PREVIEW: State Bragging Rights at Stake; Penn State meets Pitt
Following a poor first half, Penn State rounded into form to defeat Buffalo 45-13 last Saturday.
This weekend, the Nittany Lions will look to attack early and often when they host their in-state rival Pitt Panthers at noon. This will be the 100th overall meeting between the two teams. Penn State leads 52-43-4.
Pitt is 1-1 on the year with a 16 point loss to Virginia, and a 10 point win over Ohio. While it may become a slightly down year for the Panthers, Pitt is still a dangerous team and will be ready to go on Saturday.
Quarterback vs Quarterback
Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett is coming off a 26-37, 321 yard and 1 touchdown performance, while Penn State signal-caller Sean Clifford has exceeded expectations thus far. Clifford was 16-22 for 279 yards and 4 touchdowns against Buffalo.
This matchup could very well come down to which team gets better quarterback play. Pickett, a junior from New Jersey has plenty of experience and should be able to bounce back from last years meeting of the Pennsylvania rivals.
Pickett will look to put the 51-6 drubbing in a game in which he was 9-18 for 55 yards and an interception behind him. The conditions shouldn’t be the same rainy mess they were last year, and while strong at points thus far, Penn State’s defense is still far from perfect.
Under new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, Pitt is trying to attack through the air more often than they have in the past, and it is beginning to show early on.
Penn State was picked apart in the first half by Buffalo’s freshman quarterback Matt Myers. Brent Pry made necessary adjustments and the turning point in the game came in the second half when John Reid took an interception back for a touchdown.
From there, it was all Sean Clifford.
Clifford is occasionally inaccurate, but all in all, he has been stellar. That being said, the Panther defense will be the most talented he’s faced as a starter.
Who Wants the Ball?
While it appeared as though Ricky Slade would take the starting running back job and, well, run with it, it is now unclear.
Penn State was ineffective running the ball against Buffalo, with Journey Brown getting the most work with only six carries. Slade had three, and the freshmen Devyn Ford and Noah Cain had one apiece. The Nittany Lions aren’t going to beat Pitt if they can’t run the ball, so someone needs to step up.
The Panthers have a stout defensive line and linebackers focused on stopping the run. James Franklin will counter by using all of his running backs again to keep running with fresh legs and ultimately see if any of the four separates themselves.
Jaylen Twyman is the anchor of the Pitt defense and he will be the key in stopping the run. If he and the Panthers are able to do so, Clifford may have to carry the team once again.
Prediction
While Pickett being sharp and multipurpose threat Maurice Ffrench breaking a big play could make the Nittany Lions sweat, ultimately Penn State is more talented.
John Reid has stepped up in the secondary and Penn State will be able to get pressure against a Pitt offensive line featuring four new starters.
There is no reason to think Clifford will regress, and Penn State should make it to 3-0.
Pitt 10 Penn State 30
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