Blue White Illustrated

GAME GRADES QUARTERBACK By Trace McSorley's standards, it wasn't the best of days. His stats weren't that bad, as he finished 15 for 28 with 164 yards and three touch- downs, but he also overthrew quite a few open receivers. If he had been on his A game, Penn State would have scored a few more touchdowns. GRADEC RUNNING BACKIt took a while for Saquon Barkley to get going, as he had only 11 yards in the first half, but he showed what he can do in the second half, totaling 88 yards rushing and an- other 45 yards receiving on the day. He also added what was essentially the game-winning touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter, dragging multiple Pitt defenders into the end zone. How- ever, Miles Sanders' fumble could have been a big swing for the Panthers if he hadn't recovered it. That's a real issue for the sophomore, and it needs to be fixed ASAP if he wants to reach his po- tential. GRADEB RECEIVERMike Gesicki continues to show that he's a real candidate for the John Mackey Award, scoring two more touchdowns on the day. He's already up to four on the year, but there weren't too many other game-breakers Saturday. When you consider what Youngstown State did to Pitt last week (311 passing yards), it feels like this unit, along with McSorley, underachieved. GRADEC+ OFFENSIVE LINEPenn State's offen- sive front has made real improvement over the past year. There's no denying that. However, I think many expected this unit to open up a few more holes for Barkley and company, and that sim- ply wasn't the case during a few stretches throughout the game. They weren't nearly as bad as we've see in re- cent years, but it's fair to suggest that fans were expecting more. GRADEC DEFENSIVE LINEPitt managed 155 yards rushing, but it came on 45 carries (3.4 YPC average). More important, when Pitt got close to putting it in the end zone, the defensive front came up big, holding the Panthers to two field goals deep in PSU's territory. Yes, they got pushed around at times, especially in the middle, but they were also on the field for more than 20 minutes in the first half. It's clear that some of the younger players still have a ways to go, but this unit didn't play nearly as badly as some fans suggested. GRADEC+ LINEBACKERSJason Cabinda had eight tackles on the day, but he also broke up a ton of blocks that allowed his teammates to pursue the tackle. Manny Bowen had only four tackles, but you can tell that he's steadily im- proving, most notably in pass coverage, which is where the defense needs him the most. GRADEB DEFENSIVE BACKSMarcus Allen led the defense with 12 tackles, including a nice safety late in the fourth quarter. Nick Scott added seven tackles of his own, but more important, the second- ary held Pitt to just 187 yards passing. This unit is a real strength for PSU this year. No doubt about that. GRADEB+ SPECIAL TEAMSBlake Gillikin con- tinues to average more than 40 yards per attempt, while Tyler Davis con- verted his only field goal attempt of the day. He did send a kick out of bounds, but that's going to happen every now and then. PSU's coverage units did a great job containing Quadree Hender- son. Franklin: "I thought special teams was where we played our best." That's good enough for me. GRADEA COACHESMany were expecting Penn State to be a bit more aggressive at times, but it's important to remember that the Lions were never in danger of losing this game. Many were expecting 50, even 60 points, but when you're consistently up more than two scores and your defense is on the field for two- thirds of the game (TOP: Pitt - 38:20, PSU - 21:40) taking risks down the field isn't a smart way to close out the game. On defense, Brent Pry did a good job at dialing up pressure in third-down situa- tions. GRADEB CROWDThe parking lots were filled early and those who had a ticket made it known. Saturday's attendance, 109,898, was the biggest in Beaver Sta- dium since 2009. GRADEA+ S E P T E M B E R 9 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 6 R Y A N S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . c O M Sizing up the Nittany Lions' performance in their victory over Pitt McSorley com- pleted 15 of 28 passes for 164 yards but was off- target on several throws early in the game. Photo by Steve Manuel

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