Pitt-Penn State: Three keys to victory

It's Pitt-Penn State. It's at Heinz Field, and it's at night. Pretty exciting, eh?
It will be more thrilling for me if Penn State gets out of Pittsburgh with a win, and here are three things that need to happen for the Nittany Lions to do that.

1. Last weeks near disgrace= Motivation
Penn State came so close to experiencing one of the worst losses in its history last Saturday against App State at Beaver Stadium. The near-disaster, however, could turn out to be a blessing.

Hopefully, the Nittany Lions at the least learned that they aren't that good yet, and know that they shouldn't take anybody lightly. The main hope is that Saturday's close call will create a more focused Penn State team that will make its debut in primetime tonight.

2. Force a big mistake 
Trace McSorley played a solid overall game the first time the two teams played at Heinz Field, going 24-35 and throwing for 332 yards. McSorley made mistakes, however. He lost losing a fumble early in the game, and His last throw of the day was intercepted in the end zone by Pitt defensive back Ryan Lewis, sealing the game.

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett is in a similar situation that McSorley was two years ago. He's a young, undersized QB playing in his first big game and waiting to make an impact. Chances are that this will be a tight contest late in the second half, so if Penn State can force Pickett to make a big mistake with the game on the line and get the ball in the hands of an older, wiser and better McSorley, than I like the Nittany Lions chances to get the job done at Heinz Field.

3. Trace Mscorley, primetime player.
The most comfortable I feel with McSorley behind center is in primetime. When the lights are shining brightest, there are few players in college football who are better. Trace may not have the best stats in the world, and he's capable of looking shaky for a quarter or three. If the game is close in the fourth quarter, however, that's when McSorley turns into a monster.

People can say whatever about this guy, but he's a winner. If the way he plays tonight mirrors what he's done for the past two years, I like Penn State's chances.

Prediction
This will be a good football game. Not a great game, but a good one. It's  Pitt's super bowl, so the Panthers will be fired up, especially at home. For three quarters, the game will be extremely tight. In the last 15 minutes however, is when I expect Penn State's athletes to take over the game.

The Nittany Lions are more talented than Pitt, and I think that will be evident in the fourth quarter. McSorley will become the monster that he so often is toward the end of the game, and in the last five minutes, he'll throw the touchdown pass that puts the Panthers to bed.

Penn State 34, Pitt 24