Penn State Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Pittsburgh in Week 2

Penn State football travels west to face its in-state rival Pitt for a Saturday night showdown in the Burgh. Who’ll come out on top?

The Nittany Lions’ first road trip of the season is a short one across the state a couple hours to meet Pitt in a Saturday night clash. In this latest revival of the series between two historic rivals, each team has won at home with two games left. This will be Pitt and Penn State’s 99th meeting on the gridiron.

Penn State is looking to prove last week’s game against Appalachian State was an anomaly. After seemingly having the game in hand with a two touchdown lead into the fourth quarter, the Lions saw their lead evaporate as the Mountaineers went on a 28-7 run to take the lead late.

Trace McSorley led the Lions down the field for a game tying touchdown to force overtime. In the extra frame, running back Miles Sanders scored a touchdown and Appalachian State could not match, throwing an interception to end the game.

Pitt hosted FCS Albany last Saturday. The Panthers got off to a huge 21-0 lead including a game opening kickoff return for a touchdown and never looked back. They took a 33-7 at halftime and put it into cruise control. There was no more scoring the rest of the way as Pitt was looking to avoid injuries heading into their clash with Penn State.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 8
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Pittsburgh, Penn.
Venue: Heinz Field
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

For Penn State, they must play all four quarters. In 2016 at Heinz Field, the Lions fell behind early and despite a furious comeback, came up three points short in the end. Last season at Beaver Stadium, Penn State got off to an early lead and never allowed Pitt to threaten after that. The Lions must play better defense this week, with Trace McSorley and Miles Sanders leading a high powered offense.

For the Panthers to pull off the upset, they must not let their emotions run high. They are sure to be riding high with emotion coming out of the tunnel, fueling off what will be a rare raucous crowd for a Pitt home game. Quarterback Kenny Pickett has a good arm and can hurt the Lions with his legs as well. If the Panthers can keep their emotions in check, play sound defense and control the pace of the game, they have a chance at victory.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Penn State -8.5
Over/Under: 56

Prediction

Pitt comes out of the gate with a fire and passion. They score 10 points on their first two possessions. After that, Penn State clamps down. McSorley and the offense start to get into a rhythm, ending several long drives with scores and they take a 17-10 lead into halftime. The Lions completely dominate the second half, with Sanders putting on a show for his hometown crowd. Pitt scores a couple touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but it is too late with the game in hand. The Lions walk out of Heinz Field victorious.

Final Score: Penn State 45, Pitt 24