Opponent Preview: West Virginia and Penn State square off for the first time in three decades

Penn State is just two weeks out from the start of the 2023 season. Expectations are as high as they’ve ever been under head coach James Franklin, as the Nittany Lions will start the year at No. 7 overall in both major polls. Between the excitement surrounding Drew Allar and a host of future NFL players, this is easily the most depth we’ve seen in Happy Valley in over a decade.

However, it won’t be easy for Penn State, as the Nittany Lions have quality teams scheduled in each month of the calendar. With the season now quickly approaching, it’s time to take a closer look at this year’s opponents, beginning with the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Quick Facts

All-Time Series: Penn State leads 48-9-2
Last Meeting: The visiting Lions defeated West Virginia 40-26 on Oct. 24, 1992
Head Coach: Neal Brown (22-25 in four seasons at West Virginia; career coaching record: 57-41)
2022 Record: 5-7, 3-6 Big 12
Returning Starters: 11 (6 offense, 4 defense, 1 specialist)

Returning Leaders

Rushing: RB CJ Donaldson Jr. (526 yards, 8 TD)
Passing: QB Garrett Greene (493 yards, 5 TD)
Receiving: WR Cortez Braham (147 yards, 0 TD)
Tackles: MLB Lee Kpogba (92)
Sacks: DE Sean Martin (4)
Interceptions: CB Malachi Ruffin (2)

What Could Go Right

A solid offensive line anchored by preseason All-American Zach Frazier at center could open enough holes for the running game to thrive, buying time for the passing attack to develop and keeping the Mountaineers’ defense off the field.

What Could Go Wrong

The defense could struggle out of the gate against an all-Pennsylvania nonconference schedule (Penn State, Duquesne, Pitt), saddling the Mountaineers with a couple of losses even before the Big 12 slate begins.

Summary

There were plenty of hard feelings when Penn State headed to the Big Ten in the early 1990s, leaving the Eastern independents to carry on without their flagship program. But in the years since, most of those grudges have been put aside. The Nittany Lions have renewed acquaintances with Pitt, Syracuse, Boston College and Temple, and they have been meeting Rutgers annually ever since the Scarlet Knights were absorbed into the Big Ten themselves in 2014.

West Virginia has been the exception. Although the Mountaineers’ campus is located just 180 miles from State College, these programs have been strangers since the start of the Big Ten era.

That changes in a few weeks. West Virginia will visit Beaver Stadium for the first game of a home-and-home series that brings these former border rivals together again.

No one on the WVU sideline will remember the Mountaineers’ most recent visit in 1991, and that’s probably for the best; Penn State romped 51-6. If it’s going to fare better in the rematch, West Virginia will need to see improvement on both sides of the ball, but especially on defense.

A year ago, the Mountaineers fielded one of the most porous pass defenses in the FBS, allowing 262.7 yards per game through the air to rank 111th in the country. And even though there were footballs flying all over Mountaineer Field, West Virginia wasn’t very opportunistic. Nationally, 21 FBS players had more interceptions individually than the four that WVU totaled as a team last year.

Notebook: Which of Penn State’s freshmen are on pace to play this season?

Given those numbers, it might seem alarming that only one starter — junior safety Aubrey Burks — returns in the secondary. But the Mountaineers have welcomed a pair of potentially impactful cornerback transfers, bringing in Beanie Bishop from Minnesota and Montre Miller from Kent State. Bishop saw action against Penn State last year, making five tackles in the Gophers’ 45-17 loss at Beaver Stadium. With the infusion of manpower, there’s some cause for optimism here.

On offense, West Virginia’s top priority in camp is choosing a starting quarterback. Junior Garrett Greene saw action in nine games last fall and threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns against Kansas State, but he’ll be challenged by redshirt freshman Nicco Marchiol in preseason camp.

Earlier this week, Brown provided an update on the battle when speaking with the media.

“We did some situational work, and Nicco had a really good two-minute session but struggled with some decision-making early,” Brown said. “I thought Garrett was really solid. He ran around and made some scramble plays but was really solid in his decision-making.”

As we’ve seen with so many other college coaches, don’t be surprised if Brown doesn’t show his hand ahead of the season opener.

Elsewhere on offense, the running game could be a strength, even with last year’s top rusher, Tony Mathis Jr., transferring to Houston in May. CJ Donaldson Jr., a 6-foot-2, 239-pound former high school tight end, is expected to lead the way in the backfield. He’s coming off a season-ending leg injury but did total 526 yards and eight touchdowns in seven games last season.