Pitt and Penn State haven't played each other in football since 2000, but the intrastate clash will finally add another chapter on the gridiron Sept. 10 at Heinz Field.
It's the perfect time reflect on the past while gearing up for the future.
Check out how The Pittsburgh Press covered the first game in the series in 1893 -- at the time, between the Western University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania state college.
Originally published in the Pittsburgh Press Nov. 7, 1893
State College Winners
The Western University Eleven failed to score
Yesterday, the Western University of Pennsylvania was defeated by the Pennsylvania state college strong eleven on the home grounds in a football game of 30-minute halves by the score of 32-0.
State college took the ball but fumbled, and the Western team pushed them back to their 25-[yard] line, and for nearly 15 minutes the ball was in state college territory.
It was soon, by strong dashes and long runs by White, taken over the Western line for a touchdown, and shortly it was again rushed over for a second touchdown after which the half ended, score 12 to 0.
In the second half, the ball was nearly all the time in the Western’s territory, though considerable punting was indulged in on both sides. Touchdowns were made by rushers twice, and once Neal fumbled, Dunsmore falling on the ball, scored a touchdown in the last few minutes. Neal made a safety, saving another down. Good work was done by White, Bowler and Stuart for state college, and by McNeil, Fiscus, Trees and Boden for Western.
Pitt's Rod Rutherford runs into the end zone for the only touchdown of the game against Penn State on Sept. 16, 2000. The Panthers won 12-0. (Associated Press file)
On Sept. 16, 2000, Pitt and Penn State faced off at Three Rivers Stadium in their most recent matchup.
Originally published Sept. 17, 2000
Rutherford scores only TD as Panthers stymie Lions
Pitt didn't beat Penn State on trick plays or lucky bounces.
The Panthers beat their archrivals straight up.
"I don't think they were confused," Pitt quarterback/receiver/kickoff returner Rod Rutherford said. "I think they knew what they were going to get. It's just that, how are you going to stop it?"
The Nittany Lions didn't.
Pitt (3-0) used a balanced offense — keyed at times by Rutherford — and a swarming defense to shut out Penn State, 12-0, in front of 61,221 yesterday at Three Rivers Stadium in the final scheduled game between the two schools.
Pitt wide receiver Latef Grim pulls in a catch that passes through the hands of Penn State's Bruce Branch in Pitt's 12-0 win over Penn State at Three Rivers Stadium in 2000. (John Beale/Post-Gazette)
The victory ended a seven-game losing streak for Pitt in the series, which dates to 1893 but now goes on hiatus. With scheduling commitments on the part of both schools, the soonest the teams could meet again in the regular season is 2008.
The best chance the Nittany Lions (1-3) had of scoring was a 50-yard field-goal attempt by David Kimball in the third quarter. It went wide right.
Senior John Turman took hold of the Pitt quarterback job, completing 11 of 19 passes for 272 yards. Senior Kevan Barlow had 99 of the Panthers' 107 yards rushing. Junior defensive end Bryan Knight had three sacks and a pass deflection.
It was Rutherford who added another dimension to the Panthers. A redshirt freshman, Rutherford made occasional appearances 3/4 at Coach Walt Harris' discretion 3/4 as quarterback, receiver and once as a kickoff return man.
"We're trying to win any way we can, utilize our personnel any way we can," Harris said. "Rod has talent. Rod has a chance to be a good football player. He is so poised and such a great athlete. And he just made plays."
He made the biggest one of the game.
Pitt, holding a slim 3-0 lead just after halftime, had a first down at its 38.
In came Rutherford, lined up as a receiver in the slot. He went in motion to the right and saw an opening in the flat, underneath the linebackers. That's where Turman found him.
Rutherford caught the pass around Pitt's 48, headed toward the sideline, then cut back to his right to the middle of the field. He eluded linebacker Ron Graham, then cut past cornerbacks Bhawoh Jue and Bruce Branch.
"It seemed like the end zone kept moving back," Rutherford said.
He reached it, though, for a 62-yard touchdown play, giving Pitt a 9-0 lead with 14:15 left in the third quarter.
"I saw him coming open," Turman said. "I just held onto it. Rod made a great run. He hit the sideline, then cut back. He did a great job."
Harris said the play didn't go off exactly as planned — Rutherford was supposed to run outside of the linebackers, not underneath them, but no one on Pitt's sideline was complaining.
Rutherford, a Perry Traditional Academy graduate who picked Pitt over Penn State less than two years ago, was in as early as the second play of Pitt's second series. He played mostly at quarterback — and mostly in option situations — but lined up some at receiver.
"Any time you have a third weapon like that, it helps," Nittany Lions defensive end Justin Kurpeikis said. "He made a difference today, but I don't think it was the difference that won the game."
He might beg an argument there.
Although the Panthers were able to move the ball, their only other points came on Nick Lotz's 29-yard field goal in the second quarter and his 39-yarder with 8:38 left in the game.
Turnovers and penalties plagued both teams. So if Rutherford wasn't the difference, it must have been the Pitt defense, which held Penn State to 64 yards rushing, 225 yards overall.
Left: Penn State coach Joe Paterno ponders Penn State's 12-0 defeat at the hands of the Pitt. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press file) Right: Pitt coach Walt Harris celebrates with his team after the shutout win. Keith Srakocic/Associated Press)
"I told our team that I learned a long time ago that if you don't let them score anything, you'll have trouble losing," Harris said.
Knight, who now has seven sacks in three games, said the Nittany Lions couldn't deal with Pitt's defense.
"They were getting kind of frustrated with our stunting and things," he said.