Pitt edges Penn State in classic return of rivalry

The joyous shouting that shook the locker room walls after Pitt's 42-39 victory over Penn State on Saturday still were ringing in his teammates' ears when linebacker Mike Caprara hit the brakes.

Leave it to a senior to find a way to put what was an unforgettable day into proper perspective.

"It's definitely a great step," Caprara said. "But this season is far from over. We have so much more to prove. We're not even bowl eligible yet."

Pitt is 2-0 for a third consecutive season, but its fans surely remember how those years ended. So there's no reason to get carried away.

But this victory felt different than any Pitt has experienced in recent memory. And it goes beyond the in-state rivalry that attracted 69,983 people to Heinz Field — the largest crowd to see a sporting event in Pittsburgh history.

"It's too soon to call," said senior tight end Scott Orndoff when asked whether this shuts the book on recent Pitt failures. "But if it's going to happen, it's going to happen now.

"Coach (Pat) Narduzzi is taking this team in a direction it hasn't seen in a while. We are always going to look back on this game and say that's how you want to feel after every game, after every season."

Pitt squandered most of the 28-7 lead it held in the second quarter. The defense was only average — Penn State totaled 406 yards and scored five touchdowns — but when Pitt needed a big play, Caprara, defensive end Rori Blair, linebacker Quintin Wirginis and, especially, cornerback Ryan Lewis were there.

"We had a bunch of heroes out there today," Narduzzi said.

Yet the victory means nothing if Pitt can't follow it up with, at least, the hope of contending for an ACC championship.

To that end, Narduzzi will spend Sunday and the rest of the week leading up to the game next weekend at Oklahoma State asking questions. He'll try to figure out why a team that won the time of possession battle (351⁄2 minutes to 241⁄2), sacked the quarterback four times and ran for 341 yards still had its fans sweating in the fourth quarter for reasons other than the 85-degree temperatures.

"It was a back-and-forth slugfest," Narduzzi said. "You look at the stats, (and you say), 'Why was it?'

"We have to find out why we couldn't finish it off faster."

To Pitt's credit, Penn State coach James Franklin may be asking why his team was ambushed at the outset.

Narduzzi decided the best way for his team to beat Penn State — indeed, any opponent this season — was to use its greatest gift: the running game.

Running back James Conner rushed 22 times for 117 yards, but seven teammates also carried the ball.

Quadree Henderson, the only Pitt wide receiver to catch a pass, totaled 58 yards on four carries on a series of jet sweeps that look to be a big part of offensive coordinator Matt Canada's game plans.

Quarterback Nathan Peterman caught the Penn State defense with its back turned and ran for 30 on one play. Safety Jordan Whitehead set up a score with a 28-yard run, his first of the season.

Fullback George Aston, a former walk-on, scored the first two rushing touchdowns of his career.

Peterman was not asked to throw downfield too far, but he was 11 for 15 for 91 yards and three touchdowns. His only interception was deflected off the hands of receiver Dontez Ford. Peterman wasn't sacked.

"We can certainly take more shots downfield, but we won," Peterman said. "We just have to keep finding ways to win."

Offensive tackle Brian O'Neill admitted his unit had a lot to prove after less than remarkable effort last week against Villanova.

"We didn't live up to the standard Week 1," he said. "We were called out on it. We didn't shy away from it in practice this week."

"You guys saw our offense (Saturday)," Narduzzi said after the game. "Last week really wasn't our offense. Coach Canada had 350 plays on his wristband. We had a couple more we didn't call."

Conner, whose late fumble might have been costly if not for Wirginis' sack, felt so good about his first 100-yard rushing game since 2014 that he marched to the podium after the game with six offensive linemen, Aston and backup running back Qadree Ollison behind him.

"This is a day me and my brothers will never forget," he said. "I had a mistake, and the defense had our backs."

Still, the victory wasn't ensured until after Penn State had moved to the Pitt 31 in the final seconds.

Pitt couldn't stop Penn State on fourth-and-16 when quarterback Trace McSorley, who threw for 332 yards, hit wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins for 34 yards. You could almost sense the shadows of past disappointments rolling into Heinz Field.

Two plays later, however, Lewis' interception in the end zone sealed the victory.

"The defense stepped up," Conner said. "That's why it's a team game."

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.