Penn State Football

Penn State Football Sets the Pace in Big Ten Week 1 Wrap-Up with Commanding Victory

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Week One of the new Big Ten season is over, and it had many fun twists and turns, beyond Penn State Football’s dismantling of West Virginia, in Morgantown.

It started Thursday night when Minnestoa missed the game-winning kick to beat North Carolina. The Gophers fell to the Tar Heels 19-17, making Minnestoa’s head coach, P. J. Fleck’s seat a little warm.

Two other games were played Thursday night, with Rutgers beating Howard 44-7 and Illinois beating Eastern Illinois 45-0.

Big Ten Contenders Start Fast

On Friday night, two Big Ten teams took center stage. The first to hit the field was Michigan State against Florida Atlantic with its new head coach, Jonathan Smith, and quarterback Aidan Chiles, both coming over from Oregon State.

Chiles’s debut could have been better, only completing 10 of his 24 passes for 114 yards and throwing two interceptions, but the Spartans got the win 16-10, so that’s what matters most.

Wisconsin would end Friday night with a game at home against Western Michigan, and the Badgers had to pull away late for the 28-14 victory.

On Saturday, Purdue opened their 2024 season with a 49-0 win over Indiana State, and Iowa also blanked their competition, Illinois State, winning by 40.

Maryland started a new era without their starting quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa, and his replacement, Billy Edwards Jr., had a nice day. He beat Uconn 50-7 while throwing for 311 yards and two scores.

Penn State went into Morgantown and beat West Virginia 34-12. It was led by quarterback Drew Allar, who threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns, while his running back Nick Singleton had 114 yards on the ground and a score.

Northwestern has no football stadium, but that didn’t stop them from beating Miami, OH, 13-6. Nebraska showed off its freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, beating UTEP 40-7.

Ohio State started its 2024 season with a 52-6 win against Akron. The defense scored twice, and true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had six catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

The defending national champions Michigan had a quarterback change this offseason since last year’s starter, J.J. McCarthy, went to the NFL, and Alex Orj was expected to take his place. Still, Davis Warren was named the starter, which is shocking.

The Wolverines still got the job done, beating Fresno State 30-10, and star cornerback Will Johnson added a late-game pick-six to seal it.

Should Oregon Ducks Be Worried in Big Ten?

Big Ten
Idaho Vandals quarterback Jack Layne runs for a touchdown as the Oregon Ducks host the Idaho Vandals Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

Four new Big Teams made their conference debut this weekend, and Oregon had a rough go of things, only beating Idaho 24-14.

There is some cause for concern for the Ducks, but don’t sell your stock in them just yet. They still have one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Dillon Gabriel, and head coach Dan Lanning is one of the best minds in the sport.

UCLA went to Hawaii and snuck out with a 16-13 win, and Washington opened their new era without head coach Kalen DeBoer and beat Weber State 35-3.

Lastly, on Sunday night in Las Vegas, 23rd-ranked USC knocked off 13th-ranked LSU 27-20, and the Trojan’s starting quarterback, Miller Moss, had a coming-out party, throwing for 378 yards and one score.

USC and Penn State had the two best wins of the weekend, and the conference went 17-1. Minnesota was the only loss.

MORE: Dan Mullen Makes Bold Big Ten Claim

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