COLLEGE FOOTBALL / WEEK 3 : Pitt Makes Case for Rivalry With Penn State to Continue : Nonconference: Panthers make it close for second year in a row, but they lose to No. 2 Nittany Lions, 20-17.

Maybe Pitt-Penn State is a rivalry after all.

Pittsburgh, a 34-point underdog, gave No. 2 Penn State a scare on Saturday for the second straight year before losing, 20-17.

The difference was Penn State’s Travis Forney kicked a 24-yard field goal with 1:20 left, and then the Nittany Lions’ LaVar Arrington blocked a 52-yard field-goal attempt by Pitt with four seconds left.

“If they didn’t make a statement that this is a rivalry,” Arrington said, “then I don’t know what a rivalry is. It was too close, but we still came through.”

Pittsburgh (1-1) lost to Penn State (3-0) for the seventh consecutive time, but thanks to great defensive line play, stuck with the Lions for the second year in a row. It was 20-13 last season.

Before the last two years, the series, now in its 107th year, had turned lopsided, prompting debate about whether it should continue. The last scheduled meeting is next September.

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno was glad to see his team tested after blowouts against Arizona and Akron.

“We knew a game like this would come for us because things have come so easy for us,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to win a game like this.”

Penn State visits No. 8 Miami next Saturday.

Eric McCoo scored Penn State’s first touchdown on a seven-yard run and Mike Cerimele scored the second on an 11-yard reception.

Penn State started the winning drive on its 16-yard line. Kevin Thompson’s 51-yard pass to Eddie Drummond put Penn State on Pitt’s 11, setting up Forney’s go-ahead field goal.

Pitt’s Hank Poteat ran the kickoff back to the 50, and John Turman, who threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns, passed to Latef Grim for a 25-yard gain. But David Fleischhauer sacked Turman and Nick Lotz’s field-goal attempt was blocked by Arrington.

“I should have thrown it away,” Turman said of the sack on third down. “It’s tough, but the whole team showed a spark.”

Penn State had only 65 yards rushing and Kevin Thompson threw two interceptions.

“Our guys played their butts off,” Pitt Coach Walt Harris said.