Penn State Football: 3 reasons Nittany Lions will beat Pitt in Week 3

1. Sean Clifford is the better quarterback

Might be a little early to deem Sean Clifford a good quarterback. He will be making only his third start against the Panthers. But in a comparison between Clifford and Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Penn State’s gunslinger is the better option.

While the competition has not been out of this world, Clifford has done his part so far. He has completed nearly 67 percent of his passes, thrown for 559 yards and found the end zone six times. He has also yet to throw an interception.

Pickett on the other hand has not been great. He looked dreadful against Virginia in the opener, with a 51 percent completion rate and two interceptions. He looked better against Ohio, throwing for 321 yards, a score and not turning over the ball. Looking at his career work at Pitt going back to the 2017 season, Pickett has been inconsistent at best.

While Clifford is not as much of a threat to run as former Lion quarterback Trace McSorley, he still has the ability to take off when needed. He had a 56 yard run against Buffalo that came up just short of the end zone. Clifford is enough of a running option to keep defenses honest when defending Penn State’s RPO offense.

Clifford appears in sync with his wide receivers through two games and is looking good at leading the Penn State offense. He should have another big game against a Pitt defense allowing 30 points per game and over 180 yards through the air.