Pat Narduzzi's message to his Pitt football team Friday night was short and sweet.
"Take it all in."
The bus ride to Heinz Field. The throbbing crowd of 69,983, the biggest in Pittsburgh sports history. The emotions that go with seeing Penn State on the other side of the field for the first time in 16 years. The fact that Pitt legends Tony Dorsett and Johnny Majors were there watching with the 1976 national championship team. The chance to re-live perhaps the greatest four hours of their football careers for the rest of their lives.
The Pitt players did.
"We take a lot of pride knowing we're the best team in the state," offensive tackle Brian O'Neill said. "I think we showed that today."
Pitt's 42-39 win Saturday was so good, so entertaining, so thrilling that it seemed worth the 16-year wait.
I just hope Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour took it all in, as well. Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes has said he wants to play Penn State every year in "perpetuity." If this day, this crowd, this game didn't convince Barbour to find a way to put Pitt on the Penn State schedule every season as soon as possible after the series ends again after the 2019 game, shame on her. This was a tremendous day for Pitt football, sure. But it also was a tremendous day for Pennsylvania football. The Penn State players lost the game, but they hardly walked off the Heinz Field lawn as losers. They came back from down 28-7 in the second quarter and 35-21 in the fourth to have a chance to win at the end. Like the Pitt players, they put on some show for their fans.
"I liked seeing all of the Penn State fans there so we could shut them up at the end of the day," Pitt fullback George Aston said. "That was kind of cool."
Pitt made one more big play than Penn State. Cornerback Ryan Lewis' interception of a Trace McSorley pass in the Panthers end zone with 1:15 left was the final big play.
"We talked about who was going to be the hero," Narduzzi said. "There were a bunch of heroes out there today."
Start with James Conner, where it almost always starts with Pitt. He broke tackles on 24- and 23-yard runs as Pitt went 99 yards for a touchdown on its first possession, all but 10 of the yards coming on the ground. Conner finished with 117 rushing yards and a touchdown and also scored on a 12-yard shovel pass from Nate Peterman for what turned out to be the winning points.
"You could tell he was ready," O'Neill said. "He let us know he was ready. 'I'm going behind you guys all day.'"
Conner will tell you Pitt's offensive linemen were the day's biggest football heroes _ literally and figuratively. To show his appreciation for their heavy lifting in Pitt's 35:29-24:31 edge in possession time and its 341-74 edge in rushing yards, he brought in six of the linemen to his postgame news conference and eventually pushed center Alex Officer to the microphone. Much to the delight of his giggling teammates on the podium, Officer did a wonderful job of describing what the linemen did to an overmatched Penn State defensive line. "Moving furniture," he said with the biggest of grins.
Well, maybe Narduzzi's grin was bigger. He didn't want to hear Penn State coach James Franklin's whining about how the Pitt defense disrupted Penn State's cadence by clapping. "Just another excuse," Narduzzi said, dismissively. He preferred to put the credit where it belonged. "We've got a tough football team."
You want other Pitt football heroes?
How about wide receiver Quadree Henderson? He scored a touchdown with a 10-yard catch and set up Conner's winning touchdown with an 84-yard kickoff return.
Aston? He scored two first-half touchdowns on short runs and did his share of blocking for Conner and Pitt's other backs.
Defensive end Ejuan Price? He forced two fumbles by McSorley with a sack and by blowing up one of Penn State's read-option plays.
Linebacker Quintin Wirginis? His sack of McSorley forced Penn State to kick a field goal after it recovered a Conner fumble at the Pitt 11 early in the fourth quarter. "That was the game right there," Narduzzi said.
There were too many other Pitt football heroes to list. Too many times, Pitt has wilted down the stretch of big home games. Not on this day. Not in the biggest of home games. Not against Penn State.
"(Narduzzi) made it known this was a game we had to win," O'Neill said.
The coach wasn't alone with that message.
"Talking to Tony Dorsett and Johnny Majors before the game, they told us this is something we'll remember for the rest of our lives," Peterman said.
Unfortunately for Penn State's players, they, too, long will remember the game but for much different reasons. McSorley will remember that late interception he threw to Lewis. Wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton will remember dropping a potential touchdown pass earlier in that final drive. He was in tears afterward.
The good news for McSorley, Hamilton and the other returning Penn State players is they'll get another shot at Pitt next season in Happy Valley. The second of four games with Pitt will be played Sept. 16, 2017, with the others scheduled in 2018 and 2019.
Hopefully, there will be many more.
Seriously, Sandy Barbour ...
Did you take it all in?
