Penn State vs. Pitt fearless prediction and game preview.
Penn State vs. Pitt Broadcast
Date: Saturday, September 14
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Beaver Stadium, Universal Park, PA
Network: ABC
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Penn State (2-0) vs. Pitt (1-1) Game Preview
Why Penn State Will Win
The Pitt offense just hasn’t been good enough.
It struggled against Virginia to start the season, and it sputtered in the second half in the 20-10 win over Ohio. Now it has to go up against a defense that’s been humming from the start.
The Nittany Lions have yet to deal with anyone who’s all that great – blowing out Buffalo last week – but they’re looking totally tuned up. The D leads the nation in sacks, have lived behind the line against the run. and they’re not giving up a thing through the air.
The Panther offensive line has been an issue early on, and while the passing game clicked last week, it hasn’t been efficient enough or effective enough if the Penn State offense gets out to a good start. But …
Why Pitt Will Win
Even without injured star Rashad Weaver, the Panther pass rush has been terrific, too. The stats are a wee bit skewed going against mobile quarterbacks in Virginia’s Bryce Perkins and Ohio’s Nathan Rourke, but the pressure has been on.
The run defense has been solid against two decent ground games, and overall, the Panthers have been able to hold up relatively well. The offensive side has been more of the problem, but if the Panthers can keep this in range early on and force Penn State to finally face a wee bit of adversity, the D should be come through.
At the very least, it should be able to keep the score from getting out of hand – the Penn State running game sputtered last week against UB.
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What’s Going To Happen
The Panthers just don’t have the pop or firepower. Penn State QB Sean Clifford has been great from the start, but there’s some concern about the running backs being bottled up last week.
Pitt has to find a way to keep moving the chains and keep the Penn State offense off the field. The Nittany Lions aren’t doing anything to control the clock, but that won’t matter. They’ll hit enough quick-strike scores to put this away against a Panther O that won’t be able to answer.
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Penn State vs. Pitt Prediction, Line
Penn State 34, Pitt 13
BetMGM Line: Penn State -16.5, o/u: 52
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Must See Rating: 3
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NEXT: Each Team’s Schedule, Predictions So Far
Each Team’s Schedule, Predictions So Far
2019 Penn State Football Schedule
2019 Record: 3-0
2019 Preseason Prediction: 9-3
2019 Preseason Big Ten Prediction: 6-3
2018 Record: 9-4
Aug. 31 Idaho W 79-7
Sept. 7 Buffalo W 45-13
Sept. 14 Pitt W
Sept. 21 OPEN DATE
Sept. 27 at Maryland W
Oct. 5 Purdue W
Oct. 12 at Iowa L
Oct. 19 Michigan W
Oct. 26 at Michigan State L
Nov. 2 OPEN DATE
Nov. 9 at Minnesota W
Nov. 16 Indiana W
Nov. 23 at Ohio State L
Nov. 30 Rutgers W
2019 Pitt Football Schedule
2019 Record: 1-1
2019 Preseason Prediction: 5-7
2019 Preseason ACC Prediction: 3-5
2018 Record: 7-7
Aug. 31 Virginia L 30-14
Sept. 7 Ohio W 20-10
Sept. 14 at Penn State L
Sept. 21 UCF L
Sept. 28 Delaware W
Oct. 5 at Duke L
Oct. 12 OPEN DATE
Oct. 18 at Syracuse L
Oct. 26 Miami L
Nov. 2 at Georgia Tech L
Nov. 9 OPEN DATE
Nov. 14 North Carolina W
Nov. 23 at Virginia Tech L
Nov. 30 Boston College W
