Fast-starting Pitt holds off Penn St.
Pitt defensive lineman Tyrique Jarrett (6) forces a fumble by Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley during the first half Saturday. Pitt recovered the fumble.
Pitt’s Jordan Whitehead dives over the goal line as Penn State linebacker Brandon Bell (11) attempts to knock him out of bounds during the first half Saturday.
Pitt tight end Scott Orndoff, a Waynesburg graduate, catches a first-half touchdown pass Saturday between Penn State safety Marcus Allen (2) and cornerback Christian Campbell.
PITTSBURGH – After nearly 16 years off between Penn State and Pitt’s most recent meeting on the football field, only a certain type of game would reach the level of hype and anticipation fostered by the break, luckily both teams obliged with an effort not many will forget.
In the 97th meeting between the programs, Pitt escaped with a 42-39 victory at Heinz Field, thanks to a Ryan Lewis end zone interception with a little more than one minute remaining.
A crowd of 69,983, the largest to witness a sporting event in the city’s history, watched the drama.
“They battled back, and that’s what you want, a close game like that,” Pitt quarterback Nate Peterman said.
Penn State (1-1) still leads the series, 50-43-4.
Lewis’ interception on the last-chance scoring attempt by Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley capped a second half that saw Penn State erase a 28-14 deficit and have a late opportunity to flip the script before Lewis ruined that possibility.
“As sooon as I caught that ball, the crowd started erupting. I didn’t even know where I was, but my teammates were on me,” Lewis said. “I knew right there and then, it was over.”
Early on, though, it appeared the game might not reach such a nerve-inducing point, as the Panthers picked up where they began at the start of the millenium when they pushed around their long-time rivals. Pitt defeated Penn State 12-0 at Three Rivers Stadium in 2000.
Working off an opening 99-yard scoring drive, Pitt (2-0) collected 226 rushing yards to Penn State’s 48 by halftime, and the midpoint score reflected this disparity, with the home team doubling up the Nittany Lions, 28-14.
“We wanted the run downhill,” Pitt running back James Conner said.
By game’s end, the Panthers (2-0) had put together 432 yards of offense, 341 of which came on the ground.
“Last week wasn’t our real offense,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “This was our real offense.”
Conner ran with power and purpose, leading his team with 117 rushing yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. It was his 12th time running for 100-plus yards and the first since he ran for 220 against North Carolina in November of 2014.
Conner’s pace, like that of his team, slowed in the second half, But he, and it, did just enough. Both of his touchdowns came after halftime.
“I just wanted to get back into a rhythm,” Conner said. “I trusted the big guys up front. I trusted my reads today.”
Redshirt senior defensive end Ejuan Price and the rest of the Panther defense helped build their team’s initial cushion by pressuring McSorley often, forcing him to fumble three times. Price caused the first two, which Pitt then recovered. The Nittany Lions (1-1) managed just 78 total rushing yards as a team and converted just two of 10 third down opportunities.
While McSorley often struggled to hold on to the ball, when he meant to let it go he did well. The redshirt junior threw for a touchdown and 332 yards with the one decisive interception. On his touchdown, which came with just under 12 minutes to go in the third quarter, McSorley located running back Saquon Barkley on the left sideline, who ran a straight line 40 yards for the first score of the second half, pulling the Nittany Lions to within one possession of Pitt for the first time since late in the second quarter. Barkley would finish with five total touchdowns, including four rushing, and was the only Penn State player to reach the end zone.
“The fact it was this close at the end of the game speaks volumes for us in the second half,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “But we’re going to have a hard time if we get ourselves into a 28-7 situation.”
Barkley had a costly second-half fumble. Pitt saenior linebacker Mike Caprara recovered the turnover that was forced by Dennis Briggs. Caprara had two fumble recoveries, a career-high.
“I just get to the ball as much as I can,” Caprara said.
Pat Narduzzi announced after the game that defensive end Dewayne Hendrix and linebacker Elijah Zeise will both miss the season while recovering from injuries suffered a week ago against Villanova. … Waynesburg native Scott Orndoff finished with four catches for 15 yards, one of which was a two-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. … Barkley rushed for 85 yards on 20 carries.