[ad_1]
38 minutes ago
After Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi played on Saturday, dropping a 17-10 decision to Penn State at Beaver Stadium.
With 7 minutes, 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Narduzzi went for the first down on fourth-of-the-43. It worked, with quarterback Kenny Pickett hitting tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart for a 36-yard win.
But when Pitt faced a fourth-and-goal from the 1, down to seven points, Narduzzi decided to kick a field goal with 4:59 left. Alex Kessman missed from 19 yards.
From there, No. 13 Penn State (3-0) won its third consecutive game in the series. Pitt reaches the Penn State 26 on the final drive of the game, Pickett's goal in the end zone fell incomplete.
The game was the 100th and possibly last in the storied series between the in-state rivals.
In the end, Pitt (1-2) stalled on offense in front of a crowd of 108,661.
Penn State scored the decisive points with 5:50 left in the third quarter on a 13-yard run by Noah Cain.
Pickett was very good and productive in the first half, and finished 35 of 51 for 372 yards. Pitt's running game stumbled all day, his three backs – A.J. Davis, Vincent Davis and V'Lique Carter – totaling only 10 yards on 14 carries.
Pitt's defense was solid throughout the game, Penn State sacking quarterback Sean Clifford three times. He completed 14 of 30 passes, but he made them count for 222 yards. Running back Journey Brown ran for 102 yards on seven carries.
Pitt was forced to settle for a 10-10 tie at halftime when Jordan Stout set a Penn State record with a 57-yard field goal.
Pitt lost two opportunities to sixteen momentum in the first quarter.
Twice, Pitt came close to its first turnover of the season 7-0.
On Penn State's first possession, linebacker Phil Campbell II Clifford's strip-sacked, Michal Menet goal center recovered for Penn State on its 45-yard line.
Pitt kept up the pressure when Kirk Christouloul dropped a punt on the 2. Brown goal flipped the field with a 85-yard run on third-and-9.
The Panthers appeared to recover from that, when the next play, Paris Ford safety intercepted a Clifford pass at the 3 and returned it 52 yards to the Penn State 45-yard line. But Bright linebacker Cam was called for pass interference, and the Penn State drive continued.
Two plays later, Devyn Ford scored from the 1.
Pitt's first scoring drive in the first half of 18 plays and 85 yards and used 9:15 of the second quarter. But it yielded only a 25-yard field goal by Kessman.
Narduzzi went for a first down on fourth-and-fourth from the Penn State 40 and got it by half the length of the football after a catch by Taysir Mack.
Pitt reached the 2 on third-and-goal, but lost to Maurice Ffrench lost 5 yards after Pickett fumbled the snap. Pickett was nearly flawless on the drive, completing 12 of 13 passes to six receivers for 63 yards. Pickett finished the half 18 of 23 for 183 yards.
Pitt scored a touchdown his next possession with a 3-yard run by freshman Vincent Davis after an eight-play, 78-yard drive.
Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
[ad_2]
Source link