Penn State Football: 5 overreactions from win over Pitt

2. Did Pitt give teams a blueprint to defeat Penn State?

While Penn State did ultimately defeat Pitt in the team’s Week 2 bout in Happy Valley, a lot of that was because of Pitt’s inability to score touchdowns in the red zone.

In the team’s four trips to the red-zone, Pat Narduzzi’s offense only came away with a single touchdown, a 3-yard run-pass option by backup quarterback Ben Dinucci.

Whether it be because of Penn State’s ability to blanket opposing receivers in such a small field, or quarterback Max Browne’s inability to extend plays due to his limited mobility, the Panthers simply couldn’t find their way into the end zone.

Related Story: Penn State Football: Is Koa Farmer the Nittany Lion’s secret weapon?

But without question, Penn State’s Big Ten opponents will surely take note of Pitt’s performance.

Even in victory, the Panthers showed that Penn State’s interior defense struggled to consistently stop a power running game for four quarters, something future opponents like Michigan, Northwestern and Iowa all effectively run week in and week out.

By running a six-minute offense against the Nittany Lions, opposing teams can limit the amount of time coordinator Joe Moorhead’s offense is on the field and effectively disrupt any chance of the Nittany Lions building momentum.

While Penn State did outscore Pitt by a score of 33-14, the Panthers came into Penn State’s house and possessed the ball for 38 minutes. Additionally, the team had 10 more first downs than the Nittany Lions and even recorded more total yards than Franklin’s squad, a feat that was seemingly inconceivable to many before the game began.

Had Pitt been able to convert more consistently on their trips to the red-zone in Week 2, there’s a very good chance that they would have come out the victor for the second consecutive year against Penn State, and prematurely stunted the team’s College Football Playoff aspirations before they even began conference play.

While win’s a win, the team’s inability to stop such a pedestrian offense, with only three real weapons, should be alarming to fans, and eye opening for the Urban Meyers and Jim Harbaughs of the world.