Kyle Golik
- Aug 30
- 4 min read

Penn State Travels to WVU for the First Time Since 1992

The Penn State Nittany Lions (0-0) visit the West Virginia Mountaineers (0-0) for the first time since 1992 on Aug. 31. While some might feel the rivalry between the two schools has been non-existent for more than 30 years, the rivalry is alive and well among the players.

During a recent press conference, current West Virginia cornerback and Northwestern transfer Garnett Hollis Jr. was more than happy to provide the Nittany Lions with some bulletin board material.

"Last year, they [Penn State] ran some of the same stuff against Northwestern as they did against [West Virginia] in Week 1," Hollis said. "They're the same team. They don't show too much respect for their opponents unless it's Michigan or Ohio State."

The play Hollis was referring to was the touchdown Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula scored with six seconds left in the fourth quarter while Penn State was already up 31-15 in the Nittany Lions 38-15 win in the 2023 season opening-game in University Park, Pa.

Ahead of this year's game, which will kick off at noon EST, Penn State head coach James Franklin said he is expecting a hostile crowd in Morgantown, W. Va.

“It's a hornet's nest. They take a lot of pride in their football team," he said. "They've got no pro team. It's all about West Virginia, all about Morgantown. So, it'll be a great environment to play in. I was fortunate to play there a bunch when I was at the University of Maryland. We've played games like this. Our guys know what it's about. We've got to be playing well from Week 1."

What's at Stake?

West Virginia was one of the hottest teams in the nation at the end of the 2023 season, winning five of their final six games including the Duke’s Mayo Bowl over North Carolina. West Virginia is a trendy dark horse pick to win the Big 12 Conference.

Penn State opens their season on the road for the fourth time in the last five seasons and have a record of 2-1 in those games, with the lone defeat coming against Indiana in the infamous call of whether quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was in-bounds or not in 2020.

Penn State is seeking to win its 50th game in its all-time series against West Virginia which dates back to 1904. The Nittany Lions have a decisive 49-9-2 edge in the series and have a five-game winning streak that dates back to 1989.

West Virginia’s last win in the series came at home in 1988, when the Mountaineers gave Joe Paterno arguably his worst loss, becoming the only opponent to ever score more than 50 points against the legendary coach.

Both teams are vying to make their first appearances in the new expanded College Football Playoff and a win for either puts both in the driver’s seat to do that.

Key Players: West Virginia

QB Garrett Greene, T Wyatt Millum, DE Sean Martin

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown was a little perturbed at ESPN for omitting his star quarterback from its Top 100 players list. During an appearance on "Marty & McGhee," he called the omission “lazy reporting.” Greene was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List entering the 2024 season after finishing in the top 10 all-time in West Virginia history for single season total offense production (3,178 yards) and touchdowns responsible for (29).

The Mountaineers may have one of the best offensive line units in the Big 12 behind tackle Millum, who could play himself into a late Day 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Millum was ranked among the Top 50 players by PFF College entering the 2024 season.

Martin was a disruptor throughout the 2023 game from the defensive end position. While it did not show on the stat sheet, Martin won many battles in the trenches that did not allow the Nittany Lions to run away with the game in 2023. Martin is one of three Mountaineer defenders returning from last season's squad that had nine players register 5 or more tackles for loss.

Key Players: Penn State

WR Julian Fleming, EDGE/LB Abdul Carter, TE Andrew Rappleyea

Penn State’s wide receiver play last season hurt the team in its biggest moments. Franklin’s biggest import has been Fleming from Ohio State. Franklin has lauded Fleming for taking ownership of the wide receiver room and setting a standard that has been missed.

While Tyler Warren will be the TE1 for Penn State, the staff has raved about Rappleyea. Many have referred to Rappleyea as “Baby Gronk" and the Nittany Lions will find creative ways in new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s scheme to use two tight-end sets. The question will be how long will both Warren and Rappleyea be able to stave off five-star product Luke Reynolds from seeing the field.

With the news that Carter will float between the EDGE and the linebacker positions in new defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s scheme, this will be the fans' first view of the approach. If we begin to see more of Carter on the EDGE, how will up and coming linebacker Tony Rojas be used in the linebacking core?

Trends to Watch

NFL Draft gurus will be anticipating and hoping to see Carter at the EDGE against West Virginia's Millum. This is a potential matchup of two Day 1 NFL Draft picks.

For Penn State, how quarterback Drew Allar has progressed will be put to a significant test. This matchup against West Virginia is a true litmus test to see if Allar can live up to his prep-career hype. How the wide receivers and tight ends contribute will determine how much potential the Nittany Lions can realize from the former five-star prodigy.

On the opposing side, can West Virginia's Greene play efficiently and leverage his dual-threat role. Greene has the mobility to give the Nittany Lions defense fits all day, but will he be able to do enough with his arm to keep Penn State respecting it.