No. 10/9 Penn State and Pittsburgh meet on the gridiron for the 99th time Saturday at Heinz Field for the third installment of the Keystone Classic presented by Peoples Natural Gas. The primetime tilt is set to start at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Penn State returns to Heinz Field for the first time since 2016 when the teams renewed their historic series. Pitt prevailed, fending off a Penn State rally for a 42-39 victory, but the Nittany Lions answered with a 33-14 victory last season in Beaver Stadium.
Penn State opened 2018 in thrilling fashion, rallying with less than two minutes in regulation to force overtime and eventually defeat Appalachian State. KJ Hamler, one of 17 Nittany Lions to take the field for the first time, setup the tying drive with a 52-yard kickoff return out of the end zone, and caught the game-tying touchdown to cap a drive engineered by quarterback Trace McSorley. In overtime, Miles Sanders, who was playing his first game as the featured running back, rushed four consecutive times for a total of 25 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. Amani Oruwariye then sealed the win on defense with a game-ending interception.
Pitt, which closed its 2017 season with a win over No. 2 Miami, cruised past Albany for a 33-7 win in its 2018 opener. Quarterback Kenny Pickett accounted for three scores (two passing, one rushing), and the Panthers rushed for 238 yards as a team.
This is the second of Penn State's three non-conference games. The Nittany Lions conclude the out-of-conference slate by hosting Kent State in Beaver Stadium at noon Sept. 15.
