MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — One of the big talking points at the start of Penn State’s football season was the transition between new coordinators Andy Kotelnicki (offense) and Tom Allen (defense).
Both passed their first test with distinction.
The Nittany Lions defeated West Virginia University 34-12 on Saturday afternoon/evening after the game was delayed 139 minutes due to lightning and inclement weather.
But before Milan Puskar Stadium was evacuated, Penn State’s offense displayed an exhilarating passing game.
Drew Aller had 199 yards in the first half alone and caught five passes to new starting wide receiver Trey Wallace for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
His 50-yard pass over the middle to Wallace gave the Lions the lead and then his precise 18-yard throw to Wallace in the end zone with just 10 seconds left in the first half gave the Lions a 20-6 lead, effectively the knockout punch.
Kotelnicki has given Alar his best performance yet.
“We’re going to be very creative, and I think you’ve seen some of that today,” Aller said.
In addition to his chemistry with Wallace, the Lions’ offense operated with determination and purpose.
He advanced to the West Virginia 31 and faced a fourth-down-and-4 situation early in the second quarter, leading 7-0, but he sprinted to the free throw line and found tight end Tyler Warren for a first down to keep the drive going, without hesitation.
“What we want is an aggressive attitude,” said Aller, adding that Kotelnicki would be “calm and confident” in command of games and play quickly.
Leading 13-6 with 37 seconds left and the Lions looking like they were running out the clock, they got running back Nick Singleton for a first down and then a long 55-yard pass to Omari Evans to stun WVU.
The play led to a touchdown run by Wallace and gave the Lions the lead.
“That goal before halftime was really important,” James Franklin said.
Aller wasn’t much of a running threat last year, but Kotelnicki has given him an air of unpredictability as he’s popped out of the pocket to pick up multiple first downs.
“If the quarterback can use his legs and get a couple of first downs, it makes all the difference,” Franklin said, joking that he calls Allah “Lamar Allah” after Lamar Jackson.
Aller lost 10 pounds to improve his quickness in the pocket and used his strength to show off a stiff arm that drew attention on Twitter, while Kotelnicki used backup Beau Pribula effectively, who ran three times for 25 yards and threw a touchdown pass.
Not only did the Lions find a WR1 in Wallace, but the offense also committed to the run game, using motion well and spreading the field with a variety of options.
They seemed especially focused on getting Nick Singleton on the edge and into space, as he gained 114 yards on just 13 carries.
“We worked hard on the run game and Nick had some success,” Franklin said.
Defensively, Allen’s team buckled in short yardage situations, controlled the WVU run game, forced three turnovers and kept the Mountaineers out of the end zone at key times.
“We’ve been saying all this time that when the big plays come, we’ve got to make them,” standout safety Jalen Reed said.
Like his predecessor Manny Diaz, Allen used a few reserves early on to keep his starters fresh, which helped Penn State stop 10 of West Virginia’s first 13 third-down opportunities as the game took shape.
“We need to get more sacks early in the game,” Franklin said, adding that that allowed West Virginia to control the clock and keep the Lions offense off the field, “but overall we were able to get the job done when we needed to.”
It was just one game, but it was against a worthy opponent in a tough environment, and the Mountaineers were left talking to themselves.
West Virginia coach Neal Brown praised the Lions in his opening remarks, but quickly added, “We played poorly. To say we were disappointing would be an understatement … and on a big stage.”
Penn State was ready.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com and will respond to short comments on Gameday.
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