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As a sports editor of Penn State and Daily Collegian, I covered Nittany Lion football from 1979 to 1982 – at the height of the Penn State-Pitt rivalry – and that included four consecutive games between the two rivals.
The series counted so much for me that it was the subject of my farewell column in Collegian magazine of November 26, 1982 (published below).
Penn State defeated Pitt that day, 19-10, at Beaver Stadium with Todd Blackledge – at the ABC booth this Saturday, for the 100th game in the series and, for now, his last game – at the quarterback. It was the last game of the Nittany Lions in the regular season before defeating Georgia at the Sugar Bowl to win Penn State's first national title.
It is not enough to just go 1-0.
• • •
There were long lines of cars. It was cold. Pattee was tall. The Nittany Lions defeated Pitt. And we had dinner at the tavern.
"This is Penn State, "my Uncle Hal repeated tirelessly to his three little nephews by coaching them for a long day in 1972, filled with Penn State.
It was November 25, 1972, to be exact. I know, because I've checked. It was easy. I know Penn State beat Pitt even better than my Midget football team (0-9 the previous season) was beaten. And I know the match was held at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State won 49-27 after leading 42-0 after three quarters. It seemed that almost everyone had left after this quarter, including Mr. Besket, who worked at the tavern. He was also Penn State.
While checking the date and score of the game, I've also read about it – my first Penn State game. That day, Pitt was coached by Carl DePasqua, who had seasons of 4-6, 5-5, 3-8 then 1-10 in 1972, his last at Pitt and the only double-digit loss season that Pitt has never known. Penn State was heading to the Sugar Bowl, where he would receive a $ 400,000 check for being blocked by Oklahoma.
John HufNagel played quarterback for Penn State, who had Bob Nagle at the back. I kept confusing them. The fact that I ate a bagel that morning for the first time in my life did not help either.
In addition, it was cold. My uncle helped us continue by eating hot chocolate and warming up with Penn State stories.
• • •
My uncle just said that he had just lived in the Nittany barracks. They were new then. Later, he lived above the tavern and worked there too. Joe Paterno, he said, was a regular customer of The Tavern and always sat at the same table, in front.
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My uncle likes Joe Paterno. Most of the uncles who went to Penn State do it.
But most cousins do not do it. My cousin, one of the three little nephews described previously, went to Pitt. He was there when Pitt won the national championship in 1976. "Pitt is that, "he always said, and always.
My cousin had his when Elliott Walker did not like his cousin's call when officiating at Elliott Walker's intramural basketball championship game. So Elliott Walker broke my cousin's jaw.
My brother – the third of these little nephews – went to Pitt for two years. But left. Presumably before my brother also had jaw broken by Elliot Walker.
In checking the 1972 game, I learned that it was in the middle of a 10-game winning streak from Penn State. From 1966 to 1975, Penn State never lost to Pitt and dominated the Panthers, 414 to 135.
But in all fairness to Pitt, the Panthers dominated the series from 1913 to 1938, winning 20 wins, two draws (0-0 in 1920 and 21) and losing only once, by 20-0 in 1919. of those 25 years, Penn State outperformed, 348 to 58.
These things even outside. Penn State now leads the series – which began in 1893 with a 32-0 win at Penn State – with 40 wins, 38 losses and 3 draws. Pitt's record is 38-40-3, as can be expected.
• • •
I've seen the last three games of the press, four if you count today.
1979 was not a good year for Penn State. It was a great year for Pitt, who had 11-1. The Nittany Lions lost 29-14. It's hard to remember the details of this game. Now, I know why Joe Paterno always seems to mix dates and years. (With the exception of the years 68 and 69, the years Reid, Smear and Kwalick, I think they were Joe Paterno's favorite teams, but this year could be just as successful.)
I do not think Joe Paterno loved 1979. Penn State went 8-4 and pulled out a victory over Tulane in the Liberty Bowl. Whatever it is, some scenes stand out from the Pitt game that year:
One of them was the view from rookie bench Jeff Hostetler driving the state of Penn State on almost the length of the field in the final minutes. He did not leave. Always not.
The second involved starting quarterback Dayle Tate, whose difficult season was completed by an injury in the middle of Pitt's match. Nevertheless, he then spoke patiently and openly with the reporters in the locker room. And he always had the sense of humor.
"During the week," said Dayle Tate to a trio of reporters, which I was part of, "Matt Millen was trying to get me ready for the game. Matt arrives and says:" Hey, Dayle, I want to prepare you. for the game … Booooo! "
Dayle Tate laughed.
The third was Curt Warner, who had not been hurt by the reporters after the match, as he is now. Warner gave Penn State a 14-10 lead that day with a goal of 95 yards. This advance quickly disappeared. "I thought we were going to start riding like the Penn State, but we did not do it," Warner said afterwards, as he was not sure he was there. the same Penn State team almost national champion the year before.
• • •
In 1980, Pitt won again. What has struck me most this year is Pitt head coach Jackie Sherrill, who is at the top of the coaching table after the game. You would not have guessed that his fourth ranked team had just defeated the fifth-ranked team on national television.
No, Jackie Sherrill looked more like a "previous" photo of an Ex-Lax ad. He did not smile once. I bet Foge Fazio smiled at least once after Notre Dame defeated Pitt this year.
1981. Mention this game and an image that comes to your mind: Kenny Jackson facing off the field, half an inch from the white paint of the sideline after catching a pass from Todd Blackledge .
Although he stood there for less than a second, it seems like Kenny Jackson stayed planted for at least three or four minutes, planning his spin at 270 runners and counting the bristles of the Astroturf. before scoring a touchdown.
Pitt had a 14-0 lead after the first quarter of the game but Penn State scored 48 points to defeat Pitt's national title. (Pitt, of course, would like to return the favor today.)
• • •
Kenny Jackson's graceful maneuver will always stay with me, but Pitt's game I will remember most is the one on November 25, 1972. And what I liked the most about this game came on the parking lot after the game. more than.
As we headed for the car, we saw a drunk fan standing as straight as a drunken fan could. With great talent, he placed his left arm on his chest and put his left hand under his right arm raised, then began to sink:
"Under the arm, Pitt!"
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