Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett will be the key for the Panthers offense on Saturday when they face Penn State for the 100th — and perhaps final — time in series history. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Each Friday, we’ll preview Penn State’s upcoming opponent on the blog. This week, we go in-depth with the Pittsburgh Panthers (1-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).
THE OFFENSE
RECEIVERS
WR: 11 Taysir Mack (6-2, 205, Jr), 6 Aaron Mathews (6-4, 220, Sr)
WR: 5 Tre Tipton (6-0, 185, Sr), 88 Dontavius Butler-Jenkins (6-0, 215, So)
WR: 2 Maurice Ffrench (5-11, 200, Sr), 83 John Vardzel (5-10, 185, Fr)
TE: 10 Will Gragg (6-4, 245, Sr), 86 Nakia Griffin-Stewart (6-5, 260, Sr)
Maurice Ffrench is no stranger to the Penn State-Pitt rivalry, as he played in the last two games for the Panthers against the Lions. He was held without a catch last year, but he is off to a fast start in 2019, with 16 catches for 192 yards and a score. Last week against Ohio, he had a career-high 10 grabs. Taysir Mack and Tre Tipton are bigger targets, and Mack is a deep threat who ranked second in the nation last season with a 22.3 yards per catch average. Will Gragg and Nakia Griffin-Stewart are a solid combination at tight end. Griffin-Stewart is a big part of the running game, and Gragg, an Arkansas transfer, has 7 catches in his first two games with the Panthers.
BACKFIELD
QB: 8 Kenny Pickett (6-2, 225, Jr), 12 Nick Patti (6-3, 215, Fr) OR 3 Jeff George Jr. (6-3, 220, Sr)
TB: 21 A.J. Davis (6-0, 215, Jr) OR 23 Todd Sibley Jr. (5-9, 225 So) OR 22 Vincent Davis (5-8, 170, Fr)
Kenny Pickett struggled in a downpour last season against Penn State, completing just nine throws for 55 yards. But weather shouldn’t be a factor Saturday and Pickett is coming off one of his best career performances against Ohio. He was 26 for 37 for 321 yards and a touchdown, but he struggled in the opener against a much stingier Virginia defense. The Panthers graduated a pair of running backs – Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall – and a fullback (George Aston) who had plenty of success against the Nittany Lions. But A.J. Davis is a big junior who rushed for 38 yards on six carries in last year’s game. He’s coming off an 89-yard effort against Ohio. Vincent Davis looked crisp in his first extensive action last week, and Todd Sibley Jr. is a short-yardage option.
LINE
LT: 77 Carter Warren (6-5, 320, So), 59 Carson Van Lynn (6-5, 300, So)
LG: 71 Bryce Hargrove (6-4, 315, Jr), 56 Brandon Ford (6-5, 310, Jr)
C: 67 Jimmy Morrissey (6-3, 305, Jr), 60 Owen Drexel (6-3, 300, So)
RG: 57 Gabe Houy (6-6, 310, So), 53 Jake Kradel (6-3, 300, Fr) OR 55 Chase Brown (6-5, 310, Sr)
RT: 70 Nolan Ulizio (6-5, 320, Sr), 74 Jerry Drake Jr. (6-5, 310, So)
Penn State coaches and defenders raved about center Jimmy Morrissey, who looked solid in last year’s game and went on to earn all-ACC honors as a sophomore. That said, the rest of Pittsburgh’s offensive linemen have fewer career starts combined than Morrissey’s 25. Guards Bryce Hargrove and Gabe Houy are road-graders in the run game, and tackle Nolan Ulizio is a Michigan transfer who started five games for the Wolverines. The key might be left tackle Carter Warren, a spring standout for the Panthers who is just getting his feet wet protecting Pickett’s blindside. Pickett has been sacked five times in the first two games, but four came in the opener against Virginia.
THE DEFENSE
LINE
DE: 91 Patrick Jones II (6-5, 260, Jr), 6 John Morgan (6-2, 255, Fr) OR 25 Kaymar Mimes (6-5, 245, Fr)
DT: 97 Jaylen Twyman (6-2, 290, So), 2 David Green (6-0, 285, Fr) OR 92 Tyler Bentley (6-2, 300, Fr)
DT: 34 Amir Watts (6-3, 295, Sr) OR 95 Devin Danielson (6-1, 295, Fr)
DE: 5 Deslin Alexandre (6-4, 265, So), 87 Habakkuk Baldonado (6-5, 250, Fr)
When star end Rashad Weaver blew out a knee in camp and was lost for the season, there were questions about how Pitt could possibly recoup the pass rush it lost. It has been just fine, though. Jaylen Twyman provides a consistent rush up the middle, and he registered 3 sacks against the Bobcats last week. End Patrick Jones II has 3 quarterback hurries through two weeks, and Deslin Alexandre, who took over for Weaver, has a sack in each of the Panthers’ first two games. Amir Watts is a veteran run-stuffer, and freshman Habakkuk Baldonado has flashed big-play ability in a reserve role.
LINEBACKER
MONEY: 28 Kylan Johnson (6-2, 230, Sr), 36 Chase Pine (6-2, 250, Jr)
MIKE: 36 Chase Pine OR 44 Elias Reynolds (6-2,2 35, Jr) OR 9 Saleem Brightwell (6-0, 230, Sr)
STAR: 38 Cam Bright (6-0, 225, So) OR 24 Phil Campbell III (6-1, 220, Jr)
The Panthers use a fairly strict rotation at the linebacker position, and all of the top six players at the position log significant snaps. The linebacker off to the best start for Pitt is probably Kylan Johnson, a grad transfer from Florida who has 7 tackles and a sack through two games. Phil Campbell III has 7 tackles as well, and he forced a fumble last week. Cam Bright has been a force in the backfield, and both Chase Pine and Elias Reynolds split time in the middle.
SECONDARY
CB: 11 Dane Jackson (6-0, 190, Sr), 31 Erick Hallett (5-11, 190, Fr)
SS: 12 Paris Ford (6-0, 190, So), 7 Jazzee Stocker (6-2, 190, Sr)
FS: 3 Damar Hamlin (6-1, 195, Sr), 4 Therran Coleman (6-0, 205, Jr)
CB: 15 Jason Pinnock (6-0, 200, Jr) OR 21 Damarri Mathis (5-11, 195, Jr)
The most experienced unit on Pitt’s roster, the defensive backs bring a combined 58 career starts to the field. Most belong to cornerback Dane Jackson and safety Damar Hamlin, two players familiar with the Penn State rivalry – the Nittany Lions recruited Hamlin hard in the class of 2016. Hamlin led the Panthers in tackles last season and is their leader again, with 10, so far in 2019. Jackson has scored two touchdowns on defense in his career, more than any other Panther. Junior Jason Pinnock is aggressive in the run game as well as being a solid pass defender, and Ford has 9 tackles this season with a forced fumble. The Panthers rank 39th in the nation in passing yards allowed, at 179 per game, but they’re looking for their first interception of 2019.
THE SPECIALISTS
K: 97 Alex Kessman (6-3, 195, Jr), 91 Sam Scarton (6-0, 170, Fr)
P: 98 Kirk Christodoulou (6-1, 210, So), 96 Jared Campbell (6-1, 190, Fr)
H: 98 Kirk Christodoulou, 8 Kenny Pickett
LS: 94 Cal Adomitis (6-1, 230, Jr), 52 Jack Hansberry (6-1, 225, Fr)
KR: 2 Maurice Ffrench, 11 Taysir Mack
PR: 2 Maurice Ffrench, 11 Taysir Mack
Panthers kicker Alex Kessman has struggled out of the gate, missing 2 of his 4 field goal attempts out of the chute – granted, they were longer attempts. But he has kicked off well enough. Punter Kirk Christodoulou, who had a nightmarish outing against the Nittany Lions last season, is off to a terrific start in 2019, averaging 44.1 yards per punt and pinning opponents inside their own 20 on half of his eight boots. Ffrench is a threat as a returner, and he has an 18-yard return on his ledger this season.
Donnie Collins has been a member of The Times-Tribune sports staff for nearly 20 years and has been the Penn State football beat writer for Times-Shamrock Newspapers since 2004. The Penn State Football Blog covers Nittany Lions, Big Ten and big-time college football news from Beaver Stadium to the practice field, the bowl game to National Letter of Intent Signing Day. Contact: dcollins@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5368; @DonnieCollinsTT
