Growing up, Pitt linebacker Scott McKillop relished a certain Pittsburgh ritualistic… Growing up, Pitt linebacker Scott McKillop relished a certain Pittsburgh ritualistic routine. And finally, when he was in college, his time to participate had come.

The crowd collectively rose from their seats and a buzz horseshoed around the stadium as fans realized the moment had arrived. This was one of the reasons they’d paid the price of admission.

As his competition raced for the end line, McKillop knew it would take an assertive effort to catch his opponents and alter the event’s outcome. However, to a fraction of the crowd’s indignation, Sauerkraut Saul brought up the rear.

“Yes, I was a pierogi,” McKillop chuckled.

McKillop, a marketing major, interned this past summer with the Pittsburgh Pirates in their special events marketing department, and on that night his job description happened to include participating as Sauerkraut Saul in the Great Pittsburgh Pierogi Race. N’at.

“When my bosses told me there was a chance I’d get to be a pierogi I was ecstatic,” McKillop recalled. “I grew up a Pirates fan and was fortunate enough to get to run in the race. Unfortunately, I took dead last.

“My job was to help out with special events and it just happened that helping out with the pierogi race was something that came with it.”

It shouldn’t deter McKillop if his career as a pierogi is over. He has far more lucrative possibilities in his future.

As a redshirt junior middle linebacker, McKillop has emerged this year as Pitt’s defensive leader. He’s plugging the venerated void left by H.B. Blades, the Panthers’ former All-American linebacker who was drafted by the Washington Redskins in this year’s NFL draft.

The comparisons between the two are copious and for good reason. While Blades was at Pitt, McKillop was his understudy.

“It’s been said that I was his shadow for the past couple years,” McKillop explains. “When [Pitt coach Dave] Wannstedt came in [Blades] moved from outside linebacker to the middle linebacker, and I did the same exact thing. I kind of knew that Coach Wannstedt wanted me to be behind him, and hopefully whenever he was gone, to pick up where he left off.”

Although Pitt is struggling to become bowl-eligible this season, McKillop had stood out. His brightness has outcast the shadow once left by Blades and discredited doubts that the linebacker position would be one of the toughest for Pitt to fill this year.

In his first year as a starter McKillop leads the Big East in solo tackles, total tackles and tackles per game.

A myriad of attributes coalesce to produce McKillop’s gaudy tackle numbers. What distinguishes McKillop from other middle linebackers is his rare blend of speed and strength. At nearby Kiski Area High School, McKillop was a state runner-up in the 100-meter relay, and he also competed in the discus and shot put events.

Further, McKillop was a standout wrestler and set the Kiski Area record for career wins. In fact, McKillop’s aptness on the mat almost obstructed his success on the field.

“Football was kind of second nature to me growing up. I always thought I was going to wrestle in college, because that’s what I was good at,” McKillop said.

It wasn’t until the 10th grade that McKillop discovered his potential in football.

“Halfway through the season our linebacker got hurt and another couldn’t play,” he recalls. “I got thrust into the role and it took off from there. That’s when I realized that maybe I’m going to play football in college.”

The Pitt coaching staff has to be grateful that McKillop opted for the gridiron, but it wasn’t until this year that they knew exactly what they had. Two active seasons behind H.B. Blades didn’t produce much playing time for McKillop, and not until this offseason did he emerge as the heart of the Panthers defense.

“I knew in spring ball that I was going to lead the defense,” McKillop said. “Being the middle linebacker, you’re expected to be the quarterback of the defense. It was something that was handed upon me.”

McKillop’s leadership begins even before the Panthers take the field. As a ritual, he likes to be the first one done eating at the team’s pregame meal. His guidance in the cafeteria epitomizes his value on the field, too, where McKillop’s accountability commences before the ball is snapped. He’s responsible for assembling the huddle, calling the defense and making sure the other players are in the right spot.

It shows. Sophomore Shane Murray came to Pitt as a quarterback and has since transitioned to defense. Now Murray is a starting outside linebacker, and he credits McKillop’s leadership as one of the reasons the switch has gone so smoothly.

“Scott’s a smart player, he’s our group leader,” Murray said. “If I have a question he knows my position as well as he knows his own.”

While Murray and most of the Panthers’ defensive personnel have no problem taking orders from McKillop, there is one person who shares the huddle that might find it tough at times. Scott’s older brother, Chris, is one of Pitt’s starting defensive ends. Scott admits at first there was some animosity, but it’s no longer an issue.

“If I was in his place and my little brother was barking orders at me and it’s never happened before I’d be upset too,” Scott said. “But that’s died down, and he’s given me the respect on the field that I deserve. But I’m still his little bro and we still get in arguments at practice and off the field.”

The number that Scott wears is indicative of their antagonistic relationship. Chris wears No. 41 in honor of their grandfather who died when he was 41 years old. So why does Scott wear No. 40?

“Honestly, I chose No. 40 in high school just to annoy him,” Scott admits. “When I came to Pitt, 40 was available and I thought it’d be cool if we were both starting, two brothers wearing 40 and 41.”

McKillop will be graduating from Pitt this spring, but still has another year of athletic eligibility to hone the skills that could eventually have him playing on Sunday afternoons.

And if the NFL doesn’t come calling, there’s probably never been an applicant more qualified to race down the warning track at PNC Park in the middle of the fifth inning.