After starting the season with a win on the road, Penn State is set to open things up in front of their home fans in Week 2. Penn State’s home opener in Beaver Stadium will welcome the Bowling Green Falcons from the MAC to Happy Valley, and Penn State will be a heavy favorite for the home matchup.
This is the perfect week to follow up a performance like last week with a chance to try out a few more wrinkles without truly jeopardizing the overall goal of winning. It would be a stunner if Bowling Green challenges Penn State enough to make things interesting in the fourth quarter given the talent difference on the rosters, so expect this to be a week where a few more players get a chance to get on the field on both sides of the football.
Here are a few stories to follow this week as Penn State prepares for Bowling Green.
Welcome back to Beaver Stadium!
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After opening up the season on the road, Penn Stae will open the gates to Beaver Stadium for the first time this college football season. It will be great to be home for the Nittany Lions, especially later on this season. The home-field advantage in the stadium is real, although that likely won’t be needed this weekend against Bowling Green.
Fans may notice some changes in Beaver Stadium in and around the stadium as renovations continue to be ongoing for the facility. Among the more noticeable upgrades will be new super ribbon video boards around the south end zone. The current renovation plans will not be done in full until the summer of 2027, but the impact on the gameday experience is hopefully being organized to be minimal.
It was just one game, but Penn State's offense looked confident
It did not take long for new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to leave his mark on the Penn State offense. Under Kotelnicki in the season opener at West Virginia, Penn State had four plays of 40-yards or more, which was half of Penn State’s total from the 2023 season. It was good to see Nick Singleton ripping off a pair of 40-yard runs like it was 2022 again, and Drew Allar connecting with Harrison Wallace III on multiple occasions, for some big plays, was encouraging to see.
Sure, it was just one game, but Penn State’s offense put on a show that suggests this year may actually be different. Of course, the flip side is Penn State’s offense played its best game of the 2023 season in the opener against West Virginia. Watch to see if they can keep chugging along and get a few more others a little more involved this week.
Drew Allar playing with new edge?
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
One takeaway you could have from Penn State’s victory over West Virginia was the fire shown by quarterback Drew Allar. Allar played smart and physical when needed and showed a bit of a flair he had not displayed in the moment last season. Perhaps that is what playing well and winning does for a player who continues to grow into the leader Penn State is relying on, but his mood on the field last week was noticeable.
After a couple of frustrating moments out of the gate for the Penn State offense and Allar, the quarterback appeared to keep things grounded enough and provided a spark his teammates needed to see. Allar was even jawing at times with West Virginia defenders, and his stiff arm of Josiah Trotter showed Allar is ready to elevate his game and do what is necessary.
Who else will contribute in the passing game in Week 2?
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Harrison Wallace III was the star of the passing game last weekend, but Omari Evans came down with one of the most pivotal passes in the game with his second-quarter haul for a big gain in the final minute of the half that caught West Virginia napping. But Penn State will help to see more consistent production out of Evans and others as the offense continues to grow this season.
Notable transfer addition Julian Fleming was without a catch last week and Tyler Warren was targetted just three times last week at West Virginia. Warren did catch all three of the passes headed his way though, including a late touchdown from Beau Pribula to firmly put the game out of reach. Will Penn State get more players involved this week against Bowling Green?
Games to watch around the Big Ten in Week 2
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Penn State will not be facing Michigan or Oregon during the regular season this year, but a potential matchup in the Big Ten championship or a battle for College Football Playoff spots is never to far away to be paying attention to. And both programs had some shaky season debuts heading into tougher games in Week 2.
Michigan took a while to slam the door shut on Fresno State last week and will play host to the Texas Longhorns this week in the game of the week. Meanwhile, Oregon had a real battle on its hands with Idaho, an FCS program, and has to solidify its offensive line this week before facing Boise State, one of the top Group of Five programs.
Also, Nebraska has a big game this week against Colorado. The Buffs torched the Huskers last season. After a strong season opener, Nebraska has a big opportunity to keep momentum going their way against Travis Hunter and Coach Prime’s Buffs.
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