It’s officially game week!
The long wait for Penn State football to return has mercifully come to an end. High expectations have surrounded the Nittany Lions for this upcoming season after they closed out last year with a Rose Bowl victory and it’s finally time to see it play out on the field.
Action returns to Beaver Stadium in Week 1 of the college football season as Penn State will be the first Big Ten team to play on NBC’s new primetime television package. They’ll welcome an old rival in West Virginia to get things started in the 2023 campaign.
So, who are the West Virginia Mountaineers that Penn State will face this weekend?
Here are five things to know before kick off on Saturday.
1
They want to run the ball
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
West Virginia gets back three key running backs from last season, including their second leading rusher and touchdown leader CJ Donaldson. Those running backs will be lined up behind an offensive line that returns all five starters from last season.
The ground game will be the driving factor of this offense after their running backs coach was promoted to offensive coordinator in the offseason. The Mountaineers averaged 171.5 yards rushing last year and will look to do the same this season.
2
Neal Brown is calling plays
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Head coach Neal Brown could be on the hotseat if the season doesn’t go well. So, he’s not taking chances and will go back to calling plays in 2023. Before taking over the West Virginia job, Brown was the head coach at Troy and was involved in an offensive explosion there resulting in the program’s first Top-25 ranking.
Will the head coach going back to play calling duties help or hurt the overall performance of the team? Saturday will be an interesting environment to see how the team is affected.
3
Quarterback questions
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Similarly to Penn State, the West Virginia coaching staff hasn’t officially named who their starting quarterback will be on Saturday. However, most people close to the situation expect junior Garrett Greene to get starting reps even if there’s a rotation during the game.
There had been a competition throughout the offseason between Greene and redshirt freshman Nicco Marchiol. It’s likely that both quarterbacks will get snaps in the game.
4
Defense looks to rebound
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
The defense was a disaster last year allowing 32.9 points per game. They lost three of their defensive line starters but return their best one in Sean Martin. Leading tackler Lee Kpogba is also back and will be the leader of a defense who brought in eight transfers.
The secondary was an issue last season and is still the weakness of the team. However, some of their younger players certainly improved and should provide some stability on the back end.
5
They’re hungry for an upset
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Their head coach is on the hot seat. They were embarrassed at times on defense. They have heard all offseason that they have no chance to win when coming into Beaver Stadium.
West Virginia is going to be hungry to pull of the upset against Penn State in the opener. Neal Brown needs a statement win and the players in the program need a statement win. Pulling this off would be a massive statement.
The Nittany Lions better be ready to play and show why they are so highly thought of heading into the season or they will have a war on their hands.