Penn State enters Evanston at 3-1, but the Lions aren’t exactly riding into battle untouched. After opening the season with three straight wins-including a 55-13 win over Buffalo-their first Big Ten test ended in a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin. The defense is still creating havoc, with eight takeaways through four games, but now the Lions leave Happy Valley needing to prove that one defeat didn’t crack the armor.

Waiting on the shores of Lake Michigan is a Northwestern team that has been a lot more dangerous than anyone should assume. The Wildcats opened 2-0, crushed Colorado 41-7, then went into the home of No. 5 Indiana and nearly pulled off the upset before falling 29-23. Now they return home for the first game ever at the new Ryan Field-and they already beat Penn State 22-21 last season. The Wildcats have their castle. The Lions are at the gates.

Friday night, the battle begins.

Man, this sucks. Joey Porter Jr., who was already playing like a stud, just got traded. As if the news couldn’t get any worse, he’s going to a semi-rival with a lunatic fan base and an even crazier owner: the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, the Steelers have trade history with the Cowboys, and they happily took one of our head cases in George Pickens. However, this is not even close to the same situation. JP Junior and management couldn’t make the numbers work. It’s just so disheartening considering we could’ve had eight more years of lockdown corner.

According to Yahoo Sports, the Steelers are sending Joey Porter Jr. to Dallas after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a new contract. The reported return includes a second-round pick and a conditional sixth-rounder. So that’s it. A contract dispute ends with a 26-year-old homegrown corner packing his shit for Dallas. (Blogging The Boys)

And this isn’t some case of Steelers fans wildly overrating one of their own. Porter was already becoming one of the better coverage corners in football. In 2025, PFF gave him a 76.6 coverage grade, ninth among qualifying corners. He allowed just a 47.8% catch rate, fourth-best in that group, while his 0.58 yards allowed per coverage snap ranked second. His 23.9% forced-incompletion rate ranked third, and he allowed an explosive completion on just 0.8% of his coverage snaps — best in the NFL among that qualifying group. PFF went as far as putting him among its four best perimeter corners following the season. (PFF)

Even crazier, Porter went 1,467 consecutive man-coverage snaps without allowing a touchdown, dating back to Week 8 of his rookie season. In 2025, quarterbacks had only a 55.9 passer rating when targeting him overall, third-best in the league, while his 47.8% completion rate allowed ranked sixth. In other words, when the Steelers told JPJ, “Hey, see that really good receiver over there? Go ruin his afternoon,” he was pretty fucking good at doing exactly that. (Pittsburgh Steelers)

This wasn’t some sudden Year 3 breakout, either. Porter showed almost immediately that he belonged. As a rookie in 2023, opposing quarterbacks completed just 47.6% of their passes when targeting him, the second-lowest rate allowed by any qualifying NFL defender. He allowed a 70.1 passer rating, earned a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team, won the Steelers’ Joe Greene Great Performance Award as the team’s top rookie, and finished as a finalist for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Through three seasons, Porter leaves Pittsburgh with 47 games, 41 starts, 165 tackles, 31 passes defended and three interceptions. His interception total was never enormous because that’s not really what his game was about. He was a giant, physical pain in the ass whose job was to attach himself to the other team’s best receiver and make throwing in that direction an increasingly stupid idea. (Pro Football Reference)

And that’s what makes this one sting so much more than the normal NFL business bullshit.

This was Joey Porter Jr. His dad won a Super Bowl here, made three Pro Bowls as a Steeler and became one of the faces of that nasty 2000s Pittsburgh defense. Junior grew up around Pittsburgh, attended North Catholic and North Allegheny, went to Penn State, became an All-American, and then somehow fell right into the Steelers’ lap with the 32nd pick of the 2023 Draft. (Pittsburgh Steelers)

You couldn’t manufacture a more Pittsburgh football story if you had Primanti Bros. cater the damn draft room.

And unlike plenty of great hometown stories, the kid could actually play.

That’s the part that’s going to piss people off. The Steelers didn’t have to project what Porter might become. They already had three years of evidence. He was 26 years old, 6-foot-2, entering his prime and already producing high-end coverage numbers. Sure, paying a corner around the top of the market is expensive. Welcome to the NFL. Good young players are expensive. That’s generally what happens when they’re good.

Now Dallas gets to deal with the contract, and Pittsburgh gets draft capital and the privilege of hoping one of those picks eventually turns into…a young starting corner capable of locking down NFL receivers.

You know, like Joey Porter Jr.

In conclusion, JP Jr. should’ve been a priority over some of the other pieces that we brought in over the past two years. It’s sad to see a top-notch talent leave, especially one that grew up with black and gold in his blood.

The early high-school football calendar is beginning to write its first chapters: a flurry of statement wins, unexpected ranking shifts and a handful of individual nights that will be talked about all season. The Post-Gazette’s latest rankings shook the WPIAL pecking order — and Erie County’s Week 2 dramatics only thickened the plot.

Montour and Washington surge in the rankings

The Post-Gazette’s Sept. 6 update moved Montour to No. 1 in WPIAL Class 4A and Washington to No. 1 in Class 1A after both teams improved to 2-0. Montour’s resume is built on back-to-back impressive wins — including a comeback over McKeesport — where the Spartans forced four second-half turnovers to swing momentum and finish a 28-17 victory. Washington followed a dominant 55-20 win over South Allegheny with an earlier road win at Steel Valley.

Both programs also debuted in the PIAA state rankings this week at No. 3 in their respective classes, a sign that early non-league performances are getting statewide attention.

Montour coach (postgame): “The kids stayed composed and made plays when it mattered. Four turnovers changed everything in that second half.”

What that means: early top spots won’t hold forever, but a 2-0 start — with quality wins — gives both teams breathing room in the middle-season push for WPIAL seeding and favorable playoff matchups.

Erie County Week 2: big nights and last-minute theater

If Week 1 delivered teasers, Week 2 supplied full-on trailers. Across District 10 and Erie County, running backs ran wild, quarterbacks put up gaudy numbers, and one game was decided with an interception as time expired.

• Harbor Creek’s Gavin Zillman put on a highlight-reel night, accounting for five touchdowns in a 42-6 win over Warren. He ripped off long touchdown runs of 56, 47 and 85 yards, finished with 269 yards on 17 carries and capped his night with a fumble return score. “He’s a special player when he gets a seam,” Harbor Creek’s coach said after the rout.

• Mercyhurst Prep’s Vinnie Feliciano kept piling up career yardage — 325 rushing yards, four TDs and a 67-yard punt return for a score — pushing his career total past the 5,000-yard mark, a milestone only two other Erie County backs have reached.

• McDowell christened James Conner Field with a thriller: quarterback Evan Kuhn threw for 355 yards and four touchdowns and then ran for the game-winner with 44 seconds left in a 38-31 victory over Chardon (Ohio). Ben Spooner’s last-second interception sealed the win. Kuhn, who put the offense on his back all night, said simply, “We kept attacking until the end.”

Those are the kinds of individual nights that can swing a season’s narrative — and they gave several local teams a much-needed jolt of momentum heading into Week 3.

Erie High’s historic start and what it says about the region

Erie High’s early-season results have been described as historic in local coverage — a sign that the program’s direction is changing and that the city’s football culture is alive with optimism. Erie High’s results will be watched closely in the weeks ahead, especially with a marquee meeting on the calendar: McDowell travels to Erie High later this month, a game that already carries more than three points on the standings.

Erie High’s coach reflected on the turnaround quietly but with pride: “These kids are buying in. That’s the first step to doing something special.”

Spotlight: a breakout performer to watch

Gavin Zillman (Harbor Creek) — Week 2 statline: 269 rushing yards, five touchdowns (including a 50-yard fumble return and an 85-yard TD run).

Why it matters: Zillman’s combination of burst, vision and downhill power turned Harbor Creek’s game into a one-man show. He has the kind of early-season production that opponents will game-plan for every week; if Harbor Creek wants to be a serious regional contender, Zillman will be the barometer.

Background: Zillman’s Week 2 performance followed a big opener and gave Harbor Creek a 2-0 record heading into its home opener. Coaches around the county will now be adjusting offensive and defensive plans with him squarely on the scouting report.

Playoff implications — early, but meaningful

It’s still early, but the consequences of these opening weeks are already forming. Montour and Washington’s top WPIAL placements give them the inside track for higher seeds in sectional play — which can mean more home games and theoretically smoother paths through the bracket. For Erie County squads, the Week 2 performances matter two ways: they’ll influence local rankings and momentum, and they can build the tiebreaker resume that matters when playoff seeds are handed out.

Between schedule strength, early non-conference tests and the inevitable injuries that come later, nothing is set in stone. But a string of statement wins now — and big individual nights like Zillman’s or Kuhn’s — are the fastest path to favorable playoff positioning.

Looking ahead, expect the storylines to tighten: teams jockeying for Top 5 spots in the WPIAL, Erie County’s stars continuing to pile up production, and a handful of midseason matchups that could decide postseason fates. For fans, the best part is watching those plots form game by game.

Coach of McDowell, on the team’s resilience: “We had to fight through adversity. That’s the kind of win that bonds you.”

Coach of Washington, on the team’s dominant performance: “We executed in every phase tonight — that’s what you want to see early in the season.”