touchdown to wide receiver Harrison Wallace III and the other being a big deep shot to Omari Evans that set up a score with seconds remaining in the first half.
Kotelnicki made himself known for his explosive consistency while he served the same post at Kansas. On Saturday, Kotelnicki showcased that his ideology isn’t changing with a new program, and Allar is seemingly benefitting from his system.
“All the plays that he sets up for those kinds of shots are going to be plays that we’re going to call throughout each week; maybe it’s just dressed a little bit differently,” Allar said. “But yeah, I mean, I think that’s just the attitude we want to take on as an offense of being aggressive and being intentional about being aggressive.”
Kotelnicki getting his best players the ball
It was talked about all offseason. The key to Kotelnicki’s system revolves around getting his key playmakers the ball at a consistent rate. At West Virginia, he did just this, making it clear who Penn State’s best offensive players were, early and often. Wallace, running back Nick Singleton and tight end Warren played significant roles on Saturday, and that’s likely to continue.
Wallace hauled in five receptions for a career-high 117 yards and two touchdowns. Warren scored a wide-open touchdown in a beautiful play design that saw Allar out wide and backup Beau Pribula at quarterback. Singleton, meanwhile, had a pair of 40-yard rushes on his way to 114 rushing yards and a long touchdown. He broke 100 rushing yards just once last season.
“Getting the dirty runs, too, they’re obviously good runs, too. Coach (Ja’Juan) Seider is always talking about, ‘Don’t be mad if you’re only getting like two yards, four yards, five yards. Like, they keep piling up, and eventually they’ll break out,” Singleton said.
Reed, Winston commanding secondary
There were offseason questions regarding defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s ability to replace highly touted predecessor Manny Diaz. Those concerns were mostly quelled against the Mountaineers, who struggled to find a stride on the ground even with a well-known running back tandem and dual-threat quarterback. They couldn’t make a mark in the pass game, either.
Whether it was on the ground or in the air, safeties Kevin Winston Jr. and Jaylen Reed appeared to be all over everything. Winston tallied a game-high 12 tackles, as well as a forced fumble, while Reed — rotating between the nickel and safety — notched nine tackles, two pass breakups and a tackle for loss. Reed was all over the field.
“I’m more comfortable, seeing the game different. You know, I feel like the game slowed down for me a lot. You know, a lot of preparation that happened over this offseason,” Reed said. “The new position I’m playing, back and forth from safety, it’s allowed me to make plays that I couldn’t be in position to, so now I’m just making plays that come to me.”
Growing pains for Abdul Carter
It’s still a transition for Abdul Carter, a preseason All-American, in his transition from linebacker to defensive end. Carter showcased some of his burst off the edge, but hardly showed up on film or in the stat sheet, except for four penalties — three offsides calls, as well as a blatant and rough late hit on West Virginia running back C.J. Donaldson.
Carter recorded just one tackle as he and starting defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton rotated frequently with bench players Amin Vanover and Smith Vilbert. Carter should eventually find his stride, but it could take some time to settle into his new role.
Where were Julian Fleming and Liam Clifford?
That’s a question many have asked since the final whistle blew. For much of the preseason, Wallace and fellow wide receiver Liam Clifford were typically named in the same breath. However, Clifford did not register a catch on Saturday, nor did Julian Fleming, a veteran transfer from Ohio State.
Don’t quite hit the panic button. Both played significantly, and were used in roles that contributed to the blowout win, whether it appears in the statsheet or not. Kotelnicki got more than enough weapons involved, and it’s only a matter of time before he uses Clifford and Fleming for their strengths, as well.
What we learned about the starters
Franklin doesn’t reveal a depth chart, so there’s plenty of guessing that goes into the season opener about who exactly will win the starting roles. The three most significant positional competitions surrounded cornerback, right tackle and place kicker. And there’s now some more transparency as to who will typically man these posts for the time being.
At cornerback, transfers A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber received the starting nods, and played well in a rotation with veteran returnee Cam Miller and up-and-coming talents Audavion Collins and Elliot Washington II. While Harris and Kimber saw the most playing time, it was Washington who caught the team’s lone interception, a beautifully read route in the fourth quarter.
Another transfer was in the mix at right tackle, but returning redshirt freshman Anthony Donkoh ultimately won the job and held the position for most of the game. Nolan Rucci, a former 5-star recruit who joined the program from Wisconsin this offseason, was also in the mix for the starting role, but did not appear until late into action.
Sander Sahaydak was the only place kicker to play for Penn State on Saturday. He nailed all four of his extra-point attempts but missed a 47-yard field goal — his only attempt — meaning his competition is likely still on with walk-on Ryan Barker and Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer.
Redshirt tracker
A total of three freshmen made their college debuts on Saturday: offensive lineman Cooper Cousins, safety Dejaun Lane and tight end Luke Reynolds. Cousins and Lane both received the “green light” from Franklin to burn their redshirts, while Reynolds was almost guaranteed to play with No. 2 tight end Khalil Dinkins out with “bumps and bruises.”
Once a player has appeared in four games, their redshirt is burned. However, due to a recent rule change, this tally does not apply to playoff games.
