Penn State Sports Magazine
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put this game on a pedestal, the famil- iarity is impossible to escape. Take PSU defensive backs Troy Apke and Grant Haley, for instance. Both of their parents – both Mom and Dad – are Pitt alumni, and many of the players on each ros- ter were recruited by both schools. One of Apke's best friends and former class- mate at Mt. Lebanon (Pa.), offensive lineman Alex Bookser, plays for the Panthers. Kevin Givens, as another example, verbally committed to Pitt while attending high school in Al- toona before he signed with Penn State later in his senior year. When the squads take the stage at Heinz Field Saturday, they'll know each other all too well. "They've got some really good football players," Narduzzi said. "One of them was a former commit to us in Kevin Givens, who has been electric for them. He's not a big guy. About 270 pounds, probably, but he's very athletic. He's very active [and] my kind of defensive tackle." Formerly a defensive coordinator for Michigan State (2007-14), Narduzzi has experience playing against the Nittany Lions, going 3-2 during that span, but new this year is the offensive scheme that PSU runs. With coordinator Joe Moor- head entering just his second game, Nar- duzzi is still learning about what kind of challenges he'll present. "They are going to come in here with a spread offense, very similar to what you saw last week," he said. "They had a bit more of a slower tempo last week. They looked to the sideline almost every down. We expect to get some of that, but I expect to see more of a faster tempo. We'll be really excited to play a fast- tempo offense. That gives them advan- tages of speeding it up, but it also gives us advantages because we're able to kind of do whatever we want to do. We're not one of those teams that when someone lines up fast on you, you keep it base. One of the beautiful things that we do is when someone wants to line up fast, we can do just about any- thing to counter." That holds, too, for any pregame com- ments. While Nar- duzzi met with reporters Monday and again on a tele- conference Wednes- day, he is limiting his players from speak- ing to media this week. His goal? To counter any talk about a rivalry that could be miscon- strued as billboard material. "I just don't want any distractions this week," he said. "When my players come off the [practice] field, I would rather they go right into the film room and watch that practice than have to spend three minutes [doing interviews.] If it's three minutes, it might be an important three minutes that they miss. It's a game of inches and those might be the inches that we miss." Specifically, Narduzzi and his coaching staff are zeroing in on running back Saquon Barkley during film study, calling him "maybe the best tailback in the country." Givens has his attention, too, as well as quarterback Trace McSorley. Narduzzi describes PSU's signal caller as an "ac- tive" QB upon whom his defense must key. Additionally, backup redshirt fresh- man Tommy Stevens is also being stud- ied, just in case he sees game action as well. "[McSorley] took every snap last week, so I'd say he's the guy, but we'll be pre- pared for the backup as well, who is also a good player," Narduzzi said. "He has athletic ability and can run." All of that combined – rivalry or not – is what makes it a challenge, one that Narduzzi is eager to confront. "This week is a chance to find out how we measure up," Narduzzi said. "How we measure up against Penn State and how we measure up against the Big Ten." In it's history, Pitt's record against op- ponents that are currently in the Big Ten is 103-119-8. NATE BAUER 2016 RECORD 1-0 The second game of the season following two relatively uninspiring performances from two arch-enemy programs? Sounds like a toss up to me. A turnover or special teams mistake seems likely to sway the outcome. And look for the first true test for PSU's DL against this Panther ground game. Nod to the home team on this one. PITTSBURGH 24, PENN STATE 23 PHIL GROSZ 2016 RECORD 1-0 On paper this game appears to be a toss- up. Penn State has a slight advantage de- fensively and both teams have all-league RBs in Saquon Barkley and James Connor. Where I give PSU a slight advantage is with its balanced offensive attack. Pitt's offense is one dimensional with quite possibly one of the top three OLs in the ACC. Under James Franklin PSU has struggled on the road, but I'm projecting a close Penn State win. PENN STATE 38, PITTSBURGH 31 MATT HERB 2016 RECORD 1-0 Penn State left a lot of points on the field last week. It didn't need them vs. Kent State, but it will against Pitt. I'm just not sure the youthful Lions are prepared to deliver the kind of breakthrough they will need in order to upset the Panthers on the road. PITTSBURGH 27, PENN STATE 17 TIM OWEN 2016 RECORD 1-0 Against a strong Pitt OL that is blocking for an inspired group of RBs, Penn State's front seven has its hands full in this one. Age and experience win out in the end. PITTSBURGH 23, PENN STATE 18 RYAN SNYDER 2015 RECORD 1-0 Penn State has a real chance to win this game, but Pitt has the better team and home field advantage. It'll be close and low scoring, but the Panthers will pull it out in the end. PITTSBURGH 27, PENN STATE 17 S e p t e m b e r 7 , 2 0 1 6 b L U e W H I t e O N L I N e . C O m 2 BWI'S FORECAST PAT NARDUZZI "One of the beautiful things that we do is when [an offense] wants to line up fast, we can do just about anything to counter."