Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry

Penn State Nittany Lions

Pittsburgh Panthers

First meeting

November 6, 1893
Penn State 32, Pittsburgh 0

Latest meeting

September 10, 2016
Pittsburgh 42, Penn State 39

Next meeting

September 9, 2017

Statistics

Meetings total

All-time series

Penn State leads, 50–43–4

Current win streak

Pittsburgh, 2

The Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Penn State Nittany Lions and Pittsburgh Panthers.

Series history

Pitt versus Penn State at Pitt Stadium on November 27, 1958

Once considered one of the most important college football rivalries north of the Mason–Dixon line, this intrastate rivalry was deemed the biggest annual game for both schools for a large part of their histories.^[1] The game often had regional and national implications with the winner often claiming Eastern college football supremacy and its respective Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy.^[2] The rivalry began a slow death in the 1990s when both schools left the ranks of college football independents and chose to join different conferences. Penn State accepted an invitation to join the Big Ten Conference while Pitt's football program joined the Big East Conference where the majority of the school's athletic programs already participated. The conference affiliations of the two previously independent football programs resulted in fewer scheduling opportunities.

The last scheduled game in the series was played at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA, on September 16, 2000 when Pitt shut out Penn State 12–0. The desire of the Penn State Athletic Department to host an unbalanced number of home games (proposing 2–1 and 3–2 series) at Beaver Stadium was a significant factor in not agreeing to renew the series.^[3] The basis for the Penn State Athletic Department request for the unbalanced home games was the fact that of the 96 games played between the two teams, only 23 occurred in Happy Valley.

Penn State won 12 of the first 15, but Pitt dominated afterwards, going 21–2–2 (1913–40). Pitt at one point won 14 straight times (1922–38). Pitt coach Jock Sutherland never lost to Penn State (1924–38). From 1941 to 1951, the rivalry was much more even, as Pitt went 6–5 against Penn State in that span. From 1952 on, Penn State dominated, going 31–12–2. Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno went 23–7–1 against Pitt (1966–92, 1997–2000).

Several games are of historic note:

The first game was played on November 6, 1893, in State College, PA, with Penn State prevailing 32–0. Penn State won the first six meetings.

Pitt's first victory in the series occurred on November 24, 1904 in Pittsburgh, 22–5.

The 1963 game was originally scheduled for Saturday, November 23, but was postponed to December 7 following the assassination of John F. Kennedy the day before. The once-beaten Panthers were being touted as a possible Cotton Bowl participant, but the bowl representatives expressed desire to invite Pitt only if they had one loss. With the game postponed until December 7, the Cotton Bowl could not wait. Pitt went on to beat Penn State 22–21, finishing the season at 9–1, with no bowl.

The 1976 game pitted undefeated Pitt, ranked number one in the nation, against Penn State at Three Rivers Stadium on the night after Thanksgiving, November 26. The score was tied 7–7 at the half. Pitt's coach Johnny Majors moved Tony Dorsett to fullback for the second half, and the Panthers went on to beat Penn State 24–7, finishing the regular season 11–0, on their way to a Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia and their first National Championship in 39 years.

1998 game at Pitt Stadium

The 1981 game was one for the ages. Pitt was once again undefeated at 10–0 and number one in the nation, ready to claim the title, "Beast of the East". The Nittany Lions had other ideas when they came to Pitt Stadium on November 28. The game featured two junior quarterbacks, Dan Marino for Pitt and Todd Blackledge for Penn State. Pitt went up 14–0 in the first quarter; Penn State tied it at 14 at the half. The second half belonged to Penn State, scoring 34 second-half points while holding the Panthers scoreless. The 48–14 final cost Pitt a chance for its second national title in five years.

The 1982 game again featured two of the nation's best teams. Pitt had been ranked preseason #1, but had lost to Notre Dame to enter the game at 9–1. Penn State also entered the game 9–1, having lost only to Alabama. Again, it would be Marino vs. Blackledge in their last regular season game at a windswept Beaver Stadium. Penn State prevailed 19–10 on the strength of one Blackledge touchdown pass to Kenny Jackson, four field goals and a tenacious defense, and was on its way to a Sugar Bowl upset of Georgia, earning its first National Championship.

The rivalry went on hiatus in 2000, but resumed in 2016 with a 42–39 home victory by Pittsburgh. This game was the first of a four-game series from 2016–19, with the teams playing at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2018, while battling at Beaver Stadium in State College in 2017 and 2019.^[4]

Game results

Penn State victories	Pittsburgh victories	Tie games

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	November 6, 1893	State College, PA	Penn State	32–0
2	October 3, 1896	State College, PA	Penn State	10–4
3	September 30, 1900	Bellefonte, PA	Penn State	12–0
4	September 29, 1901	Bellefonte, PA	Penn State	27–0
5	September 27, 1902	State College, PA	Penn State	27–0
6	October 24, 1903	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	59–0
7	November 24, 1904	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	22–5
8	November 30, 1905	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	6–0
9	November 29, 1906	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	6–0
10	November 28, 1907	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	6–0
11	November 26, 1908	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	12–6
12	November 25, 1909	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	5–0
13	November 24, 1910	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	11–0
14	November 30, 1911	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	3–0
15	November 28, 1912	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	38–0
16	November 27, 1913	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	7–6
17	November 26, 1914	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	13–3
18	November 25, 1915	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	20–0
19	November 30, 1916	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	31–0
20	November 29, 1917	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	28–6
21	November 28, 1918	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	28–6
22	November 27, 1919	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	20–0
23	November 25, 1920	Pittsburgh, PA	Tie	0–0
24	November 24, 1921	Pittsburgh, PA	Tie	0–0
25	November 30, 1922	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	14–0
26	November 29, 1923	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	20–3
27	November 27, 1924	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	24–3
28	November 26, 1925	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	23–7
29	November 25, 1926	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	24–6
30	November 24, 1927	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	30–0
31	November 29, 1928	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	26–0
32	November 28, 1929	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	20–7
33	November 26, 1930	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	19–12
34	October 31, 1931	State College, PA	Pittsburgh	41–6
35	October 26, 1935	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	9–0
36	November 7, 1936	Pittsburgh, PA	#5 Pittsburgh	34–7
37	November 20, 1937	Pittsburgh, PA	#1 Pittsburgh	28–7
38	November 19, 1938	Pittsburgh, PA	#5 Pittsburgh	26–0
39	November 25, 1939	State College, PA	Penn State	10–0
40	November 23, 1940	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	20–7
41	November 22, 1941	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	31–7
42	November 21, 1942	State College, PA	Penn State	14–6
43	November 20, 1943	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	14–0
44	November 25, 1944	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	14–0
45	November 24, 1945	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	7–0
46	November 23, 1946	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	14–7
47	November 22, 1947	Pittsburgh, PA	#5 Penn State	29–0
48	November 20, 1948	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	7–0
49	November 19, 1949	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	19–0

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score
50	December 3, 1950	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	21–20
51	November 14, 1951	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	13–7
52	November 22, 1952	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	17–0
53	November 21, 1953	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	17–0
54	November 20, 1954	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	13–0
55	November 19, 1955	State College, PA	#15 Pittsburgh	20–0
56	November 24, 1956	Pittsburgh, PA	Tie	7–7
57	November 23, 1957	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	14–13
58	November 27, 1958	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	25–21
59	November 21, 1959	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	22–7
60	November 19, 1960	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	14–3
61	November 25, 1961	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	47–26
62	November 24, 1962	Pittsburgh, PA	#9 Penn State	16–0
63	December 7, 1963	Pittsburgh, PA	#4 Pittsburgh	22–21
64	November 21, 1964	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	28–0
65	November 20, 1965	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	30–27
66	November 19, 1966	Pittsburgh, PA	Penn State	48–24
67	November 25, 1967	State College, PA	Penn State	42–6
68	November 23, 1968	Pittsburgh, PA	#3 Penn State	65–9
69	November 22, 1969	Pittsburgh, PA	#4 Penn State	27–7
70	November 21, 1970	State College, PA	#20 Penn State	35–15
71	November 20, 1971	Pittsburgh, PA	#6 Penn State	55–18
72	November 25, 1972	State College, PA	#6 Penn State	49–27
73	November 24, 1973	State College, PA	#6 Penn State	35–13
74	November 28, 1974	Pittsburgh, PA	#10 Penn State	31–10
75	November 22, 1975	Pittsburgh, PA	#10 Penn State	7–6
76	November 26, 1976	Pittsburgh, PA	#1 Pittsburgh	24–7
77	November 26, 1977	Pittsburgh, PA	#9 Penn State	15–13
78	November 24, 1978	State College, PA	#1 Penn State	17–10
79	December 1, 1979	State College, PA	#11 Pittsburgh	29–14
80	November 28, 1980	State College, PA	#4 Pittsburgh	14–9
81	November 28, 1981	Pittsburgh, PA	#11 Penn State	48–14
82	November 26, 1982	State College, PA	#2 Penn State	19–10
83	November 19, 1983	Pittsburgh, PA	Tie	24–24
84	November 24, 1984	State College, PA	Pittsburgh	31–11
85	November 23, 1985	Pittsburgh, PA	#1 Penn State	31–0
86	November 22, 1986	State College, PA	#1 Penn State	34–14
87	November 14, 1987	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	10–0
88	November 12, 1988	State College, PA	Pittsburgh	14–7
89	November 25, 1989	Pittsburgh, PA	#22 Penn State	16–13
90	November 24, 1990	State College, PA	#11 Penn State	22–17
91	November 28, 1991	Pittsburgh, PA	#6 Penn State	32–20
92	November 21, 1992	State College, PA	#23 Penn State	57–13
93	September 6, 1997	State College, PA	#1 Penn State	34–17
94	September 19, 1998	Pittsburgh, PA	#8 Penn State	20–13
95	September 11, 1999	State College, PA	#2 Penn State	20–17
96	September 16, 2000	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	12–0
97	September 10, 2016	Pittsburgh, PA	Pittsburgh	42–39
Series: Penn State leads 50–43–4

References

↑ Panaccio, Tim (1982). Beast of the East: Penn State vs. Pitt: a game-by-game history of America's greatest football rivalry. West Point, NY: Leisure Press. ISBN 0-88011-068-6.
↑ Fittipaldo, Ray (2011-06-14). "Pitt, Penn State to renew football rivalry in 2016". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
↑ Cook, Ron (August 30, 2004). "Pitt-Penn State series is bigger than Paterno". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
↑ "Penn State and Pitt to Renew Football Rivalry From 2016–19". Penn State Official Athletic Site. December 7, 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-07.

Penn State Nittany Lions football

Venues	Old Main lawn (until 1891) Beaver Field (1892–1908) New Beaver Field (1909–1959) Beaver Stadium (1960–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Maryland Michigan State Minnesota Ohio State Pittsburgh Syracuse West Virginia

Culture & lore	Nittany Lion "Fight On, State" Penn State Blue Band Uplifting Athletes Joe Paterno statue Something for Joey 1982 Nebraska game child sex abuse scandal

People	Head coaches All-Americans Statistical leaders NFL draftees

Seasons	1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Penn State Nittany Lions rivalries

Football	Alabama Maryland Michigan State Minnesota Ohio State Pittsburgh Syracuse West Virginia

Basketball	Bucknell Pittsburgh

Other	Bucknell (Lacrosse) Lehigh (Wrestling)

Pittsburgh Panthers football

Venues	Recreation Park (1898–1904) Exposition Park (1904–08) Forbes Field (1909–24) Pitt Stadium (1925–99) Three Rivers Stadium (2000) Heinz Field (2001–present) UPMC Sports Performance Complex (practice)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games West Virginia (Backyard Brawl) Penn State Notre Dame Syracuse Cincinnati (River City Rivalry)

Culture & lore	Panthers "Hail to Pitt" "Pitt Victory Song" Marching band

People	Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

Rivalries of the Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference	O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy (Boston College–Clemson) Boston College–Notre Dame Boston College–Syracuse Boston College–Virginia Tech Clemson–Florida State Clemson–Georgia Tech Textile Bowl (Clemson–NC State) Duke–North Carolina basketball/overall Victory Bell (Duke–North Carolina football) Duke–NC State Duke–Wake Forest Florida State–Miami Florida State–Virginia Georgia Tech–Virginia Tech Miami–Virginia Tech North Carolina–NC State overall North Carolina–NC State North Carolina–Wake Forest NC State–Wake Forest South's Oldest Rivalry (North Carolina–Virginia) Pittsburgh–Syracuse Virginia–Virginia Tech Commonwealth Cup (Virginia–Virginia Tech football)

Non-conference	Auburn–Clemson Auburn–Georgia Tech Beanpot (Boston College–Boston U–Harvard–Northeastern ice hockey) Boston College–Holy Cross Boston College–Harvard (basketball) Commonwealth Classic (Boston College–UMass basketball) Boston College–UMass Clemson–Georgia Clemson–South Carolina Colgate–Syracuse Connecticut–Notre Dame (women's basketball) Duke–Maryland (basketball) Duke–Michigan (basketball) Florida–Florida State Green Line Rivalry (Boston College–Boston U) The Keg of Nails (Cincinnati–Louisville) Kentucky–Louisville overall Governor's Cup (Kentucky–Louisville football) Louisville–Memphis Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate (Georgia–Georgia Tech) Georgia Tech–Tennessee Georgia Tech–Tulane Maryland–Virginia Florida–Miami Miami–Nebraska NC State–South Carolina North Carolina–South Carolina NC State–East Carolina Notre Dame–UCLA basketball River City Rivalry (Cincinnati–Pittsburgh) City Game (Pittsburgh–Duquesne) Penn State–Pittsburgh Backyard Brawl (Pittsburgh–West Virginia) Georgetown–Syracuse Penn State–Syracuse Syracuse–West Virginia Virginia Tech–West Virginia VMI–Virginia Tech

Notre Dame football rivalries	Georgia Tech–Notre Dame Miami–Notre Dame Notre Dame–Pittsburgh

Big Ten Conference football rivalries

Conference	Illinois–Northwestern Illinois–Ohio State Illinois–Purdue Indiana–Michigan State Indiana–Purdue Iowa–Minnesota Iowa–Nebraska Iowa–Wisconsin Maryland–Penn State Maryland–Rutgers Michigan State–Penn State Michigan–Michigan State Michigan–Minnesota Michigan–Ohio State Minnesota–Nebraska Minnesota–Penn State Minnesota–Wisconsin Nebraska–Wisconsin Ohio State–Penn State

Non-conference	Alabama–Penn State Colorado–Nebraska Illinois–Missouri Indiana–Kentucky Iowa–Iowa State Johns Hopkins–Maryland Kansas–Nebraska Maryland–Navy Maryland–Virginia Maryland–West Virginia Miami–Nebraska Michigan State–Notre Dame Michigan–Notre Dame Missouri–Nebraska Nebraska–Oklahoma Nebraska–Texas Northwestern–Notre Dame Notre Dame–Purdue Penn State–Pittsburgh Penn State–Syracuse Penn State–West Virginia

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