Three reasons why West Virginia will beat Penn State in the season opener

One of the more highly-anticipated Week 1 matchups in college football features the eighth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions opening up the season on the road in Morgantown. The Mountaineers return a ton of talent from last year’s squad that won 9 games.

If West Virginia wants to pull off the upset, they need several things to go their way. Here are 3 reasons the Mountaineers can knock off Penn State on Saturday. 

1. An experience discrepancy in the WR room is to WVU’s advantage 

Things change rather quickly in the modern landscape of college football. Entering the 2023 season, West Virginia’s talent at the wide receiver position was seriously questioned, and for good reason.

Fast forward to the start of 2024, this is one of the positions where the Mountaineers feel they have high-quality depth. West Virginia could have six wide receivers see significant action on Saturday, and the coaching staff is confident in each of these playmakers. 

Sophomore Hudson Clement entered last season as a walk-on, but a 177-yard, 3-touchdown performance against Duquesne earned him a scholarship. He went on to have nearly 500 yards on the season, including two 80+ yard performances in the Mountaineers' final two games. 

Junior Preston Fox recorded 368 yards for the Mountaineers in 2023 and has turned some heads throughout Fall Camp. Traylon Ray will look to build upon a freshman campaign where he showed some flashes of being a key contributor for WVU.

Highly sought-after recruit Rodney Gallagher III will look to live up to the lofty expectations as he enters his sophomore season. Both Ray and Gallagher have reportedly made significant strides as they gear up for year 2 in the program. 

Not only does West Virginia return 4 wide receivers who saw significant playing time in 2023, but they also brought in 2 transfer wideouts. Oklahoma State transfer Jaden Bray turned some heads the last time he played in Morgantown in an OSU Cowboys victory.

Bray caught 4 passes for 53 yards and 1 touchdown. Bray recorded 382 yards on the season.

Senior, 6’4” wide receiver, Justin Robinson spent the previous two seasons at Mississippi State after transferring from Georgia. In his two seasons with Mississippi State, Robinson racked up 43 catches for 502 yards.

While none of those numbers are earth-shattering, West Virginia returns a competent and confident wide receiver group paired with two transfers coming in from power conference programs.

Not to mention, West Virginia’s 6’7” Kole Taylor will look to be a major factor in the passing game at the tight end position yet again. In 2023, Taylor hauled in 35 passes for 444 yards and 4 touchdowns.

On the other side, there is a little more uncertainty surrounding the Penn State wide receiver room. Ohio State transfer, Julian Fleming has totaled 963 yards in 4 years at Ohio State. He is coming off a season with 270 yards and 0 receiving touchdowns.

Harrison Wallace III had just 228 yards and 1 touchdown in 2023 for the Nittany Lions. Kaden Saunders tallied 56 yards and 1 touchdown in 12 appearances for Penn State last season. This is a wide receiver room with a lot of question marks. 

As far as week 1 is concerned, this position group should be viewed as an advantage for the Mountaineers and should West Virginia knock off Penn State, this discrepancy will be a reason why.

2. Penn State has new coordinators at all 3 phases of the game 

Penn State returns contributors all over the field. Alongside QB Drew Allar, running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton return after racking up 1,654 combined rushing yards in 2023. On defense, Penn State returns their two leading tacklers, Kevin Winston Jr. and Kobe King.

Talented Edge Rusher Abdul Carter also returns for the Nittany Lions in 2024. 

With that said, the offensive line will look different, with just one starter back and there are some questions surrounding the Penn State cornerback room due to their lack of experience.

On top of this, Penn State has a new offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and special teams coordinator in 2024. Former Kansas offensive coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki will take over in the same role on James Franklin’s staff.

Former Indiana University head coach Tom Allen is the new defensive coordinator. Thirdly, coach Justin Lustig is the team’s new special teams coordinator. 

Though time will tell, one has to imagine that having new coordinators across the board is not an ideal situation for the Nittany Lions as they open up the season on the road in Morgantown. 

3. Kole Taylor will have a big day on Saturday

Looking for a single player as a reason for the Mountaineers knocking off Penn State? Look no further than the aforementioned matchup nightmare, Kole Taylor.

Sure, there’s the obvious, Garrett Greene, Jahiem White, and CJ Donaldson Jr., but when all is said and done, Taylor will have to leave his imprint on the game if West Virginia is going to win. Kole Taylor was a consistent presence in the WVU offense in 2023.

With the threat of Penn State’s defensive front getting to the quarterback, look for Garrett Greene to find Kole Taylor for easy completions to be a part of the offensive game plan. 

Last season, Penn State proved to be vulnerable against talented tight ends. Cade Stover of Ohio State caught 4 passes for 70 yards. Former Maryland tight end, Corey Dyches caught 8 passes for 60 yards. Ole Miss tight end, Caden Prieskorn exploded for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 catches in the Peach Bowl. 

Kole Taylor will have to be a big performer for the Mountaineers in week 1. Both in the 3rd and short passing game and in the red zone, look for Greene to find Taylor in favorable matchups for the 6’7” tight end. 

The stage is set

West Virginia will host Penn State at 12PM ET on FOX - Saturday, August 31st from Morgantown. 

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