The <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/penn-state-nittany-lions/">Penn State</a> vs. <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/west-virginia-mountaineers/">West Virginia</a> rivalry will renew on Saturday as the Mountaineers host James Franklin’s club in Morgantown. West Virginia fans are fired up for the matchup and showed up and showed out as former WVU player <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/pat-mcafee-95201/">Pat McAfee</a> hosted his show in Morgantown on Friday.



McAfee had West Virginia native and ESPN analyst <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/coach/nick-saban-133646/">Nick Saban</a> on to preview the matchup and discuss a number of topics. Saban believes the Mountaineers are capable of pulling off the upset.



<a href="https://prizepicks.onelink.me/ivHR/ON3">CLICK HERE to go to PrizePicks and use code ON3 to receive a guaranteed $50 once you play $5 in lineups</a>!



“Well, I think West Virginia’s proven that they can run the ball effectively against just about anybody they play. I think that’s going to be the challenge for them against Penn State,” Nick Saban said. “Penn State’s a pretty good defensive team and they like to pressure a lot and create negative plays. So I think if the quarterback for West Virginia can create a little balance in the game for them, throw the ball effectively, that’ll have a huge impact on the game.”



<a href="https://www.on3.com/db/garrett-greene-44964/">Garrett Greene</a> is the West Virginia starting quarterback and he’s getting a little Heisman buzz after accounting for more than 3,100 total yards and scoring 29 total touchdowns in 12 games a year ago.



<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/191261?irad=399332&irmp=5298464">Watch College Football Games Live -Try for Free Fubo! Click HERE NOW</a>



The dual-sport star could give Penn State some issues, as could the WVU crowd.



Saban discussed how the energy and noise in Morgantown could give Penn State some trouble.



“There’s a buzzsaw in Morgantown. That’s a hard place to play,” Saban said. “The fans there have great passion. It’s going to make it very difficult for Penn State, especially in the opener, to manage the noise, to manage the game, to be able to stay focused on execution and not get sidetracked by any of the other things that are going on, because it’s going to be difficult for them.”



Saban added that the fact that the game is the opener for Penn State will make it even more difficult.



Penn State does have a veteran at quarterback in junior <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/drew-allar-38915/">Drew Allar</a>, but there are some young players on the Nittany Lions roster who will have to step up in a tough environment.



“You’re always worried as a coach in your first game about how your team’s going to execute,” Saban said. “And that’s going to be really, really the challenge for them, playing on the road, at West Virginia, in the first game.”

West Virginia Penn State

On3 Football

Nick Saban breaks down West Virginia vs. Penn State Week 1 showdown

team image

The Main Board

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Teams

Fan Sites

Forums

Shows

team-link

College Football News

College Football Player Rankings

College Football Rankings

College Football Playoff

College Basketball News

Women's Sports

College

NIL News

NIL Valuation

NIL Deals

NIL Deal Tracker

Sports Business

Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal

Transfer Portal Rankings

Transfer Portal Team Rankings

Transfer Portal

NCAA Transfer Portal Home

Football Recruiting

Basketball Recruiting

Database

Team Rankings

Player Rankings

Industry Comparison

Commitments

Recruiting Prediction Machine

Recruiting

High School News

Schools

High School Search

Rankings

High School Rankings

Scores

High School Scores

High School

NFL Draft

NFL Draft News

Draft By Stars

College Draft History

College Draft Totals

NBA Draft

NBA Draft News

Draft

NASCAR

Culture

Sports Betting

About

On3 App

Advertise

Press

Contact

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Annual $1

Annual Premium

Annual $1 

Monthly

Annual

Unlimited Access to This and All Articles.

Article (On3 Plus Rivals)

Forum (On3 Plus Rivals)

Intro

Join

College scoop, experts, and community - all in one.

Nick Saban breaks down West Virginia vs. Penn State Week 1 showdown

Transfer Portal Winners

Darian Mensah

2026 All-America Team

Big Ten Football

Bill Belichick