Game 2: Pitt Panthers, Heinz Field, 8pm (ABC)
- Thread starter Judge Smails
- Start date
http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion...enn-State-Sam-Sciullo-Jr/stories/201808270071
Heinz Field and the city of Pittsburgh will look spectacular under the lights when Pitt and Penn State meet for the 99th time in a prime-time telecast Saturday. An outside observer, unfamiliar with this area’s sporting landscape, might conclude that this region is a college football hotbed.
But is it? Much like the traveling carnival — here tonight, gone tomorrow — little evidence of the night before promises to remain Sunday morning because it will be the dawn of a new Steelers season.
Visit your favorite restaurant or grocery store and count the number of people wearing black and gold. Do the same on the day Pitt is playing and note the difference.
Penn State fans who chortle at Pitt’s modest football attendance figures are chortling up the wrong stadium. A more accurate barometer for Pitt would be how it compares with schools in similar situations — Boston College, Temple, Cincinnati, Houston and Miami.
It’s not by coincidence that the college football stadiums with the largest seating capacities — State College; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Columbus, Ohio; and Tuscaloosa, Ala. — are in places where there is no National Football League team.
This year’s Pitt-Penn State game will be the last one played in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future. The 100th game in the series will be staged next September at Beaver Stadium. After that, when they play again is anyone’s guess. Pitt and Penn State may not compete on the football field for a long while, but the respective fan bases can keep the rivalry alive without any games, instead exchanging barbs and insults on internet message boards or through social media.
To Pitt fans, Penn State people demonstrate a shocking degree of naivete, blind loyalists who are unable, or unwilling, to accept that any trace of scandal or corruption has ever broken through the protective cocoon that surrounds Happy Valley.
Followers of the Nittany Lions view Pitt fans as Penn State-obsessed whiners and crybabies who are simply jealous of their longer-standing success in football, along with a much larger fan base.
Both, to some extent, are correct.
Who is that nobody in the picture with the great Joe Paterno?
I think it's the same tough guy who telephoned the Paterno home and berated Sue. Class act.
A
anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
I wouldn't recognize the Pitt fight song if you played me five songs and gave me three guesses.
And I while I'm not a "band geek" I know a fair number of fight songs. Pitt's isn't iconic (Notre Dame, Michigan, Wisconsin, USC) and Pitt isn't a good enough program (Alabama, Texas, Ohio State) that anyone would recognize it.
THIS...
I am supremely confident that our offense will score on them. What concerns me is some stupid wrinkle that we can’t stop on defense First it was that stupid jet sweep/end around in 2016, then that stupid shovel pass. We need to control the line. Our starting linebackers scare the hell out of me.
Some of you guys just need to find something else to do this Saturday night. Otherwise you are going to just be shitting your pants every time Pitt gains more than one yard on a play, or we gain less than five.
Narduzzi didn't say if senior offensive tackle Alex Bookser, who was kept out of the Albany game, would be ready to go . Redshirt freshman Gabe Houy started in Bookser's place.
I hate pitt so much.
Yep. Regardless of who they play, they used to chant, "Penn State sucks," Not enough people in the stands to hear chants now.
“I’m picking Pitt to win because I think they’re a better team today,” said Wannstedt. “I like Pitt to win because of what they have upfront on the offensive and defensive lines. You throw the ball to score points but you have to be able to run the ball to win games. I know that I’ve always had the reputation of being a little hard-headed about that on both sides of the ball but I really believe that. I think Pitt has the advantage on both offensive and defensive line. Backs are about the same, Penn State probably has the advantage at quarterback because of experience but I think this game will be won in the trenches on both sides of the ball and there’s no question in my mind that the best lines are at Pitt.”
“....for the coaches on both sides it’s big in terms of recruiting. They’re in the same state, they’re battling for some of the same players and whoever wins this game, I think it’s fair to say that there’s probably a recruit or two that are on the fence and it could influence them.”
LOL. Pitt is battling for MAC castoffs at best.
“....for the coaches on both sides it’s big in terms of recruiting. They’re in the same state, they’re battling for some of the same players and whoever wins this game, I think it’s fair to say that there’s probably a recruit or two that are on the fence and it could influence them.”
LOL. Pitt is battling for MAC castoffs at best.
...LOL.....PSU probably has the better QB! HA...that is the most absurd quote of the bunch.
https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsb...-for-penn-state-football/Content?oid=10435928
So, how is it possible — with all of this history between the schools, and all of this demand from the alumni, and all of these smart people calling shots at the institutions of higher learning — that Pitt and Penn State can’t figure out how to keep playing football every year? The short answer: college football isn’t about history, fans, or educators. It’s a business, a big business, a bottom-line, win-at-all-costs business that throws everything else out the window.
PEOPLE AT PITT clearly want to keep a yearly football date with Penn State. They also clearly place blame on Penn State’s people for it not happening. It’s not an unfair position to take.
Penn State’s football folks have rejected proposals from their Pitt counterparts. They seem to enjoy taking a public stance of showing disinterest in the rivalry.
Penn State fans are famously fervent, and they pridefully boast their football team has no actual rival. No opponent is deemed worthy, and certainly not Pitt. It’s a contrarian position that manages to diminish and distinguish the rivalry, because Penn State supporters know their Pitt counterparts view a game against the Nittany Lions as the main event of any Panthers’ season.
There is no upside to regularly facing the Panthers for the Nittany Lions. Only one of Pennsylvania’s two college football powerhouses is consistently a top 25 program, if not a national title contender — and Pitt isn’t it. In May, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin matter-of-factly addressed a rivalry that was and is, but soon won’t be. “When you’re talking about Penn State doing what’s best for Penn State, I don’t know if it makes a whole lot of sense,” he said.
Franklin’s job at Penn State is to chase national championships. Penn State already has enough big fights built into its Big Ten schedule; in-division games against Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State leave little margin for error with out-of-conference opponents. To contend for the big prize, the Nittany Lions can schedule only one out-of-conference opponent with name recognition. (Since 2016, Pitt’s been it. In future years, Virginia Tech or Auburn or West Virginia will fill that role.) Around the one marquee non-conference game and the Big Ten schedule, Penn State’s football team must feast on lesser programs that will happily trade a beating in Happy Valley for a huge payday.
This is how titles are taken in college football. Just ask Alabama coach Nick Saban.
Penn State’s football people could say, “It’s nothing personal, Pitt; it’s just business.” They would be thought of as smug. They wouldn’t be wrong.
Wirginis, however, can understand the hype surrounding it.
“I remember my older brothers telling me, ‘You can’t like Pitt and Penn State. You have to choose one.’ ”
He played in Pitt’s victory against Penn State in 2016, and the atmosphere was special, he said.
“Just seeing the city light up, the atmosphere of that game said it all,” he said. “Just the electricity that came with that whole week and this week, too. It shows how much this game means to people. You’re battling for the state.”
Wirginis said he was recruited by Penn State when he was a senior at Fox Chapel, but he didn’t have much interest.
“As soon as I got the offer from Pitt, I committed to Pitt in a week,” he said. “There wasn’t much of a choice. We’re a Pitt family.”
Wirginis was a Rivals 2 star with offers from Pitt, Temple, Robert Morris, and Virginia Military.
“I remember my older brothers telling me, ‘You can’t like Pitt and Penn State. You have to choose one.’ ”
He played in Pitt’s victory against Penn State in 2016, and the atmosphere was special, he said.
“Just seeing the city light up, the atmosphere of that game said it all,” he said. “Just the electricity that came with that whole week and this week, too. It shows how much this game means to people. You’re battling for the state.”
Wirginis said he was recruited by Penn State when he was a senior at Fox Chapel, but he didn’t have much interest.
“As soon as I got the offer from Pitt, I committed to Pitt in a week,” he said. “There wasn’t much of a choice. We’re a Pitt family.”
Wirginis was a Rivals 2 star with offers from Pitt, Temple, Robert Morris, and Virginia Military.
It is amazing that pitt did not parlay the win in 2016 into better recruiting. I mean, they had keychains to show recruits.
Wirginis, however, can understand the hype surrounding it.
“I remember my older brothers telling me, ‘You can’t like Pitt and Penn State. You have to choose one.’ ”
He played in Pitt’s victory against Penn State in 2016, and the atmosphere was special, he said.
“Just seeing the city light up, the atmosphere of that game said it all,” he said. “Just the electricity that came with that whole week and this week, too. It shows how much this game means to people. You’re battling for the state.”
Wirginis said he was recruited by Penn State when he was a senior at Fox Chapel, but he didn’t have much interest.
“As soon as I got the offer from Pitt, I committed to Pitt in a week,” he said. “There wasn’t much of a choice. We’re a Pitt family.”
Wirginis was a Rivals 2 star with offers from Pitt, Temple, Robert Morris, and Virginia Military.
Wow.
Sanders and his buddy, roommate, Penn State safety and former Clairton star Lamont Wade return to Heinz Field on Saturday to meet Pitt, a school that recruited them when they were the best players in the WPIAL and the state in 2016 (Sanders) and 2017 (Wade). Sanders lost two WPIAL championship games at Heinz; Wade won his two there.
Pitt swung and missed on both of them, representing significant defeats in its recruiting battle with Penn State.
Wade was at Heinz Field for the Pitt/Penn State game in 2016, sitting with other prospective recruits as guests of Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi.
“Yeah, I was at the game sitting in the front row,” he said. “It was a real good environment, it was a real loud environment. It’s good to actually be playing in it now.”
Pitt’s victory had no effect on Wade’s college choice, however.
“I mean, at the time, I was, ‘Oh, gosh, Pitt won this game,’ ” he said. “But that’s not the end-all, be-all for me. It’s a process. I realized that, and you see where I’m at today.”
The game is special for Sanders for reasons other than the rivalry between the two schools. It’s his first against a Power 5 school as Penn State’s starting running back — he was Saquon Barkley’s understudy last season — and he and Wade have friends on Pitt’s roster. Pitt safety Damar Hamlin is a workout partner.
When a reporter asked Sanders on Tuesday if it’s difficult to work up “a good hatred” for the Panthers, he agreed. He just has too many friends on the other sideline.
“It’s just another opponent,” he said. “And it’s a friendly game, so not really. I don’t look at it as a rivalry or nothing, but it’s a special game just playing against my friends that I know back at home.”
What are the keys to victory for the Panthers in this game?
The Pitt defense will have to already be in mid-season form this weekend when they take on the Nittany Lions. Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley can beat you with his arm and his legs, so the Pitt defense will have to be in mid-season form this upcoming week to defend against him. Yes, everybody knows Saquon Barkley is no longer there. Miles Sanders, his ultra-talented replacement, who is from the Pittsburgh area, has been patiently awaiting his turn and he’s going to want to put on a show for his hometown.
Pitt's secondary will need to be on point to keep Penn State from getting big plays from Juwan Johnson and KJ Hamler downfield. Offensively, Pitt needs to establish a running game early against a Penn State. One or more of the Pitt wide receivers are going to have to step it up another level against Penn State and make plays downfield. I’ve gone all this time without mentioning the biggest key to a Pitt win: Kenny Pickett. This is now probably the “biggest game” of his young career to this point and he has the advantage of playing at home. If he plays a relatively mistake-free game, the Panthers have a great shot of winning at home against the Nittany Lions.
Bottom line; it’s not Penn State’s job to fill Pitt’s stadium.
https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsb...-for-penn-state-football/Content?oid=10435928
So, how is it possible — with all of this history between the schools, and all of this demand from the alumni, and all of these smart people calling shots at the institutions of higher learning — that Pitt and Penn State can’t figure out how to keep playing football every year? The short answer: college football isn’t about history, fans, or educators. It’s a business, a big business, a bottom-line, win-at-all-costs business that throws everything else out the window.
PEOPLE AT PITT clearly want to keep a yearly football date with Penn State. They also clearly place blame on Penn State’s people for it not happening. It’s not an unfair position to take.
Penn State’s football folks have rejected proposals from their Pitt counterparts. They seem to enjoy taking a public stance of showing disinterest in the rivalry.
Penn State fans are famously fervent, and they pridefully boast their football team has no actual rival. No opponent is deemed worthy, and certainly not Pitt. It’s a contrarian position that manages to diminish and distinguish the rivalry, because Penn State supporters know their Pitt counterparts view a game against the Nittany Lions as the main event of any Panthers’ season.
There is no upside to regularly facing the Panthers for the Nittany Lions. Only one of Pennsylvania’s two college football powerhouses is consistently a top 25 program, if not a national title contender — and Pitt isn’t it. In May, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin matter-of-factly addressed a rivalry that was and is, but soon won’t be. “When you’re talking about Penn State doing what’s best for Penn State, I don’t know if it makes a whole lot of sense,” he said.
Franklin’s job at Penn State is to chase national championships. Penn State already has enough big fights built into its Big Ten schedule; in-division games against Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State leave little margin for error with out-of-conference opponents. To contend for the big prize, the Nittany Lions can schedule only one out-of-conference opponent with name recognition. (Since 2016, Pitt’s been it. In future years, Virginia Tech or Auburn or West Virginia will fill that role.) Around the one marquee non-conference game and the Big Ten schedule, Penn State’s football team must feast on lesser programs that will happily trade a beating in Happy Valley for a huge payday.
This is how titles are taken in college football. Just ask Alabama coach Nick Saban.
Penn State’s football people could say, “It’s nothing personal, Pitt; it’s just business.” They would be thought of as smug. They wouldn’t be wrong.
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