UNIVERSITY PARK - Pitt is at Penn State today. Keep up with the action live from Beaver Stadium.

FIRST QUARTER
For the third game in a row, Pitt's opponent won the coin toss and deferred to kick off to the Panthers, and for the third game in a row, that decision worked out for the opponent. This time, Pitt took the kick from Penn State and went three-and-out on its first drive.

Penn State's offense got off to a stronger start when Sean Clifford hit tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 16-yard gain on first down and then Clifford escaped a sack to scramble for 13 yards and convert a third-and-7.

But Pitt's defense stepped up, and a second-and-10 sack by Phil Campbell cost Penn State 13 yards; the Nittany Lions couldn't make up that distance and had to punt.

Pitt's second drive looked like it wasn't going far when the Panthers ran into third-and-11 from their own 12. But Kenny Pickett connected with A.J. Davis on a screen pass that turned into a 48-yard gain. The Panthers couldn't do anything with it, though, and had to punt again.

A well-placed punt from Kirk Christodoulou was downed at Penn State's 2, and Pitt's defense seemed to take advantage of the field position when the Nittany Lions opted to hand the ball off on third-and-9 from the 3.

But on that play, running back Journey Brown dodged several tackles and took off for 85 yards. Pitt almost turned the momentum when it appeared that Paris Ford had intercepted Clifford, but a pass interference penalty canceled that play; two snaps later, Devyn Ford was in the end zone for a touchdown.

PENN STATE 7, PITT 0 - 4:31, 1st quarter

Pitt had no answer after Penn State's touchdown, going three-and-out when a 10-yard gain on third-and-11 just missed on converting. The Nittany Lions looked like they were going to add on when Clifford and KJ Hamler connected for a 53-yard gain, but Pitt's defense stepped up with pressure on Clifford to force another punt as time wound down on the first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER
Pitt held the ball entering the second frame and proceeded to put up one of their longest drives of the season thus far. The Panthers started at their own 8 and then chipped away at Penn State's defense as Pickett completed 12-of-13 passes to march the offense inside the Nittany Lions' 5. But a third-and-goal attempt from the 2 went backward, and Pitt had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Alex Kessman.

PENN STATE 7, PITT 3 - 6:34, 2nd quarter

Pitt's defense held strong to force Penn State's first three-and-out of the game on the next drive, and then the Panthers' offense embarked on another long drive. This one started at the 22, and after a defensive holding call moved the chains, Pickett completed a trio of passes for 55 yards to move to the 3. From there, freshman Vincent Davis skipped through Penn State defenders to score the Panthers' first touchdown and give Pitt the lead.

PITT 10, PENN STATE 7 - 2:08, 2nd quarter

Pitt had momentum on its side after the touchdown, and the defense picked up where the offense left off, forcing Penn State into a third-and-8 from its own 15. But the Panthers opted to stay in their base defensive package and not pressure Clifford, who responded with a 40-yard catch-and-run toss to Ricky Slade. The Nittany Lions added a fourth-down conversion to get to the Pitt 31, but on third-and-8, Jaylen Twyman sacked Clifford for the second time in the game.

Penn State head coach James Franklin opted to send out Jordan Stout for a 57-yard field goal attempt with time running down and the redshirt sophomore responded, connecting on the longest made field goal in PSU history.

The kick tied the score as the teams went to halftime. Picket completed 18-of-23 passes for 183 yards and only eight yards separated the two teams in total offense; Penn State gained 221 yards and Pitt gained 213.

PITT 10, PENN STATE 10 - Haltime

Both offenses were quiet to open the second half. Penn State looked like it had hit a huge play when Clifford fired a deep pass on third-and-8 to Dan Chisena. The play was initially ruled a 52-yard reception, but it was overturned upon review and the Nittany Lions had to punt.

Pitt didn't have much more success, picking up one first down on a defensive pass interference penalty but failing to convert third-and-8 from their own 36 and punting once again.

Penn State finally broke things open in the second half on the next possession. The Nittany Lions emphasized the running game and short passes from Clifford to march 88 yards, capped by a 13-yard run by Devyn Ford to give the home team the lead.

PENN STATE 17, PITT 10 - 5:50, 3rd quarter

The tie was broken, but the defenses continued to be rather stout on both sides. Pitt got one first down on the next possession before Pickett was sacked for the first time in the game. He would be sacked one more time on the drive, leading to a punt. The Panthers' defense returned the favor, giving up one first down before forcing another punt to end the third quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

Pitt opened the final quarter with the ball and moved inside Penn State territory, but Pat Narduzzi opted to punt on fourth-and-2 from the PSU 48 rather than go for it. His defense rewarded the call by forcing Penn State to punt, but the Panthers' offense sputtered and stalled out at its own 43.

This time, facing fourth-and-1, Narduzzi decided to go for it and the call paid off as Pickett ran play-action and dropped a pass to tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart, who picked up 37 yards on the play.

Pickett then hooked up with Taysir Mack for a 29-yard pass that put the ball at the 1, seeming to set the Panthers up for a game-tying touchdown. But Pickett had to throw the ball away on first down, was stopped for no gain on a second-down run and then threw an incomplete pass while getting sacked on third down.

On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Narduzzi opted to send Kessman out for a 19-yard field goal attempt, but it bounced off the left upright.

Pitt's defense stopped Penn State after the Nittany Lions ran about three minutes off the block, giving the Panthers one last chance on a drive starting at their own 16. First down brought a 21-yard pass from Pickett to Mack, but the next three gained a net of minus-two yards.

On fourth-and-12, though, Pickett and Mack connected one more time on a 28-yard pass to move into Penn State territory.

With the clock running down, Pitt tried to get downfield for a touchdown and got as close as the 26. But Pickett's hail-mary attempt to the end zone was batted away and the Panthers took the loss.

PENN STATE 17, PITT 10 - Final