West Virginia
Gameday Coverage: No. 8 Penn State Vs. West Virginia
It’s finally here, folks.
Penn State opens its season Saturday against West Virginia at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. In the first year of the expanded College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions are facing immense pressure to earn their spot in the 12-team field.
Before that, though, James Franklin and Co. first have to get past the Mountaineers. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s season opener.
Television
After being the featured FOX game twice last year, Penn State will open the 2024 season on the network for Big Noon Kickoff. Gus Johnson will provide the play-by-play while Joel Klatt will provide color commentary with Jenny Taft as the sideline reporter.
Radio
Penn State Sports Network — Steve Jones and Jack Hamm
Local: 99.5 & 103.7 FM/ 1450 AM, Sirius/XM/Internet: 83/83/80
Weather
Saturday will be a mix of clouds and sun with an 86% chance of precipitation and a high of 86º, according to AccuWeather. There is also a chance of a late thunderstorm, which could delay the football game.
Last Meeting
Penn State opened its season last year at home against West Virginia, winning 38-15. In his debut as the starting quarterback, Drew Allar racked up 325 yards and three touchdowns.
Injuries
Over the offseason, Franklin said both quarterback Jaxon Smolik and wide receiver Peter Gonzalez suffered “long-term” injuries and would miss significant time. On Monday, Franklin said wide receiver and punt returner Kaden Saunders was dealing with some “bumps and bruises,” but was hopeful for Saturday’s game.
Betting Lines
The Nittany Lions are -8.5-point favorites over West Virginia with a -316 moneyline, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 51.5 points.
Media Coverage
Onward State will have you covered throughout today’s game. Find big plays, analysis, photos, and more on our main Twitter account @OnwardState as well as play-by-play commentary from @OnwardStSports.
Football writers CJ Doebler (@CDoebler) and Mitch Corcoran (@MitchCorc18) will provide you with coverage from inside the press box, while Nolan Wick (@nolan_wick) will do the same from State College.
Photographers Hailey Stutzman (@stutzhailey) and Mikey DeAngelis (@mikey_deangelis) will provide visual updates from the field.
Onward State
West Virginia
6-year-old autistic child allegedly grabbed around throat aggressively by teacher at West Virginia school, 3 staff members facing charges
MARSHALL COUNTY, W. Va. (WTRF) – Charges have been filed by law enforcement against three Marshall County educators involving alleged abuse of an autistic child.
The West Virginia State Police began an investigation into this alleged neglect back in October after a complaint was made about a child being abused by a teacher.
Now, some of these school employees are facing felony charges.
The investigation started on Oct. 8 when state police were made aware of an incident involving potential child abuse at McNinch Elementary School that had occurred on Sept. 18.
According to the complaint, a special needs teacher, Kiersten Nicole Moses, grabbed a 6-year-old autistic child by the neck and used both hands to squeeze the student.
The report says the child is non-verbal.
As the investigation continued, Sergeant S.M Durrah learned the alleged abuse was witnessed by an aid, who reported the incident to the school principal, Jane Ann Duffy.
The court filing says Duffy advised that the student needed to be seen by the school nurse, and she later reported the incident to Erin Michelle Cuffaro, the Marshall County Special Programs Director.
The incident was recorded and later viewed by both Duffy and Cuffaro.
The court filing claims the video shows Moses physically grabbing the child’s neck for several seconds; therefore, meeting the requirements for a report to be made through the Child Abuse Hotline.
Per state law, mandated reporters are required to contact the Department of Human Services within 24 hours when they suspect abuse or neglect.
According to the investigating officer, no report was made to the department by school personnel until Oct. 5.
Now, several criminal complaints have been filed against these three educators in the Marshall County Magistrate Court.
The teacher accused of grabbing the child, Moses, faces four felony charges including two counts of battery and assault of a disabled child, strangulation and child abuse resulting in injury.
Duffy, the principal of McNinch Elementary, is charged with one misdemeanor count of failure to report the suspected child abuse.
The county’s special programs director, Cuffaro, also faces several charges including eight felony counts of child neglect resulting in injury, and multiple misdemeanors including failure to report, interference with officers and obstruction.
Investigators say Cuffaro put eight children at risk by not removing Moses from the classroom and failed to report the abuse on at least two occasions.
One of those misdemeanor charges involves text messages between Duffy and Cuffaro describing the incident that had allegedly been deleted by Cuffaro.
7News reached out to Marshall County School officials and were provided a statement by Superintendent Dr. Shelby Haines.
She says, “Our top priority is educating children. We have been and will continue to collaborate with law enforcement, the WV Department of Education, and legal counsel.”
All three educators have been arraigned and posted bond.
Stay tuned to 7News for developments.
West Virginia
West Virginia Officially Snags Playmaking Linebacker Miles Khatri
The state of Florida has treated West Virginia well over the years, and certainly in this recruiting class. The latest signee making his way up from Florida is linebacker Miles Khatri.
LB Miles Khatri’s Recruiting Profile
Follow him on X: @MilesKhatri
Height: 6’0″ Weight: 212
Hometown: Pike Road, AL
High School: Pike Road
Other offers: Air Force, Arkansas State, Army, Charlotte, Liberty, North Alabama, Samford, Tennessee Tech, UAB, West Georgia, Western Kentucky.
Scouting Report
Very instinctual player, who does a great job of snuffing out not only run plays but screens. He may not have the ideal size, but he more than makes up for it with his ability to cover ground in a hurry. Once he extends an arm and grabs hold of you, he typically finishes the play right then and there. No wiggling free for extra yardage. Love what he can do in the run game and shutting things down on the perimeter. This season, he registered 93 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, seven sacks, an interception, and one forced fumble. Has a nose for the football and can help put the opposing offense behind the sticks at any given moment.
Projected Playing Time
This is a guy I think defensive coordinator Zac Alley can have a lot of fun with because of his positional flexibility. He can play inside or either outside backer positions, and even played a good deal of nickel for his high school. To be honest, I’m having a hard time predicting a timeline on his path to the field because I’m unsure of where he’ll actually settle in. If he does play Nickel/SAM as well as weakside backer, he could play his way into the rotation by year two. If he happens to stick at one of the backer spots, he may need to wait a little longer. That versatility should help him in one way or another, though.
TUNE IN TONIGHT TO WEST VIRGINIA ON SI
Later tonight, we will have our annual National Signing Day special on our YouTube Page (West Virginia On SI). Be sure to subscribe to the channel to get a notification the second the episode drops. On this year’s show, we’ll be joined by offensive lineman Camden Goforth and pass rusher Noah Tishendorf. We’ll offer a full breakdown of the 2026 class, discussing who could contribute or start from day one, who may need some time to develop, under-the-radar signees, and what the remaining needs are for the Mountaineers in the transfer portal.
West Virginia
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