Game Three: Pitt (1-1) @ Penn State (2-0)

Saturday, September 14 at 12:00 p.m.

Series Record: Penn State 52-43-4

Last Game: Penn State won 51-6 (2018)

This weekend Pitt and Penn State meet for the 100th time in the history of this intra-state rivalry. One of the major talking points surrounding this game has been how it is the final contest between the two schools for the foreseeable future. It is a shame that Penn State has decided that they don’t care enough about this historic rivalry to ensure it is played yearly. Especially since other non-conference rivals around the country have been able to make it work, including Iowa-Iowa State being played this very weekend. However, enough inane takes related to this and other incredibly important matters, such as Pat Narduzzi’s media policy (I’m being sarcastic here), have been and will continue to be made. It may actually be worth something to take a look at what the Panthers will have to deal with when they travel to State College this weekend.

Offense

Penn State had to replace a legend at the most important position this season. Trace McSorley holds the program record for Career Wins by a Quarterback (31), Passing Yards (9,899), and Passing Touchdowns (77). The departure of such a talented and experienced quarterback will undoubtedly lead to some regression in how productive the Nittany Lions’ offense will be this season. The question is of course how well new starter Sean Clifford can mitigate this decline. So far the Sophomore signal-caller has looked fairly impressive, completing 66.7% of his passes for 559 yards, 6 Touchdowns and no Interceptions. He’s also added 108 yards on the ground. The big caveat though is that he racked up these statistics against FCS Idaho and Buffalo. This weekend will be his first career start against a Power 5 opponent. 

There’s new faces in the Penn State running game as well with Miles Sanders leaving. However, it’s a deep backfield with no individual really separating themselves from the pack yet. The presumed starter entering this season was Ricky Slade, but he’s gotten off to a slow start with only 17 yards on 8 carries (2.1 average). More impressive have been Journey Brown and true freshman Noah Cain. Brown has 66 yards on only 11 carries (6.0 average) and 2 touchdowns. Cain meanwhile leads the team early in rushing touchdowns with 3 and has a respectable 4.6 average yards per carry. Another true freshman Devyn Ford actually leads the team in rushing yards with 108 on only 7 carries (15.4 average). Overall, this unit hasn’t seen much action yet, but they are deep and full of potential. However, there is concern over an inexperienced Offensive Line that lost 3 starters and 2 backups from a year ago. They gave up 3 sacks last weekend against Buffalo and this may explain some of the under-usage of the running game.

Though Clifford is a first-time starter, he has ample weapons to throw to, which explains somewhat his ability to get off to a fast start. Though Juwan Johnson and Brandon Polk have transferred, they boast an impressive top 2 in KJ Hamler and Jahan Dotson. Hamler burst onto the scene as a freshman last year with an impressive 138 yard performance in a losing effort to Ohio State. However, he became infamous for Pitt fans when he tallied two electric touchdowns in the blowout. Believe it or not, Tight End Pat Freiermuth may end up being the receiver to key in on though. He’s become something of a favorite target for Clifford with 9 receptions for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns through the first two games. That yardage total is already over a third of the way to his season total from last year.

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