Pitt students tailgate before big Penn State rivalry game at Heinz Field

Along with 96 yards on two kick returns, Henderson also racked up 58 yards on four carries and 47 yards on three receptions to finish with 201 total yards and a receiving touchdown.

Junior Haleigh Washington finished second on the team with 11 kills on.529 hitting, adding two blocks.

The Nittany Lions tried to downplay the stakes, with coach James Franklin pointing out the current roster on both sides were toddlers the last time the two schools faced each other in 2000.

Junior Abby Detering paced the team to a.336 hitting percentage, dishing out 41 assists to go along with four blocks and a team-high 10 digs for her first double-double of the season. And the TDs were evenly split between runs (three) and throws (three). When they came in here at 4 o’clock on Sunday, they came in to work.

Penn State came out of the break with two kills from Washington and Lee and an ace from junior Lainy Pierce to rebuild the advantage to nine, 18-9.

Coming off of the 42-39 loss to Pitt, Penn State’s coach James Franklin, quarterback Trace McSorley and corner back Christian Campbell all spoke about several key areas the Nittany Lions will look to improve upon before they take the field on Saturday and faceoff against the Temple Owls.

The Panthers stormed out to a 28-7 lead but had to fight off a spirited second half comeback by the Nittany Lions before securing the win. With the score locked, 15-15, Hofstra used back-to-back kills for a two-point advantage, 17-15, causing the Nittany Lions to call a timeout. Barkley’s fifth score, a 2-yard dive with five minutes to play, drew the Nittany Lions within three. Penn State almost made it all the way back from a 21-point deficit. Penn State could not shift the momentum as the Pride responded with a 3-1 spurt to arrive at set point, 24-22.

Hamilton has 137 career catches for more than 1,500 yards.

On the Lions’ ill-fated final possession, Hamilton put a double move on a Panthers defensive back and was wide-open near the Pitt 25.

There were so many angles and subplots to Penn State’s 42-39 loss to Pitt at Heinz Field. He is now Pitt’s leading tackler this season with 14 total stops through two games. More specifics on which teams the Lions will play against will become available as the event gets closer.

But it was the one that got away.