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Penn State football season opener ranked as top 10 non-conference game of 2024. Does West Virginia have the edge at QB?

The 2024 season opener between the Nittany Lions and Mountaineers was recently called a top non-conference matchup of the year. But does Garrett Greene and West Virginia have the QB edge over Drew Allar and Penn State football?

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Penn State football, Drew Allar, Garrett Greene, West Virginia
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar slips a sack attempt from West Virginia linebacker Trey Lathan during the season opener at Beaver Stadium September 2, 2023, in State College. © Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

With the revamped 18-team Big Ten, Penn State football fans cannot help but look ahead to the 2024 conference schedule. But the Nittany Lions faithful won’t have to wait that long to see the Blue and White play in a pivotally important matchup, as James Franklin will lead his program into Morgantown to take on West Virginia on August 31. The game will be a return trip from last year’s contest in Beaver Stadium, where Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions defeated Garrett Greene and the Mountaineers 38-15.

Recently, the renewal of the longtime regional rivalry was called one of the top 10 non-conference games of the 2024 college football season by On3’s Jesse Simonton. The matchup fell just outside Simonton’s top five, coming in at No. 6 on his list.

But despite what we saw from last year’s season opener, Simonton is inclined to give the Mountaineers the edge in more than just home-field advantage.

“While the Backyard Brawl is a more venomous rivalry, these two neighbors don’t share a lot of love, either, and WVU will look to get a bit of revenge after getting waxed at Penn State last season,” Simonton writes. “The Mountaineers are at home this time, and might actually have the better quarterback between Garrett Greene and Drew Allar. West Virginia is looking to continue its momentum after winning nine games in 2023 — but to do so means Neal Brown hit right on a slew of defensive portal additions. The same can be said for Penn State’s latest offensive coordinator. How quickly can Andy Kotelnicki put his fingerprints on a spotty offense?”

Is Penn State football outmanned at quarterback?

Penn State football, West Virginia, Drew Allar, Garrett Greene

© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Drew Allar got the better of the quarterback battle in the 2023 contest. In his first collegiate start, Allar took advantage of a suspect West Virginia secondary, going 21-29 for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Garrett Greene finished the night 16-27 for 162 yards.

The Nittany Lions’ sophomore quarterback also finished the season as the statistically superior passer, throwing for 2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns, and three interceptions on a 60% completion rate.

Greene completed his junior season with 2,406 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions on a 53% completion rate. The Mountaineer quarterback also added 772 yards and 13 scores on the ground.

But 2024 is an entirely new season. As Simonton noted, West Virginia added nine transfer portal additions on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, including five in the secondary.

The Nittany Lions also added to their defensive backfield from the portal, bringing in former blue-chip recruits AJ Harris and Jalen Kimber to replace the departure of Kalen King, Daequan Hardy, and Johnny Dixon.

Penn State football is currently a 10.5-point road favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The 2024 season opener will be nationally televised on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff.

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Matt is a co-owner and Editor in Chief of Basic Blues Nation. Launched in 2022, Basic Blues Nation is one of the fastest-growing websites covering all Penn State athletics, with over 3.5 million readers in 2023. Matt is also a credentialed member of the Penn State football beat, and is a member of the Football Writers Association of America.

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