Penn State Football Game Balls, MVP From Week 1 Blowout Over West Virginia

Penn State Football emphatically started their season 1-0 Saturday, dominating the West Virginia Mountaineers en route to a 34-12 win.

While there were plenty of things to clean up (penalties, fumbles), Penn State’s new offense and defense played very well for the first game of the season.

 Penn State Football’s Game Balls, MVP from Saturday’s game

Jaylen Reed

The focus in the offseason in the Penn State safety room was KJ Winston. However, Saturday, safety Jaylen Reed looked like the best player on the field for Penn State Football for much of the game.

The senior safety was all over the field playing both safety and Penn State’s new “Lion” position. Reed finished the game with nine tackles (three solo), a tackle for a loss, two passes defended, and a fumble recovery.

Reed fit the “Lion” position perfectly for Penn State and James Franklin and Tom Allen should be excited for Reed’s potential as the season progresses in a very important position in Allen’s defense.

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Nick Singleton

After a frustrating 2023 season where Nick Singleton was not able to rush for over 40 yards on a rush one time after doing it seven times as a freshman in 2022, Singleton returned to his early form Saturday, hitting two rushes over 40 yards en route to a 118-yard performance.

Singleton looked decisive and confident Saturday, averaging 8.8 yards per carry (over double his season average of 2023 of 4.3).

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Honorable mention: Phil Trautwein

So these game balls are reserved for players, but Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein deserved a shoutout after Penn State’s offensive line performance Saturday.

Starting three new offensive linemen and rotating eight players on the line, Penn State’s offensive line did not allow a sack all afternoon and fronted Penn State’s rushing attack to 222 rushing yards (5.3 yards per carry).

There were a few holding penalties and false starts to clean up, but Trautwein did a fantastic job getting the offensive line ready to go and not missing a beat with three new starters.

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MVP – QB Drew Allar

After an offseason of talk about Penn State’s signal caller, Drew Allar silenced his critics with a fantastic performance.

Allar aired the ball out, showing confidence throwing the deep ball that was not seen regularly last season. The junior quarterback threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns, slicing up the Mountaineers defense.

In his best sequence of the day, Allar hit Omari Evans for 55 yards and Harrison Wallace for an 18-yard touchdown with six seconds left in the first half.

After the game, head coach James Franklin also revealed a new nickname for Allar, “Lamar Allar”, after he showed the most mobility that he has in a Penn State uniform. Allar rushed six times for 44 yards, averaging 7.3 yards per carry, looking much more comfortable moving both in the pocket and rushing when no one is open.

For his performance, Allar earned a shoutout from ESPN’s quarterback guru Dan Orlovsky, saying Allar looked “the best he ever has in a Penn State uniform.”

MORE: Penn State’s Offense Comes Alive at West Virginia

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