Why Pitt Has a Chance to Beat Penn State in Week Three

The Pittsburgh Panthers face an uphill battle to beat Penn State in Week Three, but it would be foolish to rule out the possible upset.

To say the Pittsburgh Panthers face a tough challenge in Week Three would be an understatement. With a road trip to take on heated rival No. 13 Penn State on deck this week, Pitt is widely viewed as massive underdogs, and to be fair, they should be. Penn State is the more talented program right now, and while Pitt has a few talented pieces, they just aren’t at Penn State’s level. With that in mind, we should probably just chalk this one up as a loss for Pitt, right? Wrong! Yes, they face an uphill battle to win this week three matchup, but as we have seen time and time again, anything can happen in college football.

If the Panthers hope to pull out the surprising victory, it has to start with slowing down a Penn State passing attack that has been explosive to begin the season. Despite this being his first year as a starter, Sean Clifford has played exceptionally well for the Nittany Lions. However, Clifford has yet to face a defense like Pitt’s with Buffalo and Idaho each having relatively little defensive talent. With a fierce pass rush and a couple of talented guys in the secondary, Pitt may just have what it takes to throw Clifford off his game, severely impacting the effectiveness of Penn State’s offense.

Provided they can slow down Clifford, Pitt will need their quarterback, Kenny Pickett to play better than he has so far this season. After a pitiful Week One performance against Virginia, Pickett rebounded a bit last week, but this week will be his toughest challenge yet. Ultimately, it’s up to Pickett to play smart, turnover-free football that allows the running game and defense to lead the team to victory.

The most important factor in securing a victory, however, is utilizing the emotions behind this game to their advantage. With the Pitt vs Penn State series being suspended moving forward, this will be the last time these two rivals face each other for a while, and for Pitt, emotions are running high. Pitt must use that in a smart way by playing hard and looking to make a statement one last time before the series is gone for good.

Pitt may be a massive underdog going into Week Three, but it would be a mistake to rule them out completely. Rivalries have a way of coaxing the best out of teams, and though they face long odds, Pitt just might surprise everyone by ending this rivalry with a big-time win.