Penn State’s explosive offense bolstered the team to its first victory of the season over West Virginia on Saturday afternoon. The offense didn’t miss a beat, even through the over two-hour rain delay, as it put up 34 total points.
The Nittany Lion’s offense was firing on all cylinders with new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Drew Allar threw for three touchdowns, a top receiving threat may have emerged, Nick Singleton had over 100 rushing yards, and the offensive line didn’t give up a sack.
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As for explosive plays, specifically, James Franklin said after the game that his goal was to have 15 percent of snaps on offense go for explosive plays. According to Franklin, the team ended at 18.3 percent.
The first big play of the game was a 50-yard touchdown pass from Allar to Trey Wallace. Allar hit Wallace wide-open over the middle of the field and the speedy redshirt junior receiver did the rest.
Right before halftime, Allar took a shot downfield and found Omari Evans with a Mountaineer draped over him. The receiver went up and came down with the ball for a 55-yard gain.
“We know how fast he is,” Allar said after the game. “I was like ‘I’m just going to give [Evans] a chance’ and I think he did a great job of fighting for the ball and coming down with it.”
Evans’s grab set the Nittany Lions up at the West Virginia 18-yard line and a play later, Allar found Wallace again on a back-shoulder fade in the end zone with six seconds remaining in the half.
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“[Allar] gave me a chance,” Wallace said. “I just knew I had to go out there a make a play for him.”
“I think we saw [Wallace] be who we always thought he was,” Allar said of his receiver. “It was really good seeing that from him.”
Wallace finished the game with five receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns. However, the offense switched gears after halftime when the game was hit with a two-hour and 19-minute rain delay.
After the hours of rain, Penn State started flexing its running game in the second half. Singleton was the Nittany Lions’s leading rusher as he finished with 114 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Singleton’s only game where he rushed for over 100 yards last season came in the last week of the regular season against Michigan State.
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Singleton attributed the run to his offensive line who paved the way for over 200 yards on the ground and didn’t allow a sack during the game on Saturday.
“Shoutout to the whole line. They were doing their jobs,” Singleton said. “Shoutout to the tight ends, everybody. It was a whole team effort.”
As for Penn State’s most experienced offensive lineman Sal Wormley, he looks forward to explosive plays for the rest of the season. Wormley said the more explosive plays, the faster the offensive line can get off the field and stay rested.
“I don’t want to be taking these 14 play drives,” Wormley said jokingly. “We can do it, but it’s better if we can get them one and done.”
Although Penn State’s offense looked good against West Virginia last season, it wasn’t able to get anything going in the big games. Only time will tell if this offense is built to perform on the big stage this season. However, Allar believes the explosive plays can be consistent in Kotelnicki’s offense.
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“We want to be an explosive offense,” Allar said. “We want to put points up on the scoreboard, so that’s going to be our goal every week.”
Mitch is a senior broadcast journalism major from Johnstown, PA. He is a big Pittsburgh sports fan and in his free time he likes to listen to music, play video games, and rewatch old football games. He also loves Seinfeld, Star Wars, bucket hats, Chili’s, and Dua Lipa. If you want Justin Herbert propaganda or random sports content, follow him on Twitter/X @MitchCorc18 or email [email protected]
INSTITUTE, W.Va. — The Institute Fire Department has called a precautionary shelter-in-place for those living in close proximity to the Catalyst Refiners plant.
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According to Kanawha County Emergency Manager C.W. Sigman said there was an incident involving an acid-based material at around 9:30 .am. Wednesday.
According to Sigman, most of the material which was spilled was inside a building and it largely contained and the shelter-in-place is precautionary.
Emergency crews are on the scene treating multiple patents at the plant. The extent of injuries is not known.
A media briefing has been scheduled for 2 p.m.
CAMC/Vandalia confirmed they were preparing for patients as is WVU Medicine Thomas Hospital where they’ve activated their Incident Command Center.
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The plant is located between Institute and Nitro. The roadway is shut down on 1st Ave S in Institute from New Goff Mountain Rd to Kilowatt Rd.
The shelter-in-place is for a one-mile radius of the plant and includes the West Virginia State University campus.
The shelter-in-place put into effect for St. Albans was lifted at 10:30 a.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va (WCHS) — The West Virginia PSC held a public comment hearing on Tuesday regarding West Virginia American Water taking over Lincoln Lincoln Public Service District.
Only one person spoke out sharing what they’d like to see done if West Virginia American Water acquires the Lincoln PSD.
“If the company wants to get to folks who really need water, they should be looking at areas where drilling well is nearly impossible, like mine, which is actually closer to the lines than some of the places they mention in their filing. My neighbors and I live closer to the main water lines than the proposed Sugar Tree Road extension or the one and a half miles out to the campground that they plan on serving,” a Lincoln PSD customer shared during the meeting.
Lincoln PSD issued a boil water advisory on January 26th, and it wasn’t lifted until March 31st, leaving some customers not able to use what was coming out of their faucets.
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Just last year, the Lincoln County Commission voted to move forward with the dissolution of the Lincoln PSD, but, in September, the district filed a petition to stop the sale to West Virginia American Water. Soon after in November, PSC staff submitted a request asking the applicants to give specific financial information.
West Virginia American Water issued the following statement at Tuesday’s meeting:
“West Virginia American Water has been working collaboratively with the Lincoln County Commission and the Lincoln County Public Service District Board regarding the possible acquisition of the Lincoln County Public Service District. The proposal would involve the purchase of the 2,532-customer system. We appreciate the opportunity for public input and look forward to continuing to work through the Public Service Commission’s review process.”
Lincoln PSD customers received a letter in the mail this week stating that the system violated drinking water monitoring requirements. The utility noted what was done to correct the situation and added that customers are not at risk.
Customers were also alerted Tuesday night of a boil water notice tonight due to a recent inspection concluding that the utility is not currently meeting the minimum disinfection requirements for surface water facilities.
One of the best quarterbacks in recent memory to come through West Virginia, Will Grier, is approaching his eighth year in the NFL, which is quite the accomplishment for a backup. According to multiple reports early Tuesday morning, Grier is headed home, signing a free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers.
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Grier was selected in the third round (100th overall) by the Panthers in 2019 and, at the time, was viewed as someone who could potentially be the future face of the franchise. That plan got messed up pretty early as Ron Rivera was fired during his rookie season, ultimately replaced by Matt Rhule. That offseason, the Panthers decided to cut ties with Cam Newton and bring in Teddy Bridgewater, giving Carolina a completely different direction at quarterback.
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Following his second season with the Panthers, Grier was let go and began bouncing around the league. He spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and then back to the Cowboys in 2024 and 2025.
Although he has only played in two regular season games in his career, Grier is widely viewed as a tremendous veteran quarterback who can bring depth to a room and serve as an extra voice for the starter to lean on. In this case, he and former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett will fill that role for Bryce Young.
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Where Grier ranks among WVU QBs in the NFL
Nov 23, 2018; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Will Grier (7) celebrates during the second quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Statistically, he’s not going to catch anyone unless he somehow gets thrown into a starting role at some point, but as far as longevity goes, he’s been able to stick around in the NFL longer than most former Mountaineer quarterbacks.
Geno Smith (still active) is entering his 14th year in the league, and Jeff Hostetler made it 13 years. Those are the only two WVU quarterbacks who played longer. Marc Bulger played eight years, so as long as he makes it through this season and plays in 2027, he’ll surpass him. The others? Charles Seabright (six years), Oliver Luck (four years), Pat White (one year), and Fred Wyant (one year).
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Grier will forever be remembered as one of the best to ever suit up for the Old Gold and Blue, tossing for 7,354 yards and 71 touchdowns in just two seasons in Dana Holgorsen’s offense. Following the 2018 season, he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, marking the highest finish for a Mountaineer since Steve Slaton in 2006.
