Penn State vs. Pitt: Nittany Lions Wins Victory Against Former Rival

For the second week in a row, Penn State's offense began slowly. For the second week in a row, he found his place in the second half en route to a win. But unlike week 1, when the Nittany Lions' defense left the Appalachian state threatening, against Pitt, he stood firm. During the second week, with a 51-6 win over Power Five, Penn State won and watched the country's No. 13 team, if not better.

A year ago, Penn State coach James Franklin compared Pitt to Akron (a 7-7 team from the previous season). Saturday night's game was the penultimate of the game, which will end after next fall's match at State College, and its result has reinforced Franklin's insult. After missing the college football playoffs despite qualifying in 2016, Penn State proved that it wanted to do everything in its power to avoid such a result, including strengthening its non-conference list. It does not matter that Pitt is in the ACC; Penn State wants to play at the level that it can do better, beat better teams. Against Pitt, Penn State suggested that he might be able to do it – even if his first formidable opponent will not come before three weeks from Ohio State.

Saturday night, Penn State proved that there was an anomaly in the Appalachian state a week ago. Although Trace McSorley and his company had only 14 points on a wet and wet first semester in Pittsburgh, Penn State's defense was a must. It was not that Pitt was not threatening, but rather that Penn State was capitalizing on mistakes and playing an aggressive defense, scoring a pass as the Panthers entered the Nittany Lions' territory, forcing a number of dollars. deal and recovering a fumble. the games that kept the game close at halftime, when Penn State led, 14-6. In the third quarter of the game, defensive coordinator Brent Pry's unit took over and Pitt did not achieve a net gain in the second half until midway through the fourth quarter.

On the offensive side, McSorley handed out nine assists, finishing the day with 145 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 36 yards and a third quarter score. The Penn State halfbacks, led by junior Miles Sanders, accumulated 175 extra yards. In a match where rain would have been an easy excuse for a low-scoring night, Penn State proved he could adapt, beating the ball on the ground and averaging 6.4 yards per stroke and converting two turnovers from Pitt in touchdowns. the resulting readers. The match extended the Penn State series to six games with at least 35 points. Although he has not yet made a full offensive match, Saturday's second half more than made up for his first goal.

Once the Penn State attack began to move, she did not let go until the end of the match. Nittany's Lions continued to score and score and score in the final seven minutes of the game, when they had already scored more than three points when Pitt's attack stalled. Franklin seemed to want to make the biggest possible statement to the playoff committee when he debated the value of Penn State's non-conference wins in a few weeks, which was a reasonable reaction. What was not: there was only one minute left, the referees thought that Penn State's Rick State Slade scoring midfielder was close to the midfielder. Franklin's team had a 45-point lead at the time – and the coach challenged the decision on the court.

The rain continued to flow. The referees have confirmed: Slade fumbled. Franklin looked stupid – but Penn State was coming out of the night with the air of a competitor.