Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/724125
KEY MATCHUPS P E N N S T A T E V S . P I T T S B U R G H | 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 145.0 YPG, 3.8 YPC // PITT RUN DEFENSE53.0 YPG, 1.6 YPC THE LOWDOWNComing off of Penn State's season-opening victory against Kent State, it's next to impossible to know what to expect from its running game. The Nittany Lions rushed for only 145 yards against the Golden Flashes, with RB Saquon Barkley gaining a game-high 105 yards on 22 carries. QB Trace McSorley was the Lions' second-leading rusher with 47 yards on 14 carries. The only other running back to carry the football against Kent State was redshirt freshman Andre Robinson. The Panthers' defense had an excellent performance against Villanova, holding the Wildcats to 53 rushing yards and an average of only 1.6 yards per carry. Their lead- ing tacklers were sophomore SS Jordan Whitehead and senior FS Terrish Webb, both of whom finished with six stops. Junior CB Avonte Maddox had five stops, including three tackles for loss and two sacks. Two other defen- sive players of note for Pitt are senior MLB Matt Galambos, a three-year starter, and senior DE Ejuan Price, an All-ACC performer in 2015. One worrisome note for Pitt is that redshirt sophomore DE Dewayne Hendrix is ex- pected to miss the game against Penn State with an injury. He'll be replaced by junior Rori Blair, a starter last sea- son. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State LT Brendan Mahon will do battle with Price, while guards Ryan Bates and Derek Dowrey will face Galambos and fellow linebacker Mike Caprara. // EDGEEven PENN STATE PASSING GAME 209.0 YPG, 13.1 YPC // PITT PASS DEFENSE 119.0 YPG, 7.4 YPC THE LOWDOWN McSorley had a solid opening-day performance against Kent State, completing 16 of 31 passes for 209 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Preseason All-Big Ten WR Chris Godwin was McSorley's top target, hauling in seven catches for 67 yards. The Lions' second-leading receiver was junior TE Mike Gesicki with three catches for 49 yards including a 30-yard TD catch. Junior WR Saeed Blacknall had two catches, as did redshirt junior DaeSean Hamilton. Redshirt sophomore WR DeAndre Thompkins had a reception for 43 yards, while Barkley had one catch for 17 yards. Expect as many as seven wide receivers to play against Pitt, with Brandon Polk and redshirt freshmen Juwan Johnson and Irvin Charles potentially seeing action against the Panthers. Pitt fielded an average pass defense last year, allowing 214.7 yards per game to rank 54th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. In last Saturday's opener, Villanova was able to complete 16 of 32 passes for 119 yards. The Panthers' secondary is led by Whitehead and Webb. Both had big games against the Wildcats, as did Maddox. Price, who led Pitt with nine sacks last season, had three tackles and 1.5 sacks. // KEY MATCHUP Mahon will be looking to keep Price out of the backfield, while Godwin will tangle with Maddox and Gesicki with Whitehead in the secondary. // EDGEPenn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. PITT PASS DEFENSE PITT RUNNING GAME 86.0 YPG, 2.5 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE150.0 YPG, 3.7 YPC THE LOWDOWN The big news here is the return of junior RB James Conner. Named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Conner rushed for over 1,400 yards in 2014 before sitting out last season to undergo treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma. In his return against Villanova last Saturday, he totaled 53 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Sopho- more Qadree Ollison, who rushed for 1,121 yards and 11 TDs last fall and was the ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, totaled just 32 yards on seven carries. Sophomore Darrin Hall rushed for 22 yards on six carries. The strength of Pitt's offense is its line, which is led by a pair of All-ACC performers: senior OG Dorian Johnson and senior LT Adam Bisnowaty. Johnson, Bisnowaty and junior C Alex Officer all could end up playing in the NFL. Penn State's leading tackler in its opener against Kent State was junior MLB Jason Cabinda with 11 stops. Senior OLB Brandon Bell had eight tackles and an interception against the Golden Flashes. Redshirt junior DE Garrett Sickels was third with six total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Expect Penn State to play its 4-3-4 defensive scheme, with Bell, Cabinda and senior Nyeem Wartman-White playing most of the game at linebacker. That's be- cause Pitt runs a power pro-style offense with three wide receivers and at times two tight ends. // KEY MATCHUP Johnson will face Penn State DT Kevin Givens, while Bisnowaty will try to neutralize Sickels. // EDGEEven 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 7 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 PITT PASSING GAME 175.0 YPG, 9.2 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE129.0 YPG, 9.2 YPC THE LOWDOWNPitt QB Nathan Peterman had a strong junior season, completing 61.7 percent of his passes for 2,287 yards, with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Despite the loss of All-ACC WR Tyler Boyd and TE J.P. Holtz, who combined for 115 catches for 1,276 yards and 10 TDs last season, Peterman had a solid performance against Villanova. He completed 19 of 32 passes for 175 yards, with two TDs and no interceptions. The Panthers' top