Penn State QB Drew Allar (15) - Hailey Stutzman/Onward State
The 2024 Penn State football season kicked off with a big win against the West Virginia Mountaineers. Now they are set to face the Bowling Green Falcons in week two. The Falcons are also currently 1-0, but the Nittany Lions are a tough competition. This will also be the first home game for the Penn State football team this year. Here are a couple of things to watch for during this weekend’s matchup.
Penn State Running Up the Score
An exciting aspect of the week one matchup against West Virginia is that the Nittany Lions were aggressive. They were aggressive in a way that had not been seen in years. Even in the first half, instead of going into halftime with the lead, they took a shot downfield and it worked. This is a new energy for Penn State that hopefully continues into week two.
Penn State Vs. West Virginia was expected to be a closer game, but the Nittany Lions still won, 34-12. According to Fox Sports, the Nittany Lions are 34-point favorites. This means that this Penn State football team should not take their foot off the gas pedal. If they continue to play how they did last weekend, the team running up the score is something that could happen and will be something to watch for. The Penn State offense will hopefully be explosive again this weekend.
Penn State Football Ball Security
Sometimes week one of the college football season can start a bit slowly for teams. There is no preseason, it’s their first time playing an opponent, and it takes a couple of drives to get going. That being said, the Nittany Lions must be careful to not make silly mistakes. In week one, there was a mess up with the snap, which resulted in a fumble, which the West Virginia defense recovered. The Nittany Lions need to focus, not not let mistakes like this hurt them.
One of the best qualities of quarterback Drew Allar is that he does not throw many interceptions. Against West Virginia, no interceptions were thrown. In 2023, Allar threw just two interceptions, all in the second half of the season. This is a quality that will hopefully continue throughout the 2024 season.
Penn State Defense Forcing Turnovers
Onto the defensive side of the ball, perhaps the Nittany Lions’ defense can force some turnovers this week. Penn State football has a notoriously strong defense. Assuming they play how they usually do, they should be able to put a ton of pressure on Bowling Green’s offense.
In week one, the Penn State defense caught one interception and recovered two fumbles, according to ESPN. This is a strong start to the season. Now, Penn State should be able to stay consistent and force more turnovers. Bowling Green did not turn over the ball last weekend, though they almost did off of a fumble. Perhaps Penn State can force a turnover this weekend.
Crowd Energy
The home-field advantage when Penn State plays at home is huge and important. Beaver Stadium has one of the best home crowds in college football. This will be a noon kickoff, which fans are not a fan of, but it is the first home game of the season which is exciting. The home crowd should be able to energize this team and make it very difficult for the Bowling Green Falcons offense. It does not matter the opponent, nor does the time matter, this should be a challenging setting for the away team. Watch for the crowd to give Penn State a great home-field advantage, and set up the energy for the 2024 season.
The Penn State Nittany Lions will face the Bowling Green Falcons on Saturday, September 7th at Noon Eastern.
