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Pitt gets blown out

Pitt hosts No. 10 Penn State at Heinz Field Saturday night, and here's the latest from the game.

First quarter
- Pitt won the opening coin toss and took the ball to start the game, but the Panthers' first offensive possession didn't have any success. A Qadree Ollison run on first down gained no yards, Kenny Pickett scrambled for six on second down but a third-down scramble was less productive, as Pickett slipped on the wet grass while trying to throw to freshman Shocky Jacques-Louis, who also slipped and missed the pass.

- Penn State's first drive was far more successful. Trace McSorley found tight end Jonathan Holland for a 22-yard pass before a defensive holding penalty on Damar Hamlin gave the Nittany Lions another 10 yards. Then, on first down from the Pitt 32, receiver KJ Hamler took a sweep around the left side of the formation and had just one man to beat en route to the first score of the game.

Penn State 7, Pitt 0 (12:14, first quarter)

- Pitt's offense found its groove on the next drive, though, and it started on the first play when Jacques-Louis took a sweep and ran 38 yards. After that, the Panthers found themselves facing a trio of third downs and converted each of them. That included a six-yard run by Ollison out of the Wildcat formation to convert third-and-2, and on third-and-10 from the Penn State 13, Ollison got the call again. This time he took a read hand-off from Pickett, found a hole and ran 13 yards for a touchdown.

The score wasn't tied, though, when Alex Kessman was unable to attempt an extra point after a muffed snap.

Penn State 7, Pitt 6 (7:09, first quarter)

- Pitt's defense was in a hole from the start on Penn State's second drive, as a short kickoff led to a good return that was aided by a facemask penalty to put the Nittany Lions at the Pitt 45. But the Panthers' defense stepped up and forced a field goal that went wide right.

- Pitt's next drive seemed to be headed in the right direction with two more third-down conversions to get inside the Penn State 35. But on first down from the 31, Pickett tried to throw down the sidelines for Tre Tipton near the end zone; the pass was underthrown and Penn State cornerback Amani Oruwariywe picked it off.

- After the interception, which put the ball at the Pitt 1, PSU running back Miles Sanders appeared to break a long run but a holding call brought it back. Two plays later, though, Pitt ran into trouble when a substitution penalty for five yards turned into 20 yards for Penn State as the officials called Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi for unsportsmanlike conduct after he was arguing the substitution penalty.

The penalties put Penn State in Pitt territory and McSorley hit receiver Brandon Polk for a first down to move closer to the end zone. The defense stepped up, though, dropping Sanders for a six-yard loss and then holding the Lions to a punt.

Second quarter

- Penn State's punt pinned Pitt at its own 4, but on the first play of the drive, Ollison carved out some space for the offense to operate - a lot of space, in fact, as the redshirt senior running back found a hole, got into the secondary and then took off for a 63-yard run. A Darrin Hall run and a shovel pass to George Aston gained a first down, but the drive stalled at the Penn State 17 and the Panthers couldn't get points when Kessman's field goal, with what appeared to be another shaky snap and hold, went wide right.

- Penn State's next possession didn't last long. Facing third-and-2 from the 28, running back Ricky Slade ran up the middle for a first down but lost the football when Saleem Brightwell knocked it loose and Rashad Weaver recovered.

The offense struck quickly when Ollison ran for nine and then 11 yards to get to the PSU 11. But things stalled. Ollison lost one yard and then gained four before Darrin Hall ran on third-and-7 and gained just four yards. After a timeout, Ollison got the call again behind a jumbo offensive line - and lost three yards.

- Pitt's defense gave the ball back to the offense after just four plays on Penn State's next drive when Quintin Wirginis sacked McSorley on third down, but the Panthers couldn't do anything with the extra possession. Pitt took a holding penalty on its first play and then went three-and-out after that.

The situation turned from bad to worse when Kirk Christodoulou, who had already struggled holding onto snaps for placements, dropped the punt. Penn State recovered at the Pitt 35. After a Sanders rush - on a long pitch - gained 21 yards, McSorley found Hamler wide open in the middle of the end zone for a fairly easy 14-yard touchdown.

Penn State 14, Pitt 6 (0:26, second quarter)

- Pitt's offense didn't try to do anything after the Penn State touchdown, handing off to Ollison for an eight-yard run before retiring to the locker room for halftime.

Third quarter

- Neither team showed much offense to open the second half, as both Pitt and Penn State went three-and-out on their first drives of the third quarter. But on the third drive, the Nittany Lions had success. After getting the ball at the Pitt 40, PSU marched with a sizable assist from a roughing penalty on Patrick Jones, and McSorley capped the drive with a read run into the end zone.

Penn State 21, Pitt 6 (8:36, third quarter)

- Things kept getting worse for Pitt after PSU's touchdown. An illegal block on the ensuing kickoff put the Panthers at the 8 and a false start on first down moved it back even further. Hall was dropped for a three-yard loss to make it second-and-17 from the 1, and on that play, Pickett dropped back into the end zone; his pass was incomplete, but left tackle Stefano Millin was called for holding in the end zone, giving Penn State a safety and two more points.

Penn State 23, Pitt 6 (7:38, third quarter)

- The offenses went quiet after the safety, punting on four consecutive possessions. But on the fourth punt, Penn State struck, as DeAndre Thompkins returned Christodoulou's kick 39 yards to the end zone.

Penn State 30, Pitt 6 (0:28, third quarter)

Fourth quarter

- Pitt's drive at the end of the third quarter went nowhere, but Penn State was far more successful. McSorley and Sanders traded 20-yard runs - two for McSorley and one for Sanders - before McSorley threw an 11-yard strike to Mac Hippenhammer to extend the lead.

Penn State 37, Pitt 6 (11:40, fourth quarter)

- Following a Pitt punt, Penn State continued to pour it on, although not without continued help from the Panthers. The defense had the Nittany Lions in a third-and-10 early on their sixth drive of the half and Patrick Jones nearly sacked McSorley, but instead he grabbed the PSU quarterback's facemask, giving the visitors 15 yards and a fresh set of downs. After that, the Nittany Lions marched through Pitt territory for a four-yard touchdown run from Mark Allen.

Penn state 44, Pitt 6 (6:17, fourth quarter)

- Pitt tried to get something out of its offense after Penn State's sixth touchdown, but things went south once again when Jacques-Louis fumbled after catching a pass from Pickett. The Nittany Lions recovered and backup quarterback Sean Clifford threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Polk for another touchdown.

Penn State 51, Pitt 6 (4:21, fourth quarter)

- That touchdown was the final in the game, as the two teams more or less ran out the clock to end the quarter. The blowout loss dropped Pitt to 1-1 on the season.

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