Penn State opened the 2024 season Saturday with a Week 1 road trip to West Virginia. Some around the country expected that game to turn into a close battle, but the Nittany Lions had other plans.

After a stagnant first quarter for both teams, Penn State settled in and took full advantage of the second quarter. The Nittany Lions would build a 20-6 lead heading into the break before a severe weather delay hampered the afternoon.

When things did finally resume, James Franklin’s squad picked up where it left off with Nicholas Singleton’s first rushing touchdown of the season. That score came from 40 yards out with explosive plays a theme of the offense on the afternoon.

Penn State eventually finished off a 34-12 in dominant fashion to help the Nittany Lions get rolling to start the season. Here are the key takeaways from the game:

Drew Allar settles in quickly

After a sluggish first quarter, Allar dialed up all the right throws in the second quarter. That included an electric touchdown drive in the closing seconds of the half to build a commanding leave.

At the end of the game, Allar finished 11-for-17 for 216 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns. He was also utilized in the ground game with 44 rushing yards, proving he can get outside of the pocket when called upon.

Those little wrinkles helped the Nittany Lions create plenty of big gains in the play-calling debut of new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

Nicholas Singleton shines

Last season, Kaytron Allen led Penn State in rushing with a more efficient performance on a similar number of carries to Singleton. In the season opener, things were greatly reversed.

Singleton took a little bit of time to get rolling but was impossible to slow down once he found a groove. By the time the starters were pulled in the fourth quarter, Singleton had rolled to 114 yards on 13 carries with his touchdown. (He also had a 13-yard catch to his credit.)

Tom Allen’s defense delivers

Penn State is moving on with new DC Tom Allen now that Manny Diaz is at Duke, but the unit did not miss a beat on Saturday. The Nittany Lions held West Virginia under 250 total yards of offense, and the rushing defense was especially elite while holding the Mountaineers to 2.3 yards per carry.

That effort in limiting the run game helped lead to a stout number on 3rd downs. The Mountaineers were just 4-for-14 on 3rd downs, allowing Penn State to get off the field regularly throughout the afternoon.

Add in 3 takeaways for Penn State’s defense, and it’s the kind of outing fans were hoping to see early on.