UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 8/9 Penn State begins the 2024 season with a road game at West Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on FOX at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Great lunch start: Penn State will be FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff in Week 1. Penn State has been the featured game three times in 2023.
SERIES HISTORY: Penn State will face West Virginia for the 61st time in program history. The Nittany Lions hold a 49-9-2 lead in the series, including five straight wins. Penn State has a 17-6-1 record in road games and has won 33 of the last 35 meetings. Last year, Penn State won 38-15. Drew Allar threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns, while Nicholas Singleton ran for 70 yards and a touchdown. Penn State held the Mountaineers to 162 passing yards and collected three sacks.
START RIGHT: Penn State has won 19 of its last 22 season openers and seven of its last eight. The Nittany Lions have an overall record of 113-22-2 in season openers and 21-11 in season openers on the road, including an 18-10 record against non-Big Ten opponents. This is the second consecutive year Penn State will open a season against West Virginia.
DYNAMIC DUO: The Nittany Lions return juniors Nicholas Singleton (1,813) and Kaytron Allen (1,763), both of whom have rushed for 1,700 yards in their careers. Penn State is one of eight FBS teams entering the 2024 season with at least two 1,700-yard rushing runners on their roster.
LIVING IN THE BACKFIELD: Penn State boasted one of the best defenses in college football in 2023. The Nittany Lions recorded a program-best 49 sacks and led the country in total sacks (49), sacks per game (3.77), tackles for loss per game (8.5), rushing defense (75.5), yards per rush (2.26) and first downs allowed (181), while ranking second in total defense (246.7) and yards per game (4.16).
THE SUBJECT: West Virginia went 9-4 in 2023 and finished the year with a 30-10 win over North Carolina in Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The Mountaineers went 6-3 in the Big 12, including wins over Texas Tech, TCU, UCF, BYU, Cincinnati and Baylor. WVU is receiving votes in the AP and Coaches Polls to start the season.
IN NUMBERS
- 138.: Penn State opens its 138th football season
- 49: PSU set a program record and led the nation with 49 sacks last season.
- 1,700×2: PSU and UCF are the only FBS teams that will have two 1,700-yard rushers who played their entire career at one school.
- 15: The Nittany Lions are represented with 15 All-Big Ten nominations.
The mountaineers explore
- Neal Brown begins his sixth season as head coach at West Virginia.
- At West Virginia, he owns a 31-29 record and a 66-45 career mark in his tenth year as head coach.
- Brown led the Mountaineers to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in 2020, the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in 2021 and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in 2023.
- West Virginia finished 9-4 in 2023, including a 6-3 record in Big 12 play.
- WVU won the regular season against Duquesne (56-17), Pitt (17-6), Texas Tech (20-13), TCU (24-21), UCF (41-28), BYU (37-7), Cincinnati (42-21) and Baylor (34-31).
- The Mountaineers finished the 2023 season with a 30-10 win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
- WVU ranked in the FBS top 10 last season in rushing offense (228.9; 3rd), sacks allowed (0.77; 3rd), yards per completion (15.02; 5th), punt return defense (0.23; 5th) and time of possession (32:41; 9th), while leading the Big 12 in sacks per game (2.54) and fewest interceptions thrown (7).
- QB Garrett Greene returns after throwing for 2,406 yards and 16 touchdowns and running for 772 yards and 13 scores.
- Greene ranked second in the nation in yards per completion (16.37) last season, while leading the Big 12 in yards per carry (6.43; 9th nationally) and finishing fourth in rushing touchdowns (13).
- RB Jaheim White (842 rushing yards, 4 TD) and RB CJ Donaldson Jr. (798 rushing yards, 11 TD) also return to the backfield.
- WR Hudson Clement ranked third nationally in yards per reception (21.82) in 2023.
- WVU’s defense consisted of nine players with 5 or more tackles for loss in 2023. From that group, LB Ben Cutter (6.0 TFL), DL Sean Martin (5.0) and SPUR Tyrin Bradley (5.0) return.
- Punter Oliver Straw averaged 43 yards per punt a year ago.
Season openings on the way
- Penn State has an overall record of 113-22-2 in season openers.
- PSU has won 19 of its last 22 season opening games and seven of its last eight season opening contests.
- The Nittany Lions have a 21-11 road record to begin the season, including 18-10 against teams outside of the Big Ten.
- Penn State will open the season on the road against a non-conference opponent for the first time since 2015 at Temple.
- The Nittany Lions have won their last two away games to open the season (35-31 at Purdue, 2022; 16-10 at No. 12 Wisconsin, 2021).
- This is the first time Penn State has opened a season against West Virginia.
WATCHLISTS
- Several Nittany Lions were placed on preseason watch lists.
- Junior Quarterback Drew Allar was named to the watch lists for the Davey O’Brien, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Manning Award and Maxwell Award.
- Junior RB Kaytron Allen was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list.
- Junior LB Abdul Carter landed on the watch lists for the Bednarik Award, the Lombardi Award, the Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Nagurski Trophy and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
- Redshirt Senior OL Nick Dawkins was put on the watch list for the Dice Trophy.
- Junior EN Dani Dennis Sutton is on the watch list for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.
- Redshirt junior LS Tyler Duzansky is on the Mannelly Award watch list.
- Junior WR Omari Evans is on the watch list for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.
- Redshirt sophomore OL Olaivavega Ioane and Redshirt Senior+ DT Dvon J-Thomas are on the watch list for the Polynesian Player of the Year award.
- Redshirt Junior LB Kobe King landed on the watch list for the Butkus Award.
- Junior K Chase Meyer was selected for the Lou Groza Award Watch List.
- Junior RB Nicholas Singleton was named to the watch lists for the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award, the Paul Hornung Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
- Junior P Riley Thompson is on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award.
- Senior TE Tyler Warren was named to the Mackey Award Watch List.
- Junior S Kevin Winston Jr. was selected for the Bednarik Award watch list.
- Redshirt Senior+OL Sal Wormley has been added to the watchlist for the Outland Trophy.
- Allar, Allen, Carter, Dennis Sutton, WR Julian FlemingKing, OL JB NelsonS Jaylen ReedOIL Nolan RucciSingleton, Warren, Winston and Wormley are on the watch list for the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
- Junior EN Abdul Carter was named a first-team All-American by Action Network during the preseason.
- Carter was selected to the All-America second team by the Associated Press, CBS, ESPN and The Athletic this preseason.
- Carter was also named All-American with the Walter Camp Award prior to the season.
- Redshirt Senior+OL Sal Wormley was selected to the preseason All-America second team by the Action Network.
- First semester OL Cooper Cousins was named a preseason True Freshman All-American by 247Sports, On3 and ESPN.
