Penn State Football's Offense Comes Alive in First Half vs. West Virginia

Now, that’s more like it, for Penn State Football.

This is why Andy Kotelnicki is here with the Penn State Nittany Lions. After watching the former Kansas Jayhawks head coach torch the opposition in the Big 12, James Franklin decided he wanted to see some of that on his coaching staff in 2024.

Thanks in large part to Kotelnicki throwing the playbook wide open in the second quarter, the Nittany Lions sprinted into the locker room with a 20-6 halftime lead.

A hard-fought and mistake-filled first quarter was quickly forgotten as we were treated to a highlight-reel moment in the second stanza.

Shortly after the whistle was blown to alert everyone that the second quarter began, scrimmaging from just inside enemy territory, Drew Allar found Harrison Wallace for six points to silence the citizens of Morgantown.

HARRISON WALLACE TO THE HOUSE 🏠🔥@PennStateFball strikes first in Morgantown 🙌

(brought to you by @ATTBusiness #ATTBusiness #NextLevelNetwork) pic.twitter.com/zQeJWXftqS

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 31, 2024

BOOM 💥

Touchdown Penn State! pic.twitter.com/LCSyaQRAd9

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) August 31, 2024

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For some reason, Penn State followed that effort with a two-point conversion attempt. It didn’t work, but that’s okay. Weeks from now, we’ll say that this is one of those throws the Nittany Lions can build on.

Why Penn State Football’s Offensive Effort is Encouraging

Seeing some of the quick-strike ability from the Nittany Lions offense is a welcome sight to the Penn State faithful.

Big plays… Quick strike ability… This is why everyone is excited about Drew Allar. This is what Penn State fans have waited to see.

We wondered about Allar’s confidence (and whether this receiving corps could shine). This is a long season. There’s plenty of football yet to be played in 2024, but for a team facing so many questions tackling a worthy opponent on the road, this is one of those plays that weeks from now, we might be saying was one the offense built upon.

After five pass receptions went for 50 yards or more this past season, the Nittany Lions hope this might mean we’ll see 4th of July-level fireworks moving forward.

Allar capped the first half with7-of-12 passing 199 yards and three touchdowns.

In addition to Allar’s big-play potential that he flashed in the second quarter, running back Kaytron Allen showed off his playmaking ability on a 21-yard touchdown catch and run where he sliced and diced through the heart of the Mountaineers’ defense for the score.

Penn State has to be encouraged by the first 30 minutes of the season from a revamped and new-look offense.