Penn State Football begins its quest for a national championship Saturday night under the lights inside Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lions have a good roster, and should be in title contention all season. Led by former five-star quarterback Drew Allar, head coach James Franklin‘s team opens the season at home against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Penn State needs to take care of business early, or else West Virginia could be the kind of team who hangs around and plays spoiler in Week 1.

Penn State Football Must Stop These Mountaineers Players

QB Garrett Greene

West Virginia has a new offensive coordinator, Chad Scott, a newish quarterback in Garrett Greene, and all new receivers.

Last season, Greene showed himself to be a real threat with his legs in a 23-20 win over Oklahoma, when he ran for 119 yards and passed for 138 yards.

Greene only started two games last season, and Penn State must do their best to keep him in the pocket and not let him use his legs.

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RB C.J. Donaldson

The Mountaineers return three offensive linemen, which could allow them to be a successful running team, especially with a quarterback with only two starts under his belt—running back C.J. Donaldson will be a player the Nittany Lions will need to key on.

Donaldson rushed for 526 yards on 6.0 yards per carry as a freshman. Look for Penn State to load the box to slow the West Virginia rushing attack.

DE Sean Martin

West Virginia’s defense was terrible last year, giving up 32.9 points per game, but they have one player that West Virginia must account for defensive end Sean Martin.

Martin had 34 tackles last season, along with four sacks. The Nittany Lions must ensure Martin does not have a big game by running away and using a double-team block to neutralize Martin.

 

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