STATE COLLEGE – Drew Allar made his highly anticipated debut as Penn State’s starting quarterback a night to remember Saturday as he passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns in a convincing 38-15 win over old rival West Virginia.
The 6-5, 246-pound Allar, a sophomore, completed 21-of-29 passes before a capacity crowd of 110,747, the fourth-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history and the largest for a home opener.
It was the second-most passing yards by a Penn State quarterback in his first career start. Mike McQueary threw for 366 yards against Pitt in the 1997 opener at home.
The Mountaineers, who were three-touchdown underdogs, played like they had nothing to lose. They gambled on defense by frequently blitzing, which slowed the seventh-ranked Nittany Lions at times. They also tried two trick plays near midfield that failed and killed two drives.
Allar connected with wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith for two touchdown passes, the first one a 72-yard laser on Penn State’s first possession and a 12-yarder in the third quarter in the back of the end zone.
In the fourth quarter, Allar lobbed a pass to Florida State transfer Malik McClain, who turned it into a 25-yard touchdown and a 31-7 lead with 7:32 to go.
Nick Singleton, the former Gov. Mifflin star, rushed for 70 yards and one touchdown, a 2-yarder in the second quarter. Lambert-Smith finished with four catches for 123 yards.
West Virginia, making its first visit to State College since 1991, scored its second touchdown with less than four minutes to go on quarterback Garrett Greene’s 1-yard run.
Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula ran for a 5-yard touchdown with six seconds to go.
The Mountaineers have dropped 20 straight games at Penn State since a 19-14 win in 1954.
Allar electrified the sellout crowd on his first series, stepping up in the pocket and firing a pass 45 yards downfield to Lambert-Smith for a 72-yard touchdown.
West Virginia stayed mostly on the ground on its first two possessions before Greene scrambled for 9 yards and found wide-open Devin Carter for a 37-yard gain to the Penn State 11. C.J. Donaldson finished the drive with a 1-yard burst to tie it early in the second quarter.
The Lions answered quickly, using nine plays to drive 81 yards behind Allar’s passing and Kaytron Allen’s running. Allar connected with Lambert-Smith again for 30 yards to the West Virginia 16. After a 9-yard completion to McClain, Singleton plowed into the end zone for a 2-yard score and a 14-7 lead.
The Mountaineers moved to the Penn State 48 on their next drive before they tried a flea flicker, which ended with Dominic DeLuca sacking Greene for a 5-yard loss. Coach Neal Brown went for it on fourth-and-5 from the 43, but Greene threw behind a wide receiver.
The Lions moved the ball on their next two series, but Liberty High grad Sander Sahaydak missed field goal attempts of 38 and 35 yards. That allowed West Virginia to stay within a touchdown at halftime.
Alex Felkins replaced Sahaydak in the second half and kicked a 25-yard field goal and two extra points.
Source: Berkshire mont