Nittany Lions present well-coordinated effort
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- One of the main storylines entering the Penn State football season concerned the transition of new coordinators Andy Kotelnicki (offense) and Tom Allen (defense).
Both passed their opening tests with flying colors.
The Nittany Lions defeated West Virginia, 34-12, on a frustrating Saturday afternoon/evening as the game was delayed 139 minutes due to lightning and threatening weather.
Before Milan Puskar Stadium was evacuated, however, Penn State's offense put on a refreshing passing-game display.
Drew Allar racked up 199 yards in the first half alone, finding new leading wide receiver Trey Wallace five times for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
His 50-yarder over the middle to Wallace opened the scoring, and his pinpoint 18-yarder to Wallace in the end zone with just 10 seconds remaining in the first half gave the Lions a 20-6 lead that essentially was the knockout punch.
Allar never looked better, thanks to Kotelnicki.
"We're going to be super creative, and I think you saw some of that today," Allar said.
In addition to the chemistry with Wallace, the Lions' offense functioned decisively and with purpose.
When they advanced to the West Virginia 31 and faced fourth-and-4 early in the second quarter, leading 7-0, they hustled to the line and found tight end Tyler Warren for a drive-sustaining first down. No hesitation.
"The attitude we want is to be aggressive," Allar said, saying Kotelnicki calls a game "with calmness and confidence" and gets the plays in quickly.
When it appeared the Lions would run out the clock with 37 seconds remaining and a 13-6 lead, they ran Nick Singleton on first down and then surprised WVU by chucking a 55-yard bomb to Omari Evans.
That play set up the Wallace TD that put the Lions in command.
"That score before the half was really important," James Franklin said.
Kotelnicki has bought an air of unpredictability as Allar, who was not a running threat last year, scrambled out of the pocket several times for first downs.
"If your quarterback can get two-three first downs with his legs, that changes everything," Franklin said, joking that he's calling Allar "Lamar-Allar," in reference to Lamar Jackson.
Allar has lost 10 pounds to be quicker in the pocket and combined his strength to make a stiff-arm Twitter highlight while Kotelnicki effectively mixed in backup Beau Pribula, who ran three times for 25 yards and threw a touchdown pass.
Not only have the Lions found WR1 in Wallace, the offense was committed to its run game, used motion well and spread the field with varied options.
It seemed especially committed to getting Nick Singleton to the edge and in space. He wound up with 114 yards on just 13 carries.
"We grinded the run game, and Nick busted a few," Franklin said.
On defense, Allen's team bowed up in short-yardage situations, controlled WVU's run game, forced three turnovers and kept the Mountaineers out of the end zone when it mattered.
"We've been harping on when the big plays come, you've got to make them," safety Jaylen Reed, who stood out, said.
Like predecessor Manny Diaz, Allen tabbed a number of backups early to keep the starters fresh, and as the game was being shaped, that helped Penn State reject 10 of West Virginia's first 13 third-down opportunities.
"We need to get more sacks earlier in the game," Franklin said, adding it led to WVU controlling the clock and keeping the Lions' offense off the field. "But overall, we got the job done when it was needed."
While this was just one game, it did come against a respectable opponent in a hostile environment and left the Mountaineers talking to themselves.
In his opening remarks, WVU coach Neal Brown gave the Lions credit but quickly added: "We played bad football. To say I am disappointed would be an understatement ... And it was on a big stage."
One for which Penn State was ready.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com. He will respond to brief comments in Gameday.