Penn State football coach James Franklin wants consistency from his team this season. Franklin is happy with the team's first step, after the team crushed West Virginia Saturday.

“We got to it today,” Franklin said, per ESPN. “But we've got to do it week in and week out.”

Penn State football built a 20-6 halftime lead, behind the play of quarterback Drew Allar. Allar had three touchdown passes in the first half alone. An hours-long lightning delay prolonged the start of the second half. The Nittany Lions came out polished, defeating the Mountaineers 34-12 in convincing fashion.

Penn State football completely stifled West Virginia

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar talks with reporters during football media day in Holuba Hall
© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

It wasn't just Allar who soared on Saturday for Penn State football. Penn State's defense came out and made a powerful statement, holding West Virginia to just 85 rushing yards. West Virginia didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter of the game. The defense also forced three West Virginia turnovers.

Penn State football posted 457 total yards of offense, on a reloaded West Virginia defense. The West Virginia secondary seemed out of sorts at times, letting Nittany Lions wide receivers make several big plays. Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton galloped for 114 yards and a touchdown, on just 13 carries. Penn State also didn't allow a sack against Allar. It was total domination for the Nittany Lions, who came to Morgantown to play for the first time in more than 30 years.

Penn State next plays Bowling Green on Saturday.

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West Virginia must fix their issues immediately

West Virginia football lost their fourth straight season-opening game, for the first time in school history. The Mountaineers also lost to Penn State football in State College, to start the 2023 season.

West Virginia had a huge build-up of excitement, heading into the contest Saturday. Former Mountaineer football player Pat McAfee came to Morgantown Friday to host his show, and announced he was giving $1 million to the school's NIL collective. The excitement may have been too much for the West Virginia football team to handle, as the Mountaineers lost soundly Saturday.

“We played bad football,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. “To say I’m disappointed in how we played would be an understatement.”

Saturday's meeting may be the final time in a long while the two schools play each other. Once bitter rivals, Penn State and West Virginia met every year from 1947-1992. When Penn State football joined the Big Ten, the schools stopped playing until last season.

The Mountaineers next play Albany on Saturday.