It is just over three weeks until Penn State plays their first game of the 2023 season in Beaver Stadium. They’ll host an old rival in the West Virginia Mountaineers under the lights on NBC’s new primetime Big Ten package.
We’re starting a mini series where we give an early scouting report for each of the Penn State opponents on the schedule this year.
West Virginia is first on the list.
Last Year’s Results
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2022 Record: 5-7 (3-6 in conference)
Head Coach: Neal Brown (4 seasons; 22-25 record)
It was a tough season for the Mountaineers last year. They missed out on bowl eligibility for the first time in two years under Brown. The highlights of their season included beating Virginia Tech on the road, beating Oklahoma for the first time since joining the Big 12 and winning at Oklahoma State to close the year.
Despite the good moments, it wasn’t a good enough year for Brown, who finds himself on the hot seat if he can’t get things rolling in the right direction this season. With four new additions to the conference in 2023, athletic directors won’t be stagnant if they feel like their program can get buried. It’s a make or break year for Brown.
Offensive Preview
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West Virginia is returning all five of their offensive line starters from last season. This is huge for a team that has had turnover across their offense in recent years. Three of their key running backs also returned to school, led by CJ Donaldson who led the team with eight rushing touchdowns.
Quarterback is the question mark for the offense. It most likely will be last year’s backup Garrett Greene who appeared in nine games during the 2022 season. He’ll be throwing to an inexperienced receiving group despite the transfer addition of Devin Carter from NC State.
Based on this, the Mountaineers will be a run first team in 2023 under first year offensive coordinator Chad Scott who was last year’s running backs coach. They will look to establish their running game against Penn State, who was gashed on the ground in multiple games last season.
Penn State’s new defensive interior better be ready for this test.
Defensive Preview
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The defense was horrible last year giving up 32.9 points and 412.3 yards per game. Six starters are back which should help improve things a bit. However, their secondary was a major weakness last season and continues to be inexperienced heading into 2023.
West Virginia struggled to get after the passer and to turn the ball over in 2022. That will definitely be an emphasis they’ll try to address over the offseason. The question is if what is on their roster can fix their weaknesses in time for the showdown against Penn State.
Expect the Nittany Lions to try and take advantage of the leaky secondary in the home opener. Penn State wants to establish the run, but getting Drew Allar acclimated with his new wide receivers against a defense that doesn’t sack the passer and gives up big plays could be part of the gameplan.
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