By Alex Raskin

Penn State’s Week 1 matchup with West Virginia in Morgantown was halted by a brutal thunderstorm that flooded the bleachers while sending players and fans scrambling for cover.

Play was not interrupted because the storm rolled in during halftime with the visiting Nittany Lions leading the Mountaineers, 20-6. However, the start of the second half was delayed by more than two hours as spectators, players and broadcasters remained sheltered.

The first sign of danger may have come during the Fox Sports halftime show, where a wind gust blew a stack of papers from the broadcast desk directly into the camera lens.

Meanwhile, inside Milan Puskar Stadium, trash and other debris were swept down to the field by a flash flood after the stands were evacuated. Less than an hour earlier, the sun was actually shining the Appalachian town of 31,000. 

‘Quick, someone call Noah,’ one fan joked on X as Penn State pulled out the 34-12 win. 

Storm clouds are shown over the stadium at halftime of the Week 1 matchup

Storm clouds are shown over the stadium at halftime of the Week 1 matchup 

Inside Milan Puskar Stadium, trash was swept down to the field by a flash flood

Inside Milan Puskar Stadium, trash was swept down to the field by a flash flood

Inside Milan Puskar Stadium, trash was swept down to the field by a flash flood

The first sign of danger may have come during the Fox Sports halftime show

The first sign of danger may have come during the Fox Sports halftime show

The first sign of danger may have come during the Fox Sports halftime show

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar drops back during a sunny first half in Morgantown

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar drops back during a sunny first half in Morgantown

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar drops back during a sunny first half in Morgantown 

When play resumed after 4pm less than half of the sold-out crowd had returned to their seats.

Fortunately, the artificial FieldTurf appeared to be in good shape when the storm subsided.  

As for the game, the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions appeared unstoppable over the first two quarters as quarterback Drew Allar completed 8 of 13 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns to the a 20-6 lead.

Running back Nicholas Singleton broke a 40-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to putt Penn State up 27-6 over WVU.

The strong early show is important for coach James Franklin’s program, which added three new top assistants this offseason: offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, former Indiana head coach and new defensive coordinator Tom Allen, and first-year special teams coordinator Stacy Collins.

WVU has now lost four consecutive season openers for the first time in the program’s 133-year history.  

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Penn State opener at West Virginia is delayed by wild thunderstorm as bleachers flood and field is evacuated

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