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West Virginia earns controversial first down after review vs. Penn State, kick FG

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•08/31/24•

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Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia cut Penn State’s lead 13-6 close to halftime Saturday afternoon, but the scoring drive didn’t come without controversy.

It was a CJ Donaldson Jr. run at the Penn State 30 yard line that caused some confusion, and probably some frustration. It appeared Penn State stopped the West Virginia running back short of the line of gain.

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However, it was ruled a first down and then reviewed and confirmed. You can see the controversial play below.

That could’ve been quite the bummer for Penn State, but West Virginia’s defense could not hold on the ensuing drive.

Quarterback Drew Allar found Omari Evans for 55 yards and then Harrison Wallace III on the next play for an insane 18-yard touchdown catch. With that, West Virginia suddenly trailed 20-6 going into halftime.

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Penn State the favorite over West Virginia

West Virginia was a popular upset pick over the Nittany Lions. But ESPN’s Greg McElroy liked Penn State all the way.

“The biggest question mark around the Lions is the play of Drew Allar,” McElroy said. “While he was 10-2 in the regular season and they made it to the Peach Bowl, there was a lot of people that were kind of underwhelmed with what they saw from a guy who came to State College with five stars next to his name and expected to take this offense to the next level.”

In the end, McElroy expected Penn State to escape with a victory but he certainly didn’t expect a runaway win.

“Both teams are good along the line of scrimmage, offensively and defensively, and I think West Virginia is better on defense than people give them credit,” McElroy said. “They’ll keep Penn State somewhat bottled up.

“But ultimately, Penn State just has more weapons and more depth. They’ll make a big play or two that will give them the victory. But I expect it to be insanely close, and I expect it to be pretty low scoring.”