Inside The Panthers

Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Issues Challenge to Penn State

Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi wants to play the Nittany Lions again.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Issues Challenge to Penn State
Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Issues Challenge to Penn State /
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PITTSBURGH -- The rivalry between Pennsylvania's only two Power 5 football teams - the Pitt Panthers and the Penn State Nittany Lions - is alive and well, even if the two teams haven't met on the field since 2019. 

93.7 The Fan's Adam Crowley said earlier this month that the Nittany Lions are "afraid" to play the Panthers, sparking debate from both fan bases. And in a radio appearance this week, Narduzzi claims it is Penn State who does not want the rivalry to continue. 

“You’d have to ask James Franklin,” Narduzzi told the 93.7 The Fan’s PM team of Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller when asked why the two teams have played just five times this millennium. “My call is, ‘Let’s go.’ We’ve called, we’ve asked.”

Pitt players - from redshirt senior defensive back Marquis Williams to senior defensive end Dayon Hayes to freshman receiver Zion Folwer-El - have made calls for the Panthers and Nittany Lions to meet back on the gridiron. 

Pitt and Penn State haven't played football against one another since 2019, when the Panthers fell 17-10 in the 100th all-time meeting at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions won three of four in a short series that spanned 2016 to 2019 and renewed the rivalry after a 15-year absence.

There are currently no plans for the two schools to meet in the near future. Pitt already has a non-conference schedule occupied primarily by Cincinnati, West Virginia and Wisconsin with contests against Notre Dame sprinkled in over various years. Meanwhile, Penn State has out-of-conference games against the Mountaineers, Syracuse, Villanova, Temple and Nevada, highlighting their future schedules.

As Big 10 members, the Lions do face a more tricky scheduling set up as they play nine conference games as opposed to Pitt's eight ACC contests.  

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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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