Penn State and Pittsburgh renew their rivalry for the first time since 2000 on Saturday, when the Panthers host the Nittany Lions at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. After releasing the ball, McSorley anxious that it was overthrown. The Cowboys lost on a last-second Hail Mary to Central Michigan.
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“Penn State actually recruited (Aaron) as well, but the opportunity opened here before it did at Penn State”, Michelle said. Add in the fact that the Nittany Lions managed not only to comeback but continue to comeback and that adds some value to this grade.
A 332-yard passing day for sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley (Ashburn, Va.) and five total touchdowns by running back sophomore Saquon Barkley (Coplay, Pa.) wasn’t enough to overcome the strong rushing attack of Pitt in a 42-39 setback for the Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon in Heinz Field.
“We felt that the only thing stopping us”, McSorley said, “was us”. The athletic department’s preference would be to play all three nonconference games in a given season at Beaver Stadium, and away games against Virginia Tech (2020), Auburn (2022) and West Virginia (2024), respectively, virtually eliminate a game at Pittsburgh as a possibility in those seasons. 14 points in the second half after collapsing in the first is a commendable effort but simply put 42 points is about 24 too many for this team right now.
Penn State continued to claw, though, as an incredible one-handed catch by wideout DeAndre Thompkins set up another one-yard touchdown run by Barkley, his fourth score of the game. And tackle Andrew Nelson said he didn’t doubt his offense would score on its final possession – which was a melodrama of its own. The Illini, who allowed almost 250 yards rushing in each of its last three games in 2015, are No. 1 nationally against the run this week after FCS Murray State netted minus-10 yards. The ball bounced off Hamilton’s fingers, however, derailing a possible touchdown. He then said his players wouldn’t be allowed to speak with the media leading up to the game.
“That is a decision that our administration makes”, Franklin said.
“I just get to the ball as much as I can”, Caprara said.
Two plays later, 6-foot, 245-pound fullback George Aston powered through contact from Penn State linebacker Brandon Bell at the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown.
On Wednesday, Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes said that 70,000 tickets have been made available for the game, which could set a sporting-event attendance record in Pittsburgh. IN needs to build momentum with a daunting start to Big Ten play looming. Coaching: Penn State. James Franklin won at Vanderbilt, while Pat Narduzzi seamlessly transitioned to being a head coach. He was also intercepted once.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for news about defensive end Evan Schwan, one of two Penn State defensive linemen who left Saturday’s game against Kent State with an apparent leg injury. “Those are the games I remember, the Pitt-Penn State games with Todd Blackledge”. Their home game against the Tar Heels will be an indicator of how much progress IL will make in Year 1 under the defensive-minded Lovie Smith.
Penn State had no answer for the Panthers’ most diverse weapon.
“Everybody was hyping us up a little bit and we came in feeling pretty good about ourselves”, O’Neill said about Pitt’s opener. Penn State was in it until the last minute of the game until McSorley lofted a ball into the end zone between two Nittany Lions receivers, but Ryan Lewis was there to haul in the interception and seal the victory for Pitt. That wasn’t an editing error, it needs to be re-stated, because it’s the second moment of horror that sealed Penn State’s doom.
One alumnus in particular has fond memories of the Pitt-Penn State rivalry.
After converting a fumble recovery into an early field goal, Lagow beat a blitz and threw a gorgeous 43-yard TD pass to Nick Westbrook for a 10-0 lead.
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“In my 22 years of doing this, I think you have to be very careful when you tell your players that this game is more important than another game”, Franklin said.
