Penn State Nittany Lions vs Pittsburgh Panthers Match Player Stats On Sep 08, 2018

Trace McSorley passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as No. 13 Penn State drubbed in-state rival and host Pitt 51-6 Saturday on a soggy field pelted by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon.

KJ Hamler had one touchdown by air and another on the ground for the Nittany Lions (2-0). McSorley was 14 of 30 for 145 yards, and Miles Sanders ran for 118 yards, his first career triple-digit game.

Qadree Ollison rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown, and Kenny Pickett was 9 of 18 for 55 yards and an interception for Pitt (1-1), which was snakebitten, particularly on special teams.

With Panthers holder Jake Scarton apparently hurt, punter Kirk Christodoulou filled in, leading to a missed extra point and missed field goal. Christodoulou also fumbled a punt snap, setting up a Penn State touchdown.

On its first possession, Penn State drove 63 yards in three plays, capped by Hamler's 32-yard scoring run on a sweep left for a 7-0 lead.

The Panthers answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, with Ollison running 13 yards into the end zone. Christodoulou couldn't handle a high snap on the extra point kick, leaving it 7-6.

Later in the second, Pitt faced a fourth-and-3 at the Penn State 4 and, with its special teams trouble, opted to go for it - and Ollison got stuffed.

With 26 seconds left in the first half, and after Christodoulou's turnover on a punt attempt, McSorley's 14-yard touchdown pass to Hamler gave the Nittany Lions a 14-6 lead.

McSorley added a 4-yard touchdown keeper in the third to make it 21-6, and Pitt took a holding penalty while backed up in its end zone for a safety and a 23-6 deficit.

DeAndre Thompkins returned a Christodoulou punt 39 yards for a touchdown and a 30-6 advantage with 28 seconds left in the third.

In the fourth, Mac Hippenhammer caught an 11-yard scoring pass from McSorley to make it 37-6, and Mark Allen leaned in from 4 yards to up it to 44-6.

Backup Sean Clifford's first college pass was 34 yards to Brandon Polk for a touchdown and 51-6 lead.

--Field Level Media