Palko, Blades highlight Saturday’s Blue-Gold game

It wasn’t about numbers or statistics on this day; it wasn’t about that at all. It was all… It wasn’t about numbers or statistics on this day; it wasn’t about that at all. It was all about excitement and anticipation. After a month of spring football practice, new head football coach Dave Wannstedt’s Panthers were putting on the pads, giving the many Pitt fans in attendance something to cheer about. They came in droves from every corner of Pittsburgh — 8,007 of them, to be exact — for the Blue-Gold football scrimmage Saturday afternoon. Tall and short, young and old, some donning Pitt’s new logo and others nothing of the sort, they all descended upon Gateway High School’s Antimarino Stadium to catch a glimpse of the man and the football team he had assembled.

They sat perched atop the railings, screaming wildly for each big hit with the kind of enthusiasm typically void from spring games. Some even stood along the corners of the field, held back only by a rope, trying to get closer to this reformed brand of Pitt football.

They came to see smash-mouth football, the kind of running game that this city thrives upon, but that the school has lacked in recent years. Rashad Jennings delivered, gathering 118 yards on the ground on only 19 carries, eluding some defenders and simply plowing over others with his 6-foot-1, 235-pound frame.

They came to see defense, the kind instilled into Pitt basketball under former head coach Ben Howland, who was in attendance at the game. Current sophomore H.B. Blades caught their eyes, returning a Tyler Palko pass for 56 yards and a touchdown.

They also came to see big plays, like those that ignited the Panthers’ run to the Fiesta Bowl last fall. Derek Kinder, perhaps the next household name in the long line of Pitt wide receivers, met that requirement with a nifty 65-yard score, slipping a tackle along the left sideline and then sprinting past others dressed in blue on his way to the end zone.

And, of course, they came to see Palko, the star quarterback who caught the eyes of many from across the country during that Fiesta Bowl run. He threw two interceptions, but the junior-to-be threw the ball accurately the rest of the day, notching two touchdown passes to go with 151 yards passing. The last score of the scrimmage included a play-action toss to his favorite target, Greg Lee, in the right corner of the end zone, a familiar sight from last fall.

What they saw overall was a successful day for Pitt football on both sides of the ball. A defense that returned the bulk of its players was met by an equally experienced corps of offensive players on this day, giving fans, and Wannstedt, much to hoot and holler about.

“I was very pleased with our effort today,” Wannstedt said afterwards on PittsburghPanthers.com. “Our spring practice as a whole has been a success. We completed everything we wanted to. The progress of our offensive line has been fantastic and we feel good about making progress on our running game. We have a long way to go but we have a good start.”

But even he couldn’t look past the sea of blue and gold overflowing the high school field.

“I also appreciate the fan support today,” he added. “It was fantastic.”

Score wasn’t kept on the stadium’s shiny scoreboard, but it didn’t have to be on this day. The chatter from fans exiting the stadium showed that the day was a victory for Pitt football and that Sept. 3, the Panthers’ opener against rival Notre Dame, can’t come soon enough.

Geoff Dutelle is the assistant sports editor of The Pitt News. E-mail him at gmd8@pitt.edu.