“EA Sports. It’s in the game!” At least that’s the saying that goes along with EA Sports’ NCAA… “EA Sports. It’s in the game!” At least that’s the saying that goes along with EA Sports’ NCAA 2004, but is it really true?

I played the entire Pittsburgh Panthers’ season already, (actually, I have played three seasons, but who’s counting) and if it is “in the game,” then my results should be what the expectations are for the Panthers. OK, well maybe it’s not 100 percent accurate, but it is still fun to see what could be.

According to my game, the Panthers open up with two huge blowouts with Kent State and Ball State. By scoring 63 and 70 points respectively, the Panthers put themselves on the map, and improved in the rankings up to No. 5 nationally. This was helped by Ohio State’s early-season loss to Washington.

Shawntae Spencer exploded onto the scene in those two games, scoring five total touchdowns and recording four interceptions. Spencer, who returns kicks and punts, ran two punts back for touchdowns against Kent State and had a third called back because of a holding call on Malcolm Postell.

“I’m OK in the game. I won’t say I’m real good. I am not bad. I am an 88 overall, that’s not bad,” Spencer said.

In the next game, after struggling in the first half against Toledo, the Panthers’ defense took over in the second half. After knocking out two quarterbacks – one with a broken jaw, courtesy of Claude Harriott, and another with a mild concussion delivered by Joe Dipree -Spencer took over again. Two more Spencer picks, one of which he took to the house, sealed the deal and officially made Spencer a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Following the 3-0 start, the Panthers finally came into the meat of the schedule. Fortunately, they were able to handle Texas A ‘ M and Notre Dame with no problem, and thus skyrocket the Panthers to No. 3 in the country, behind only Miami and Virginia Tech.

Rutgers, Syracuse, and Boston College were next on the hit list, and they were no match for the vaunted Panthers offense.

Rod Rutherford dominated by having his first 300-yard passing and 200-yard rushing game of the season against Boston College. The option, featuring Rutherford and running back Brandon Miree, was almost unstoppable when run correctly.

Virginia Tech was next and was a slight struggle for the Panthers and me. Following Rutherford’s two first-half interceptions – the only ones he threw all season – Rutherford rekindled that magical spark with Larry Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald was matched up against two-way player DeAngelo Hall, but Hall could not match the godlike video-game Fitzgerald, who caught 16 passes for 283 yards and five big touchdowns. The Panthers were victorious once again, and now ranked No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series.

West Virginia and Temple were both obliterated by the Panthers. Spencer continued to add to his Heisman resume by making four picks and scoring two touchdowns in each game.

The cover of Sports Illustrated, shown after the game, featured Spencer, with the headline: “Once an unknown, now Spencer is on everyone’s Heisman ballot.”

At this point, all that stood in the way of a berth in the Sugar Bowl and the nation’s championship game was a date with No. 1-ranked Miami. No reason to panic here, as the Panthers rolled to a 37-17 victory, which was not even that close.

Brandon Miree’s big day – 212 rushing yards and three touchdowns – was the difference, since the defense held Miami’s Frank Gore to a mere 37 yards rushing on 13 carries. Spencer added another interception and all but locked up the Heisman.

Miami’s loss was Ohio State’s gain, by the slimmest of margins. With Miami out of the picture, only two teams had a chance to play the Panthers: Ohio State (11-1) and Central Florida (12-0). The BCS computers left Floridians angry and Ohio State was selected to play in the Sugar Bowl.

Shawntae Spencer won the Heisman trophy, set a national record for interceptions in a season, with 19.

“You won a Heisman Trophy with me? How the hell did you do that?” Spencer asked. “It feels real good [to win the Heisman], I am proud of you [Milo], and I want to thank you first. I hope I play that good this season. 19 picks, ten touchdowns – man, I hope you are on to something. I hope I can do it. You must be pretty damn good,” said Spencer.

Maybe I am that good, but so are the Panthers, who finished a perfect season with a 41-28 Sugar Bowl victory over Ohio State and the national championship. Maybe the best news of all came after the season, and after two more seasons, when Larry Fitzgerald graduated after four years at Pitt. Since all that was in my game, I hope it is “in the game.”

Matt Miloszewski is a staff writer at The Pitt News and feels he can take down anyone in NCAA 2004, or Madden 2004, and truly believes that the Panthers will win the National Championship. To issue a challenge to him on either game, e-mail him at [email protected]