Blue White Illustrated

the first overtime period for a 28-21 victory over last year's Football Championship Subdivision runners-up. That was a closer call than many anticipated, and Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi had to work to put a positive spin on it at his news conference on Mon- day, likening the performance to a minor medical scare. "Until you go to the doctor and find out what's wrong with you, you can't give the patients the right medicine," Narduzzi said. "Now we know what kind of medicine they need, and we should be able to tailor practices, tailor an individual toward what needs to be done. "As I've [said] in the past, you make your best improvement between week one and week two. It's kind of like getting on the right antibiotic, you know what I mean? We prescribe the antibiotic and it'll be fun to watch what we can do in week two." Week two will be against the fourth- ranked team in the country, and it will be at Beaver Stadium where the Panthers haven't won since 1988, so that medicine had better be fast-acting. They are expecting to wel- come back junior offensive guard Alex Bookser, who was suspended for the opener due to a DUI arrest in May. But they will be without All-Atlantic Coast Conference safety Jordan Whitehead and projected starting linebacker Quintin Wirginis, both of whom were suspended three games in July for unspecified violations. (Wirginis will now miss the entire season with what Narduzzi described this week as an injury unrelated to football.) In addition, defen- sive end Rori Blair was kicked off the team over the summer, joining fellow defensive lineman Jeremiah Taleni, who was booted in April for disciplinary reasons. Those losses no doubt contributed to a mediocre defensive performance against Youngstown State. The Panthers surren- dered 311 passing yards, as the Penguins averaged an impressive 17.3 yards per catch. They weren't as successful on the ground but still finished with 418 yards of total of- fense to Pitt's 348. The defensive losses would have hurt under any circumstances, but the Panthers are also breaking in a new quarterback. Former five-star recruit Max Browne ar- rived in the winter as a graduate transfer after losing the starting job at Southern Cal to Sam Darnold. With Browne making his debut, Pitt re- lied primarily on the running game and short passing game against Youngstown State. The runners fared pretty well, as Qadree Ollison and Quadree Henderson combined for 168 yards on 31 carries. But the passing game was less effective, with Browne hitting 17 of 24 for 140 yards, an average of only 8.2 yards per catch. "It was the first time he's been under fire for [nearly] a year really," Narduzzi said. "He was sitting on the sideline with head- phones on going out for the coin toss [as one of USC's captains last year]. That's the only time he really got on the field. So there's a lot of learning for him." While Browne wasn't a part of last year's team, Pitt's returning players have been in the kind of environment they'll face on Saturday. They defeated eventual national champion Clemson on the road last year when the Tigers were ranked second in the country. It would seem only natural for the Panthers to reflect on that experience as they brace for their trip to Beaver Stadium, but Narduzzi has moved on. "I am sick of that moment, really," he said. "That moment is so far in the past. We can't look back to that one. We're on to the next game, and this is a different foot- ball team. It doesn't matter what we did against Clemson or Penn State a year ago, it doesn't matter. This is a new football team with a lot of new guys who are play- ing. We're really not looking to that at all. That's honest." S E P T E M B E R 6 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 2 NATE BAUER 1-0 | Whether they're saying it or not, Penn State players are itching for some vindication against a Pitt team that upended their College Football Playoff hopes last year. That hindsight might be a little too convenient given the massive transformation the Lions underwent from the beginning of the 2016 season to the end, but if they've decided that a loss to the Panthers kept them out of the playoffs, then it's a safe bet they're going to come into this one juiced up. Pitt, on the other hand, doesn't have the tools in place on ei- ther side of the ball to stay competitive for four quarters. | PENN STATE 47, PITT 16 PHIL GROSZ 1-0 | Right now Penn State has one of the most balanced offenses in col- lege football. Coming off an opener in which they totaled 569 yards, the Nittany Lions rank second in the Big Ten in total offense, third in rushing offense (with a conference- leading average of 7.3 yards per carry) and third in passing offense (with a conference- leading average of 15.33 yards per completion). Penn State is also second in the Big Ten in scoring offense at 52 points per game. The statistical rankings obviously aren't as mean- ingful as they will be in a month or two, but I expect Penn State to score points in bunches against a Pitt team that gave up 311 yards though the air against Youngstown State. | PENN STATE 49, PITT 10 MATT HERB 1-0 | The number that jumps out at you from Pitt's opener against Youngstown State is 17.3. That's how many yards per catch the Penguins averaged. Penn State is very good at getting the ball down the field, especially if the opposing defense is preoccupied with Saquon Barkley. I expect that's what will happen on Saturday. And while I'm not at all convinced that the Nittany Lions are five touchdowns better than the Pan- thers, part of the fun of any longstanding rivalry is jabbing the other side where it hurts the most. So, with that in mind, here's a pick for old times' sake... | PENN STATE 48, PITT 14 TIM OWEN 1-0 | Two different years, two different teams. And when Pitt travels to Beaver Stadium on Saturday, it'll be two different outcomes. Last year's game at Heinz Field wasn't necessarily an outlier to PSU's 11-win season, as the 2016 Panthers' lineup was dotted with NFL-caliber players. Not only did they beat the Big Ten champs, they also edged Clemson, the national champs. Gone, however, is much of the firepower from that team. The Lions, meanwhile, return plenty of players who recall the bitter aBertaste of that 42-39 loss. That's not a good combo for a Pitt team that runs a style of offense that might be a little tricky to read the first time, but not so much the second time. | PENN STATE 44, PITT 14 RYAN SNYDER 1-0 | Forget the history and forget what this game means in recruiting. All that matters to this team is the fact that Pitt was the reason it wasn't in the College Football Playoff last season. That hasn't sat well with this group all summer, so I expect a full-throt- tle showing from start to finish. | PENN STATE 48, PITT 17 S T A F F P R E D I C T I O N S

• Cover