As the weekend comes to a close, let's reflect on the Penn State vs Pitt game.

After a 16 year hiatus, Penn State returned to Pittsburg to battle Pitt at Heintz field. The "Battle in the 'Burg" was exactly how the name suggested; a battle well fought. In the beginning, it seemed as though Pitt would dominate the state but due to a second half rally, Penn State caught up to make it a close score. Quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley lead the Nittany Lion charge to within three points, late in the fourth quarter.

Leading into the game Coach James Franklin tried to downplay the huge rivalry and said him and the team were "treating it just like any other game." At the conclusion of the game, it was very clear to both fans and players that Pitt-Penn State is still very much a rivalry, even after such a prolonged break.

Barkley was there when we needed him the most. He basically threw the team on his back as he scored five total touchdowns, the most by a Penn State player since Ki-Jana Carter did in 1994 . "We started off slow, they punched us in the mouth first," Barkley said. "We responded but we've just got to come out earlier and be ready to play earlier."

Panther's player Ryan Lewis claims that he could read McSorely's every move, allowing him to pick off the ball in the end zone with a minute left in play. Although McSorley completed 24 of 35 passes for 332 yards and a touchdown after halftime to bring the Nittany Lions into a near-comeback but he fumbled four times, lost two of them, and threw a key pick late. He also had a lot of blindside hits, teaching him to protect the ball better in the future.

Pitt came out with the 42-39 victory in front of the largest crowd in Pittsburg's history to watch a sporting event with an attendance of 69,983. Both teams have a lot to think about before the rematch in State College next fall.