Inside The Panthers

Pitt DL Dayon Hayes Takes Shots at Penn State over Scheduling

Dayon Hayes wants to see the Pitt Panthers rekindle their rivalry with the Nittany Lions.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt DL Dayon Hayes Takes Shots at Penn State over Scheduling
Pitt DL Dayon Hayes Takes Shots at Penn State over Scheduling /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers' storied rivalry with Penn State has remained dormant for five years. The Panthers and Nittany Lions haven't met since 2019, when the four-game series that restarted the rivalry expired. 

But Pitt defensive lineman Dayon Hayes, like many of the fans that watch him on television or at Acrisure Stadium on fall weekends, wants to see the Keystone Classic back on the gridiron. He called out Penn State on Twitter for being "scared" to play the Panthers. 

Hayes went back and forth with Penn State fans, claiming their scheduled games against Delaware and UMass don't bring the same juice as a matchup with Pitt. Both sides brought out classic arguments about the relative prestige of each program and one said Hayes, who had a Penn State offer coming out of high school, wouldn't be a starter in State College. Hayes thinks it's mutually beneficial for the Panthers and Nittany Lions to play each other. 

The Big 10's nine-game conference schedule makes out-of-league scheduling more difficult for the Nittany Lions compared to Pitt's eight-game ACC slate. Penn State has four non-conference games against Power 5 opponents on their schedule for the next six seasons - two against West Virginia and two against Syracuse. The Panthers will play seven games against Power 5 opponents and three against Notre Dame over that same period. 

The Nittany Lions own a 53-43-4 advantage in the all-time series and have won 10 of the last 12 dating back to 1989. Pitt won two in a row in the series from 2000-2016 but dropped the last three contests by a combined 71 points. There are no plans for the series to return to the gridiron, with both schools' non-conference schedules tied up for the near future. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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