Penn State football looks to maintain recent dominance over Pitt in Week 3

Penn State football hosts Pitt for the 100th meeting all time in the series. Can the Lions beat their in-state rival for a third straight season?

For the 100th time and what is the last meeting for the foreseeable future, in-state rivals Penn State and Pitt meet on the gridiron Saturday. Penn State has won the last two games in the series and leads all time 52-43-4.

The first game in the renewal series in 2016 was an exciting contest with Pitt jumping out to a big lead at home with Penn State storming back, only to fall short 42-39 when a Trace McSorley throw was intercepted in the end zone late. The 2017 matchup in Happy Valley was won 33-14 by the Lions and fairly uneventful. Last year’s game was played at night at Heinz Field in less than ideal rainy conditions. The Lions dominated the second half on their way to a 51-6 blowout of the Panthers.

Only time will tell how the 2019 edition of this game will unfold. Pitt is trying to build some momentum after a win last week and Penn State is trying to go 3-0 heading into their first bye week.

Here’s how you can watch online:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time:  12:00 p.m. ET
Location: State College, Penn.
Venue: Beaver Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

The Panthers defense has been its strength thus far through two games. The rush defense has held its own against two pretty good rushing attacks. Penn State struggled mightily to run the ball against Buffalo, with Sean Clifford netting the biggest run of the game of 58 yards. The Lions finished with 78 yards on the ground. If the Panthers can shut down the Lions’ running game and keep this low scoring, they may be able to hang in it until the end.

Penn State’s offense has been great, but the opponents have been Idaho and Buffalo. However averaging 62 points per game is great no matter who you play. Clifford is still adjusting but has played well at quarterback. The receivers look great and in sync with Clifford. The key again will be big plays. The offense is not going to keep the ball for long stretches, but they can string enough big plays together to create a lot of points. Pitt’s offense is not built to keep up in firepower.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Spread: Penn State -17
Over/under: 54

Prediction

Pat Narduzzi treats this game as a huge in-state rivalry. He cuts off his players from media availability during the week leading up to the game. James Franklin takes the opposite approach, preaching to his team to go 1-0 every week, no matter the opponent. This is the last game in the series so no matter what each coach says publicly, they want this victory bad.

This one will be close for a bit, maybe until halftime. In the latter half of the game though, Penn State will take over. The Lion defense will smother the Panther offense, which does not have enough fireworks to keep up with the Penn State offense.

Clifford looks good again, throwing for three touchdowns and scoring one on the ground as well. For the second straight week, the Lions will get a defensive touchdown. Penn State wins and secures in-state bragging rights for a long time.

Final Score: Penn State 38, Pitt 17