Yes, you read that correctly.

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.

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.

“[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.

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.

“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.”

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. − The new, improved Penn State football offense was beginning to fide its stride in the season-opener before a weather delay shut everything down.

Thunderstorms with potential lightning rolling in from the West forced a stoppage of play here at halftime of Top 10 Penn State’s uneven but still overall impressive start against the West Virginia Mountaineers in Milan Puskar Stadium.

The game was suspended a few minutes into the break after a lightning strike was reported nearby. The stadium was evacuated with most seeking shelter under the stands.

A re-start time has not yet been announced.

Penn State is on the verge of pulling away, ahead 20-6 at the half, led by the Drew Allar-to-Tre Wallace-connection on offense and the dynamic safety combination of Jaylen Reed and KJ Winston on defense.

Allar completed 8-of-13 first-half passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns − nearly all of the work going to the finally-healthy Wallace. The junior wideout pulled in five of those passes for 117 yards and two scores.

On defense, Reed and Winston each had eight tackles in the first half. Reed was the top defender on the field with a tackle for loss, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

Penn State’s last weather delay?

That was in 2017 at Michigan State. Lighting strikes caused that eventual last-play loss to the Spartans to be delayed by three hours and 22 minutes.

Penn State football vs. West Virginia weather updates

This section will be updated. All times Eastern.

2:04 p.m.: Penn State’s season-opener at West Virginia is delayed for an impending storm with lightning strikes shortly after halftime begins.

2:30 p.m.: Heavy rains washing over Milan Puskar Stadium. Stadium announcer reveals that re-start game clock will not begin for at least another 30 minutes.

3:05 p.m.: Lightning strikes force the 30-minute weather delay clock to re-start once more. Officials have not yet determined when the game plans to resume, according to the stadium announcer.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at  fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.

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