Penn State opened its season with a 34-12 win on the road Saturday.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Any questions about the Penn State receiving corps may already be answered — and it’s all because Tre Wallace is a legitimate top option. Wallace has been cited as the likely breakout candidate by coaching staff members and teammates alike this offseason, but there still wasn’t proof of his rise on the field.
His emergence allows the Nittany Lions’ other receivers to slot in behind him in roles they’re equipped to handle while forcing the defense to focus on him. If he stays healthy — a big “if” based on his history — he will change the ceiling of the offense moving forward. He finished Saturday with five catches for 117 yards and two touchdown.
There should be no concerns about Tom Allen’s defense moving forward. Allen had the unit firing on all cylinders from the start of Saturday’s game, and his variation of the 4-2-5 played a big role in that. Safety Jaylen Reed played as the team’s fifth defensive back in the personnel grouping and was all over the field in his new role. He broke up a West Virginia shot play on the first play of the game and blew up a screen by diagnosing the play and quickly attacking downhill.
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Pribula didn’t light the world on fire with his stats — he finished with 25 rushing yards on three carries, in addition to tossing a 19-yard touchdown pass — but he made the Mountaineer defense hesitate on occasion. That created enough advantages for the Nittany Lions that he should be a part of the offense moving forward.
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