Penn State Football Preview: Pittsburgh

Story posted September 6, 2017 in CommRadio by Sports Staff

PODCAST:

Mitch Stewart, Jon Gross, Dylan Huberman and Zach Kaplan break down Penn State's matchup against Pittsburgh.

After an excellent game in a 52-0 victory against Akron, the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) plan to keep rolling against the Pittsburgh Panthers (1-0, 0-0 ACC) this Saturday.

Head coach James Franklin is quoted saying that their performance against Akron was “the most complete game” they have ever had. Of course, repeating that performance would be ideal but, Pittsburgh is known to have plenty of tenacity. No matter what the state of their team is, this could be more difficult than expected. The key for the Nittany Lions to repeat success is going to be their defense. The Panthers have a very solid running-back duo lead by Qadree Ollison and Quadree Henderson. Ollison was able to punch in 2 TDs in their overtime win against Youngstown State. Penn State’s front 7 has to make it a priority to ensure the Panthers never get their ground game going. By forcing Panther’s senior quarterback Max Browne be the one to beat them, it can assure Penn State’s victory.

On the offensive side of the ball, if the Nittany Lions can achieve half the success they achieved against Akron, the Pittsburgh defense will not stand a chance. Junior running back Saquon Barkley is putting college football on notice that he is the best running back in the country. With 172 yards on 14 carries with 2 touchdowns in his first outing this season, Barkley is without a doubt at the top of the Heisman voting. As for junior quarterback Trace McSorley, he has to take advantage of Pittsburgh’s defensive backs who allowed 311 yards to Youngstown quarterback Hunter Wells. With weapons like junior wide receiver Juwan Johnson, senior wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton, and senior tight end Mike Gesicki, McSorley should have a field day against the Panther defense. However, the biggest surprise in the Akron game was the utilization of backup quarterback Tommy Stevens. It will be interesting to see how Coach Franklin will utilize Stevens against a stronger opponent. If he achieves the same amount of success as he did against Akron, the Panthers will be in big trouble. The packages that use Stevens have opened up new doors for a Nittany Lion offense that was already considered dynamic and one of the best in college football.

As for the Panthers, they barely escaped Youngstown State with a 28-21 overtime victory. Now, as they gear up for a rematch against the Nittany Lions, they are going to have a lot to handle this go around. Since their victory over Penn State last season, Penn State went on to win the Big Ten Championship and compete in the Rose Bowl, where they lost against USC in one of the closest games in Rose Bowl history. Now with more weapons and momentum, Penn State is looking for revenge. To make matters worse, the Panthers are the visiting team. This is the first time since 1999 that Pittsburgh has played in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions are ready to get their revenge with a 33-10 victory.

 

Carlos Flores is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ccflores2002@yahoo.com.

About the Contributors

Jonathan Gross's photo

Jonathan Gross

Senior / Broadcast Journalism, International Politics

Jon Gross is a senior from Upper Saddle River, New Jersey double-majoring in broadcast journalism and International Politics. Gross currently serves as a Sports Director for Penn State’s CommRadio, where he has also broadcasted for ten Penn State sports teams. During the summer of 2018, Gross was the Director of Broadcasting for the Saugerties Stallions of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. He was also the radio play-by-play voice of the Penn State Women’s Volleyball team for the 2017 season. Gross has interned in the sports departments of WCBS-TV (New York) and WTAJ-TV (Altoona-Johnstown-State College).

You can contact him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and follow his twitter @j_gross31.

Carlos Flores's photo

Carlos Flores

Senior /

Carlos Flores is from Alexandria, Virginia, double majoring in broadcast journalism and hospitality management looking for an opportunity to grow and perfect his craft. He is actively involved with five student organizations and is focused maximizing his college experience. As his college career comes to a close, Carlos plans to leave Penn State the way he entered, putting forth 100% effort. You can contact him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or on Twitter @CarlosCFlrores

Dylan Huberman's photo

Dylan Huberman

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Dylan Huberman is a Centre County Report student, a contributor for CommRadio, where he formerly served as the co-host of several talk shows, including the NFL talk show “The Point After” with Tyler King, and “Empire State College” with Charles Hart, and also makes regular appearances for PSNtv’s “Penn State Sports Night.” Nicknamed “Hot-take Huberman” by CommRadio alum George Stockburger, Dylan is known for his fiery, outside-the-box style of sports analysis. Outside of Penn State, Dylan has worked as a desk assistant for ABC News out of their Los Angeles Bureau, as well as an intern in the sports department with KABC-TV Los Angeles, and is an editorial writer for Clutchpoints, covering the NBA and NFL. One day, Dylan hopes to make it onto television as a sports analyst or play-by-play announcer, but is very interested in sports radio and editorial writing as well. Follow him on Twitter @dylanhuberman or email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Mitch Stewart's photo

Mitch Stewart

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Mitch Stewart is a senior from Roanoke, VA majoring in broadcast journalism. Mitch has called football, basketball, hockey, soccer, baseball, and softball games during his time with CommRadio. Additionally, Mitch is a writer for Onward State. To contact him, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Zach Kaplan's photo

Zach Kaplan

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Zach Kaplan is a senior broadcast journalism major with a double minor in history and sociology. Beyond his work with the Centre County Report, Zach is involved with CommRadio as a sports director and on-air personality, as well as a broadcaster for BTN Student U productions on-campus. He also works with 46Live both on-air and as a producer to provide live coverage of Penn State’s annual Dance Marathon.

Outside of his on-air work, Zach writes for Penn State Athletics covering men’s hockey and lacrosse and has held summer internships with Israel Sports Radio, the Cape Cod Baseball League, and the Coastal Plain League.