Pitt-Penn State rivalry game restored

As the clock ticked down to zero at Three Rivers Stadium on Sept. 17, 2000, the scheduled… As the clock ticked down to zero at Three Rivers Stadium on Sept. 17, 2000, the scheduled meetings between the Pitt and Penn State football teams also came to an end — for the next 16 years.

Taking a 12-0 victory and the first shutout against the Nittany Lions since 1987 into the locker room, the Panthers knew that match was the last time the cross-state rivals would meet until at least 2008. On Tuesday, Pitt and Penn State announced a two-game series for 2016 and 2017.

The Panthers will host the first game in 2016, at Heinz Field and then travel to Happy Valley in 2017. Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson said at a press conference Tuesday that the rivalry game will likely disappear again for a few years after that.

“The spirit of the rivalry just got regenerated about an hour ago and by the time we get to 2016, it will really be at fever pitch,” Pederson said. “I think that because of the history and tradition and longevity of this rivalry, these things reignite instantly.”

The last time the teams met, redshirt freshman Rod Rutherford scored the game’s only touchdown off a short pass from John Turman, leading to a 62-yard touchdown run. The Pitt defense held Penn State to just 64 rushing yards and 225 yards overall.

Pitt and Penn State met for the first time in 1893, and the teams played every season from 1900 to 1931 and 1935 to 1992. The Nittany Lions lead the series 50-42-4.

During the ’70s and ’80s, Pitt and Penn State often met with national title hopes and Eastern supremacy at stake.

In 1976, the Panthers defeated Penn State 24-7 to finish the season undefeated and eventually claim their first National Championship in 39 years.

In 1981, the Nittany Lions prevented Pitt from earning its second championship in five years when they beat the previously undefeated Panthers 48-14, costing Pitt a berth in the championship game.

The rivalry began to falter in the ’90s when the two schools joined their current conferences, Penn State the Big Ten and Pitt the Big East. Both universities were previously independent, and the move to separate conferences made scheduling more difficult.

After a four-year hiatus from 1992 to 1997, the series resumed for four games from 1997 to 2000.

The two teams haven’t played since.

“The opportunity to renew one of the nation’s richest rivalries is exciting,” Pitt head coach Todd Graham said at a press event on Tuesday. “The players want to play in these games.”

Before the game in 2000, columnist Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discussed the reasons behind the series coming to an end.

Penn State head coach Joe Paterno said economics played a major role in the hiatus. The Nittany Lions needed to play two of their three nonconference games at home each season in order to financially support the program.

Penn State offered to continue the series, but only if Pitt agreed to play two games in State College for every game in Pittsburgh. Pederson declined the offer and proceeded to fill Pitt’s schedule with home-and-home opponents.

“We’re trying to play big-time football here, too,” Pederson said in 2000. “If those other great schools will play me home-and-home, why should I do a two-for-one with Penn State?”

Penn State approached Pitt at the end of last week about an opening in its schedule in 2016 and 2017. Pederson and Penn State athletic director Tim Curley worked quickly to put the games on their schedules, finalizing the details Tuesday morning.

“It’s exciting for college football fans, the renewal of one of the most historic and exciting rivalries of all time,” Pederson said. “We’re talking about a whole new generation of fans that are going to get to experience this game.”

Pederson said fans on both sides are passionate about the rivalry, a statement that Curley echoed in a news release on Penn State’s website.

“The Penn State-Pitt game was one that football fans across the Commonwealth have been passionate about,” Curley said. “There have been many memorable Penn State-Pitt games, featuring outstanding players and coaches, and we look forward to playing the Panthers again.”

Penn State’s future scheduling commitments will prevent the series from becoming annual right away, Pederson said, which might cause the rivalry game to disappear again for a few years.

“I know they have some scheduling commitments out for a ways so it may not work as quickly as he might hope,” he said. “But we kind of felt like here’s an opportunity to play two great games, so let’s get this thing going.”

Hardly a season went by since 2000 without speculation of when the two teams would meet again.

“I don’t think anywhere I’ve been that I’ve talked to alumni, lettermen and fans that they haven’t mentioned this as our greatest rivalry and the importance of this game,” Graham said.

Graham said former players talk about the game as “the” rivalry for Pitt.

“I remember some very physical, hard-fought games,” Graham said. “Growing up in Dallas, I watched the games, so that tells you how far out that reached. I’m big on the history of the game [of football], and I think these games are important.”

Pederson said that Graham and Paterno both supported the prospect of renewing the rivalry.

In a news release, Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg said that the athletic rivalry is consistent with the academic and civic relationships shared by the two universities.

“The renewal of our football rivalry is consistent with that broader relationship, is good for both universities, will be welcomed by college football fans around the country and presents another important opportunity to showcase Pennsylvania, the home state that we proudly share,” Nordenberg said.

Graham said he also expects the Pitt-Penn State games to help recruiting, starting with the class of 2012.

“When you can tell kids that you’re going to play Notre Dame and Penn State, those are the type of games that kids want to play in,” Graham said. “I talked to former players and the guys that play in these games and won these games. The memories that these games create for our players really enhance recruiting.”

The Panthers also have Notre Dame on their schedule for 2016 and 2017.

Resuming the contests between Pitt and Penn State means more than just renewing a rivalry, Graham said. It also serves as a sign of respect for the schools’ shared history.

“Anything that creates excitement for our program also gives respect and honor to the past and to the future to know that this tradition is going to continue,” Graham said.