Penn State Avenges 2016 Loss

by Connor Warwick

With a little under six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Saquan Barkley (PSU) took a kickoff and ran it up the right sideline. He stepped out of bounds before Evante Adams (Pitt) unnecessarily shoved him further out. Penn State would go on to win 33-14.

Adams’ play symbolizes how Pitt fans felt during this game. Frustrated. Pitt came in as a huge underdog, but this game was still disappointing for fans.

On Saturday, Sept 9, Pitt and Penn State squared off for the 98th time. The first time they played there were 44 states, Grover Cleveland was president, and the NFL didn’t exist. That was on November 6, 1893. Penn State won this game 32-0.

With their win on Saturday, Penn State now leads the series 51-43-4. This series could be much more lopsided if Pitt didn’t dominate in the early twentieth century, amassing a record of 20-1-2 from 1913 to 1938. It’s an understatement to say that a lot of history has happened since then. In 1963, their game had to be postponed due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Before last year, the most recent time the two foes played was in September of 2000. The rivalry had been shut down for over a decade because Penn State wanted to play an unfair number of games at home. However, the two teams came to an agreement. The rivalry was reunited and they will face off every year from 2016 to 2019.

Following last year’s 42-39 victory, The Nittany Lions were out for revenge against our Pitt Panthers. The Lions came out hot getting an early interception and driving the ball down the field to score within three minutes of opening kickoff. Penn State went on to score three more touchdowns and win 33-14.

One of the Panther’s few stars was running back Qadree Ollison who had 126 total yards and didn’t look overpowered by Penn State’s great defense. Quarterback Max Browne once again looked flat and was replaced by backup Ben Dinucci.

The two teams will face off again on Saturday, Sept 8 2018 at Heinz Field. Hopefully the Panthers will be able to gain the edge in the four-game series.