Penn State Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Pitt Panthers

1. Saquon Barkley strengthens his Heisman campaign

In Penn State’s Week 1 blowout victory over Akron, superstar junior running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 172 yards on only 14 carries and scored a touchdown.

Regardless of how many players the Zips’ defense positioned around the line of scrimmage, Barkley seemed absolutely unstoppable, averaging an astonishing 12 yards per carry in Week 1.

While Akron very well could eventually win the MAC in 2017, Penn State will face its first real test of the season in Week 2, when the Nittany Lions face off against the Pitt Panthers.

This game will not only have bragging rights on the line for both schools’ in-state recruiting abilities, but could also serve as the next step in Barkley’s already impressive 2017 Heisman Trophy campaign.

Pitt’s defense returned only three starters from last season’s defense, a unit that ranked an abysmal 101st in the nation in total defense.

While Narduzzi is considered by many to be a great defensive coach, and one of the key figures in developing head coach Mark Dantonio’s top-ranked Michigan State defenses of recent years, his units have yet to rank in the top half of college football in his Pitt tenure.

If Penn State is going to beat Pitt at home, they will need to consistently control the flow of the game and ensure that Pitt doesn’t drain the clock with their power run game.

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However, having a running back like Barkley, who’s a home run threat on any play, could make a schedule-based offense challenging.

Last season, Barkley only rushed for 85 yards on 20 carries in the team’s Week 2 game against Pitt, but this season Barkley could have that many yards in the first half alone. After improving the offensive line throughout the offseason, Penn State now boasts a more balanced rushing game that can attack opponents from the inside, outside or with sweep plays.

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With some of Pitt’s best defenders out for the game due to suspension, injury and dismissal, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility to see Barkley put up over 200 all-purpose yards on Pitt at home, and continue to push for a place in the 2017 Heisman conversation.