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KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   P I T T | B Y   P H I L   G R O S Z W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 204 YPG, 4.7 YPC // PITT RUN DEFENSE60 YPG, 2.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNEven with Saquon Barkley gone, Penn State showed against Appalachian State that it may be able to field an improved running game this season. The Nittany Lions rushed for 204 yards and five touchdowns against the Mountaineers, including 91 yards and two TDs by Miles Sanders. Just like last season, QB Trace McSorley was the Lions' second-leading rusher with 12 carries for 53 yards and two TDs. ACer a slow start, Penn State's veteran offensive line played up to preseason expectations. It's hard to say how big a challenge Pitt will pose this week. The Panthers opened with a comfortable win against Albany, but the Great Danes were a Football Championship Subdivision oppo- nent that posted a 4-7 record last season. Pitt returns its entire starting front seven from last year, and it dominated Al- bany at the point of attack. Last season's No. 2 tackler, ILB Saleem Brightwell, led the Panthers with five tackles. Also back are outside linebackers Oluwaseun Idowu and Elijah Zeise, FS Damar Hamlin and CB Dane Jackson. The Pan- thers did an outstanding job against Penn State last season, holding the Lions to 148 yards rushing and 312 yards of total offense. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State's offensive line will have to create some holes in Pitt's front seven. A year ago, the Panthers held PSU to fewer yards than all but one opponent all season. The Panthers return all seven starters from last year, plus MLB Quintin Wirginis, who missed the season with an injury. // EDGE Even PENN STATE PASSING GAME 230 YPG, 11.0 YPC // PITT PASS DEFENSE 263 YPG, 14.6 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State's passing game sputtered in the first half against Appalachian State, as McSorley com- pleted only 9 of 17 throws for 69 yards. He turned it around in the second half and finished the game with 21 com- pletions in 36 attempts for 230 yards and one touchdown – a 15-yard pass to WR K.J. Hamler to tie the score in the final minute of regulation. Juwan Johnson led Penn State with six catches for 67 yards, followed by Hamler with four catches for 68 yards and Sanders with three catches for 20 yards. McSorley ended up completing passes to seven receivers. Pitt struggled against the pass last season, allowing 254.2 yards per game to rank 105th in the Foot- ball Bowl Subdivision. Surprisingly, Albany had some success against the Panthers, as QB Vincent Testaverde com- pleted 18 of 29 attempts for 263 yards. However, Pitt got interceptions from CB Damarri Mathis and Hamlin, and it totaled five sacks, including two by DT Keyshon Camp. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State guards Steven Gonzalez and Connor McGovern will try to neutralize Idowu. The 6-foot-0, 230-pounder had a team-high eight tackles against Penn State last year, and he finished his junior season with 6.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. In the secondary, Hamler will do battle with Hamlin. Hamler showed against App State that he can be a potent deep threat for the Nittany Lions. Hamlin is Pitt's top returning starter in the secondary. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. PITT PASS DEFENSE PITT RUNNING GAME 238 YPG, 6.4 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 159 YPG, 4.3 YPC THE LOWDOWN Even though Pitt struggled to run the ball at times last season, ranking 85th nationally in rushing at 148.5 yards per game, the ground attack is considered a team strength. Leading the way is senior RB Qadree Ollison with 1,719 career rushing yards. Ollison was Pitt's leading rusher against Albany with 73 yards on seven carries (10.4 ypc). Darrin Hall carried four times for 22 yards, while A.J. Davis had 53 yards on 13 attempts. In addition, QB Kenny Pickett had 42 yards on six carries. FB George Aston is used mainly as a blocker. Penn State has had to replace nine starters on defense, and it struggled at times against Appalachian State. MLB Jan Johnson was the Lions' leading tack- ler with 11 stops, while safeties Nick Scott and Garrett Taylor were next with nine and eight tackles, respectively. Penn State had six tackles for loss, with Johnson, ILB Koa Farmer, OLB Cam Brown, DE Shareef Miller and ILB Jarvis Miller totaling one apiece. // KEY MATCHUP Pitt RT Alex Bookser will take on DE Yetur Gross-Matos. A 6-6, 320- pound senior, Bookser has NFL potential, and Pitt loves to run off-tackle behind him. On the inside, LG Mike Herndon will face DT Kevin Givens. At 6-4, 310 pounds, Herndon will have a 25-pound advantage over Givens, who was sus- pended for Penn State's opener against App State but may be back this week. // EDGE Pitt PITT RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE PITT PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N P I T T H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. PITT RUN DEFENSE S E P T E M B E R   5 ,   2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 PITT PASSING GAME 169 YPG, 9.9 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 292 YPG, 11.2 YPC THE LOWDOWNPitt averaged only 217.7 yards per game and ranked 73rd in passing offense last year. But in the Panthers' final game of the season against second-ranked Miami (Fla.), Pickett received his first start and responded by complet- ing 18 of 29 passes for 193 yards in a 24-14 upset win. For the season, Pickett completed 39 of 66 passes (59.1 percent) for 509 yards, with one TD and one interception. He got off to a solid start this year, completing 16 of 22 passes for 159 yards and two TDs against Albany. WR Rafael Araujo-Lopes was the Panthers' leading receiver with three catches for

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