Blue White Illustrated

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 247.0 YPG, 7.3 YPC // PITT RUN DEFENSE107.0 YPG, 4.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State had a great opening-game performance last Saturday against Akron, gaining 247 yards as a team on 34 attempts. Saquon Barkley got his Heisman Trophy campaign off to a terrific start by rushing for 172 yards on just 14 carries for an average of 12.3 yards per carry. QB Trace McSorley was the Nittany Lions' second- leading rusher with 48 yards on 12 carries. Pitt has suffered some major personnel losses on defense. MLB Quintin Wirginis, a projected starter, was suspended for three games for undisclosed reasons, and coach Pat Narduzzi an- nounced earlier this week that Wirginis will miss the entire season with an injury unrelated to football. In addition, projected starting weakside DE Rori Blair was thrown off the team in July and FS Jordan Whitehead was suspended for three games. Nevertheless, Pitt performed pretty well against Youngstown State on opening day, limiting the Penguins to 122 rushing yards and 4.1 yards per carry. SS Dennis Briggs was the Panthers' leading tackler with seven stops, including six solo tackles. OLB Elijah Zeise totaled six tackles, with 1.5 tackles for loss. MLB Saleem Bright- well replaced Wirginis and finished the game with five total tackles. Pitt finished the game with only four tackles for loss. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State guards Brendan Mahon and Steven Gonzalez will take on Pitt defensive ends De- Wayne Hendricks and Allen Edwards. Hendricks saw limited action in the opener because of an injury he suffered in preseason camp. Penn State should have success running the football with the zone read option. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 322.0 YPG, 15.3 YPC // PITT PASS DEFENSE 311.0 YPG, 17.3 YPC THE LOWDOWN Penn State's passing game scorched Akron last week, averaging a gaudy 15.3 yards per completion. McSorley completed 18 of 25 passes for 280 yards, with two touchdown passes and only one interception. Penn State's offense had seven plays of 20 or more yards and 18 plays of 10 or more. Backup QB Tommy Stevens com- pleted 3 of 6 passes for 42 yards. The Nittany Lions' leading receiver was TE Mike Gesicki with six catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns. Juwan Johnson had four catches for 84 yards, while DeSean Hamilton had three for 74 yards. Pitt's pass defense struggled against Youngstown State, in part because of Whitehead's absence. The Panthers gave up 311 yards and two TD passes, as the Penguins averaged a gaudy 17.3 yards per completion. An- other problem for Pitt was an insufficient pass rush that produced only one sack in the game. With Whitehead out of action, Pitt's best defensive back is CB Avonte Maddox, a veteran player who had three interceptions last year. // KEY MATCHUP The 6-foot-4 Johnson will face the 5-9 Maddox, and it's likely that Penn State will look to capitalize on their size differential. Elsewhere, Gesicki will face Briggs. Johnson and Gesicki should create real matchup problems for Pitt's secondary. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. PITT PASS DEFENSE PITT RUNNING GAME 208.0 YPG, 3.9 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE73.0 YPG, 2.1 YPC THE LOWDOWN Gone from the backfield is veteran James Conner. The All-Atlantic Coast Conference running back is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even so, Pitt has a strong rushing attack. The Panthers ran for 208 yards against Youngstown State in their opener, with RB Qadree Ollison (22 carries, 91 yards) leading the way. Pitt likes to run the jet sweep, and WR Quadree Henderson used that play to gain 77 yards on only nine carries vs. the Penguins. Penn State had an outstanding game against Akron against the run. Until their last offensive series in the fourth quarter, the Zips had totaled only 36 rushing yards. Outside linebackers Jarvis Miller and Manny Bowen and DT Tyrell Chavis led Penn State with five tackles apiece. As a team, Penn State finished with 14 tackles for loss. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State will have to account for Pitt OT Brian O'Neill, a player with All-Conference ability. DE Shareef Miller is questionable for the game after suffering a lower leg injury on Penn State's initial defensive series against Akron, so Ryan Buchholz might see considerable action. Else- where, Pitt OG Alex Officer will face DT Curtis Cothran. Officer is a three-year starter who has NFL poten- tial. // EDGE Penn State 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 6 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 PITT PASSING GAME 140.0 YPG, 8.2 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE86.0 YPG, 6.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNPitt had a very balanced offense in 2016, with QB Nathan Peterman throwing for 2,855 yards, with 27 TDs and only seven interceptions. USC transfer Max Browne has taken over for Peterman and had an up-and- down debut, completing 17 of 24 passes for 140 yards and one TD against Youngstown State. Browne is a pure pocket passer reminiscent of former Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg. Backing him up is Ben DiNucci, who completed 3 of 9 passes for 16 yards in the Pinstripe Bowl last December against Northwestern. Henderson was

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