The Decade That Was: College Football

By Adam Bittner

Dec. 23, 2019

Pitt and Penn State's football programs have never experienced a decade like the 2010s, and they'd probably prefer not to ever again.

There have been great moments that we'll get to in a minute, sure. But there were some very, very dark ones before them, too.

The Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal engulfed Penn State for the better part of five years. The shame of it will rightly linger for generations. The football element of it will always be the secondary story, though we'll try to capture that here.

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Pitt, meanwhile, fired a coach — Dave Wannstedt — who led it to the verge of a conference championship, a decision that led to embarrassments on the national stage as a couple coaching hires failed to pan out.

Their rivalry returned after 16-year hiatus in 2016, bringing a refreshing change, and both went on to make noise at the national level to varying degrees. As the 2020s loom, Panthers and Nittany Lions alike have reason to hope that their program's pride has been restored.

The fact that restoration was necessary in the first place, though, defines the decade that's ending and permeates how even the best moments are remembered. With that, let's begin our look back.

Click a category below.

Five signature moments

1 Nov. 9, 2011: Penn State fires Joe Paterno after almost five decades as coach in the fallout of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. He died of lung cancer almost two months later as the winningest coach in major college football history.

A few weeks before his firing, Joe Paterno walks off the field after warm-ups for Penn State's game October 2011 against Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. (Jim Prisching/Associated Press)

2 Oct. 22, 2016: Marcus Allen blocks a fourth-quarter field goal attempt by No. 2 Ohio State. Grant Haley returns it for a game-winning touchdown, and Penn State gets a program-changing 24-21 upset win that puts the program back on the national map.

(From Big Ten Network via YouTube)

3 Nov. 12, 2016: Chris Blewitt kicks a 48-yard field goal with six seconds left to cap an eight-point fourth-quarter rally that gives Pitt a victory over third-ranked Clemson, which went on to win the national championship.

(From ACC Digital Network via YouTube)

4 Sept. 10, 2016: Pitt jumps out to a 28-7 lead in its first meeting with Penn State since 2000. The Nittany Lions stage a furious comeback and advance the ball into Pitt territory with a chance to take the lead. Then the Panthers' Ryan Lewis intercepts quarterback Trace McSorley pass to preserve a 42-39 instant classic of a victory at Heinz Field.

(From ACC Digital Network via YouTube)

5 Nov. 24, 2017: A little more than a year after the Clemson upset, Pitt downs No. 2 Miami. This time, Pat Narduzzi guarantees a win in a halftime interview despite a 7-3 deficit. Freshman quarterback Kenny Pickett then leads the Panthers to 21 unanswered points en route to a 24-14 win.

Pitt's Shane Roy jumps into the Heinz Field student section after defeating Miami on Nov. 24, 2017. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

Team of the decade team (years played this decade in parentheses)

Offense

QB: Trace McSorley, PSU (2015-18) Broke school's all-time passing mark by a whopping 1,472 yards.

Penn State's Trace McSorley celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a game against Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, at Beaver Stadium. (Antonella Crescimbeni/Post-Gazette)

RB: Saquon Barkley, PSU (2015-17) A program-changer whose No. 2 overall selection in the NFL draft was Penn State's highest in a generation.

Penn State's Saquon Barkley stiff-arms Pitt's Dennis Brigss on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, at Beaver Stadium. (Antonella Crescimbeni/Post-Gazette)

RB: James Conner, Pitt (2013-16) Inspired by overcoming cancer to score 56 touchdowns from scrimmage, an ACC record.

Pitt's James Conner hugs cancer patient Andrew O'Neill before the start of his team's game against Duke on Nov. 19, 2016, at Heinz Field. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

WR: Tyler Boyd, Pitt (2013-15) Became the school's all-time leader in catches and receiving yards by solid margins. Pitt's only two-time All-American of the decade

Pitt's Tyler Boyd pulls in a pass against North Carolina's Tim Scott in the first quarter at Heinz Field on Nov. 16 , 2013. (Matt Freed /Post-Gazette)

WR: Allen Robinson, PSU (2011-13) All-American whose leaping catch in the 2013 quadruple overtime win against Michigan has become iconic.

Despite coverage from Eastern Michigan's Willie Creear, Penn State receiver Allen Robinson hauls in a 43-yard pass from Christian Hackenberg at Beaver Stadium. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)

TE: Mike Gesicki, PSU (2014-17) He's the only tight end to rank among Penn State's top 10 in receptions all-time.

Penn State's Mike Gesicki celebrates after a 42-12 win against Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, at Beaver Stadium. (Antonella Crescimbeni/Post-Gazette)

OL: T.J. Clemmings, Pitt (2010-14) The converted defensive lineman slipped onto a couple of All-America teams.

Pitt's T.J. Clemmings tackles Virginia Tech's Dyrell Roberts in 2012 at Heinz Field. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

OL: Dorian Johnson, Pitt (2013-16) The Belle Vernon product was selected in the fourth round after All-America selections in 2016.

From left: Pitt's George Aston, Dorian Johnson and Scott Orndoff celebrate a touchdown against Clemson on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, in Clemson, S.C. (Rainier Ehrhardt/Associated Press)

OL: Stefen Wisniewski, PSU (2007-10) Slips onto the list with All-America selection in the first year of the decade.

Penn State lineman Stefen Wisniewski waits to run the 40-yard dash Saturday at the 2011 NFL combine. (Darron Cummings/Associated Press)

OL: Adam Bisnowaty, Pitt (2012-16) Fox Chapel graduate started for four years and was named first team All-ACC twice.

Offensive lineman Adam Bisnowaty runs through drills on the South Side in August 2012.(Rebecca Droke/Post-Gazette)

OL: Brian O'Neill, Pitt (2014-17) First-team All-ACC selection also won the Piesman Trophy, awarded to linemen who contribute elsewhere on offense, in 2016.

Pitt's Brian O'Neill warms up during practice in October 2017 at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

Defense

DL: Aaron Donald, Pitt (2010-13) Monster 2013 season netted a slew of national honors and launched a likely Hall of Fame career in the pros.

Pitt's Aaron Donald inside the team's South Side facility on Friday, Dec. 13, 2013. (Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette)

DL: Ejuan Price, Pitt (2011-16) Injuries kept him at Pitt for six years. Finished in a tie with Donald for fourth on Panthers' all-time sack leaders list.

Pitt's Ejuan Price, right, takes down Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinicke in 2013 at Heinz Field. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

DL: Carl Nassib, PSU (2011-15 Started his Nittany Lions career as a walk-on. Finished with the program's single-season sack record and All-America selection.

Penn State's Carl Nassib, center, celebrates with Garrett Sickels, left, after a sack against Illinois in 2015 at Beaver Stadium. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

DL: Devon Still, PSU (2008-11) His 4.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss netted Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2011.

Penn State's Devon Still tackles Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah in 2011 at Beaver Stadium. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

LB: Michael Mauti, PSU (2008-12) Known for his leadership amid the Jerry Sandusky scandal but produced on the field, too, with an All-America selection in 2012.

Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti shouts in the fourth quarter of a 2012 game against Ohio at Beaver Stadium. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)

LB: Gerald Hodges, PSU (2009-12) Mauti's running mate racked up 249 tackles in just two seasons of significant playing time.

Penn State linebackers Gerald Hodges, right, and Khairi Fortt, rear, tackle Eastern Michigan quarterback Alex Gillett in 2011 at Beaver Stadium. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)

LB: Mike Hull, PSU (2011-14) Canon-McMillan product burst onto the scene as a senior, earning all-conference and conference Linebacker of the Year honors.

Penn State linebacker Mike Hull, center, celebrates with teammates Glen Caron, left, and Michael Mauti, right, after returning a fumble for a touchdown against Navy in 2012. (Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)

CB: Avonte Maddox, Pitt (2014-17) Versatile defensive back who finished his career with almost as many sacks (7) as interceptions (8.)

Pitt's Avonte Maddox lets out a scream during 2016 media day on the South Side. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

S: Jordan Whitehead, Pitt (2015-17) Contributed on both sides of the ball but known best for his defense after winning conference Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman.

Pitt's Jordan Whitehead pushes away N.C. State's Jerod Fernandez during a 2017 game at Heinz Field. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

S: Marcus Allen, PSU (2014-17) Known for his iconic field goal block against Ohio State, he's also fifth all-time in tackles on a program list dominated by linebackers.

Penn State's Marcus Allen looks down at Pitt's Darrin Hall after tackling him in the end zone for a safety in 2017 at Beaver Stadium. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

Special teams

P: Blake Gillikin, PSU (2016-19) Entered his senior season as Penn State's all-time leader in punting average.

Penn State punter Blake Gillikin, back, punts against Purdue on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, at Beaver Stadium. (Barry Reeger/Associated Press)

K: Chris Blewitt, Pitt (2013-16) He's second on the Panthers' all-time scoring list behind only Tony Dorsett. Kicked a memorable game-winner to upset No. 3 Clemson in 2016.

Pitt's Chris Blewitt is congratulated after kicking the go-ahead field goal against Bowling Green in the fourth quarter in the 2013 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

KR/PR: Quadree Henderson, Pitt (2015-17) Scored four return touchdowns in 2016 en route to consensus All-American status at the position.

Pitt's Quadree Henderson scores a touchdown in front of Duke's Deondre Singleton, Jan. 6, 2014, at Heinz Field. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

Bests

Best play: Easily Marcus Allen's field goal block against Ohio State. For the sake of saying something different, though, let's go with Allen Robinson's leaping catch that set up Penn State's game-tying touchdown at the end of regulation in the 2013 quadruple overtime win against Michigan. It was so pretty that Robinson later got it literally tattooed on his body. The Panthers' "Pitt Special" trick play in the upset of Central Florida earlier this season is an honorable mention, as it halted the Knights' 27-game regular season winning streak in dramatic fashion.

(From ACC Digital Network via YouTube)

(From Big Ten Network via YouTube)

Best player: Saquon Barkley: Pitt's Aaron Donald has had a Hall of Fame-worthy professional career already, but if we're basing the decision only on college resumes, it's got to be Barkley. He was fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2017; went second in the 2018 NFL draft; led the Nittany Lions to conference and Fiesta Bowl titles in consecutive years; and finished with 51 touchdowns and more than 5,000 yards from scrimmage. Without him, Penn State might still be toiling in post-Sandusky scandal mediocrity. Donald was a star. His 2013 campaigns was one of the most dominant we've seen from a defensive player in recent memory. Barkley was a savior.

Penn State running back Saquon Barkley leaps over the Washington Huskies' Austin Joyner and Keishawn Bierria in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

Best coach Bill O'Brien: James Franklin guided Penn State back to national prominence, but it was O'Brien who did the hard work of keeping the program together in the aftermath of the sickening Jerry Sandusky scandal. In the face of a four-year postseason ban and NCAA sanctions that allowed players to transfer anywhere without penalty, Joe Paterno's successor persuaded the vast majority of his players to stay. He then shocked college football by leading them to an exciting 8-4 season in 2012 while preaching a positive message of what Penn State could become. The school's name deserved to be radioactive for a long time. Without him, it might still be.

Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien leads his team onto the field before playing the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium on October 27, 2012. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Best game 2017 Rose Bowl: One of the greatest Rose Bowls of all time should merits mention somewhere here, right? Even if the local team of interest lost? Penn State played well in the 2017 Granddaddy of Them All, scoring seven consecutive touchdowns at one point. Saquon Barkley's 79-yard touchdown to start the second half was probably the best home run play of a career full of them. Sam Darnold and the Trojans were just a bit better in coming back from a 42-27 deficit to win in front of a friendly Southern California crowd. This instant classic was recently named No. 23 on ESPN's list of college football's 150 greatest games.

(From ESPN via YouTube)

Worsts

Worst coach Todd Graham: He was Pitt's second choice to replace Dave Wannstedt in the 2010-2011 offseason. Predecessor Mike Haywood was fired weeks after his hiring because of domestic abuse allegations. Turns out, they probably should have gone with their third choice. "Fraud" Graham, as he's become known around here, arrived at Pitt promising an exciting "high octane" offense. He ended up bolting for Arizona State after a single 6-6 campaign. He didn't even give his Panthers players the courtesy of an in-person goodbye. A text was all they got.

Pitt head coach Todd Graham coaches his team in the Blue-Gold game April 16, 2011 at Heinz Field. (Matt Freed /Post-Gazette)

Worst game 2014 Pitt vs. Georgia Tech, 2015 Penn State vs. Temple: Co-winners here. It's hard to imagine a worse start to a game than the one Pitt experienced in 2014 against Georgia Tech. The Panthers turned the ball over on each of their first five possessions, and the Yellow Jackets turned them into 28 points in the first five minutes of the game. It's almost a miracle that Pitt only ended up losing by a 56-28 margin, on homecoming no less. A year later, Penn State turned in an all-time stinker in Philadelphia when it gave up 10 sacks to Temple and lost to the Owls for the first time since shortly before Pearl Harbor. One of those sacks came off a two-man rush. Yikes!

(From ACC Digital Network via YouTube)

Three coaches, one bowl

Birmingham, Alabama. The Pittsburgh of the South. The Magic City. Home town of Courteney Cox of "Friends" fame and "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks. Also, Pitt's bowl destination for three consecutive seasons as it navigated three consecutive coaching transitions from 2010 to 2012. The whole sequence could have been the script of "Groundhog Day II." Instead, it was the Panthers' depressing reality as they slid from Big East title contention under Dave Wannstedt to moribund mediocrity under five subsequent interim and head coaches, one of whom was canned before even coaching a game. The games themselves — a win over Kentucky in 2010 and losses against SMU and Ole Miss the following two years — weren't all that memorable. The dignity of heading to the same low-level bowl over and over, with different coaches each time? That will probably cause Pitt fans to laugh and cry at the same time for decades to come.

Former Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt announces that he will not coach the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., at a Jan. 3, 2011, press conference on the South Side. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

The end of the Big East and the Backyard Brawl

Pitt and West Virginia were both caught up in the conference realignment that marked the beginning of the 2010s. As the Big East football conference collapsed, both schools scrambled to find homes in power leagues. Ultimately, they were both successful, with Pitt landing in the ACC and West Virginia in the Big 12. Those moves, however, cost the schools separated by less than 80 miles their longtime rivalry game. They played for the last time on Nov. 15, 2011, in Morgantown. Pitt jumped out to an early 14-0 lead behind touchdowns by Zach Brown and Issac Bennett. Then quarterback Geno Smith led the Mountaineers back. West Virginia's Shawne Alston scored a 1-yard touchdown with a little over six minutes remaining, and Pitt could not counterpunch before falling by a 21-20 margin. The schools will meet again for four games beginning in 2022. But that day marked the end of the annual meetings as we knew them.

Pitt's Devin Street can't pull in a pass against West Virginia in the third quarter Nov. 25, 2011, in Morgantown, W.Va. (Matt Freed /Post-Gazette)

A dance in Dublin

Penn State traveled overseas for a game for the first time in 2014, and the Nittany Lions put on quite the show for an international audience at the Croke Park Classic in Dublin, Ireland. Christian Hackenberg passed for a program-record 454 yards in a single game, and Sam Ficken kicked a field goal from 36 yards out as time expired to give the Lions a 26-24 win over Central Florida in coach James Franklin's first game with the program. The Lions have had bigger wins since, but this one will go down as one of the most rare.

Basketball score at a football game

Pitt and Syracuse made a little history in their 2016 regular season finale. OK, they made a lot of it. Defense was in short supply on a late November day at Heinz Field as the teams combined for 20 touchdowns, 1,312 total yards, 58 first downs and 136 total points — a Football Bowl Subdivision record — in a 76-61 Pitt victory. Eight different Panthers scored in an offensive explosion that's still hard to fathom.

(From ACC Digital Network via YouTube)

Putting a ring on it

Like it did in losing to Pitt earlier in the season, Penn State fell into a 28-7 hole earlier in the 2016 Big Ten championship against Wisconsin. This time, however, it finished the comeback. Two Saeed Blacknall touchdowns got the Nittany Lions back in the game. Then Saquon Barkley cooked Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Watt on a wheel route for the winning score that delivered the program's first conference title since 2008 and sent Penn State to that epic Rose Bowl against Southern California.

(From Big Ten Network via YouTube)

Fiesta in the desert

The local schools got just one win in a New Year's Six bowl this decade. It came in 2017, when Penn State traveled to the Fiesta Bowl as consolation for close losses against Ohio State and Michigan State that cost it a spot in the College Football Playoff. Playing in his final college game, Saquon Barkley scored two touchdowns, including one on an electrifying 92-yard run, helping his team to a 35-28 victory against Pac-12 power Washington, the team that had edged the Nittany Lions for a playoff spot a year earlier.

(From ESPN via YouTube)

Playoffs?

Pitt and Penn State didn't make them this decade, but Duquesne did in 2018. The Dukes finished 8-3 overall and 5-1 in the Northeastern Conference to claim the league's automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision bracket. Once there, they made a bit of history by beating Towson for the first playoff win in program history. Running back A.J. Hines was the star, finishing with 246 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the 31-10 triumph. They lost at South Dakota State in the next round, but Duquesne's statement had been made. The small school on the Bluff can compete on a national stage.

Massachusetts linebacker Chinedu Ogbonna, left, pursues Duquesne running back A.J. Hines during an August 2018 game in Amherst, Mass. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)

Best of the rest

Oct. 29, 2011: Penn State's Silas Redd scores a go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute remaining in regulation and Illinois kicker Derek Dimke misses a 42-yard field goal attempt as time expires to give Penn State a 10-7 win at Beaver Stadium. The victory is the 409th — and last — of Joe Paterno's career, making him the winningest coach in major college football history. He was fired amid the Jerry Sandusky scandal less than two weeks later.

(From From PSUFootball1 via YouTube)

Penn State's Silas Redd, top right, celebrates his rushing touchdown against Illinois in 2011 at Beaver Stadium. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Sept. 8, 2012: Sam Ficken misses four kicks, including a 42-yard field goal attempt at the gun, and Penn State falls, 17-16, at Virginia. The loss dropped the Nittany Lions to 0-2 after NCAA sanctions.

(From ACC Digital Network via YouTube)

Nov. 3, 2012: Pitt takes a 20-6 lead into the fourth quarter at No. 4 Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish rally to force overtime, then win in the third extra session on a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Everett Golson.

(From Notre Dame Fighting Irish via YouTube)

Nov. 24, 2012: Ficken gets redemption for the Virginia loss by kicking a 37-yard field goal in overtime to help his Nittany Lions beat Wisconsin to complete an improbable 8-4 season.

(From GoPSUtv via YouTube)

Nov. 9, 2013: Freshman James Conner scores two touchdowns to lead the Panthers to a 28-21 upset of No. 24 Notre Dame at Heinz Field.

(From Pitt LiveWire via YouTube)

Nov. 30, 2013: Penn State beats Wisconsin to end the season for a second consecutive season behind four touchdown passes by Christian Hackenberg. This time, the victory knocks the No. 14 Badgers out of a BCS bowl.

Penn State's Eugene Lewis makes the catch and runs it in for a touchdown in the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 30, 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)

Nov. 1, 2014: A year after beating Duke in a 58-55 shootout at Heinz Field, the Panthers travel to Durham for another wild one. This time, they fall to the No. 24 Blue Devils by a 51-48 margin in double overtime.

The Duke Blue Devils celebrate after a missed field goal at the end of regulation time by the Pittsburgh Panthers, November 1, 2014, at Heinz Field. Duke defeated Pittsburgh 51-48 in double overtime. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Oct. 26, 2014: The Nittany Lions spice up another otherwise turgid campaign by rallying from a 17-point deficit to force overtime against eventual national champion Ohio State. The Buckeyes won in double overtime, 31-24.

(From ESPN via YouTube)

Oct. 1, 2016: Penn State lugs a 13-3 deficit into halftime against Minnesota, but storms back to force an overtime session in which Saquon Barkley wins the game with a 25-yard touchdown. The win sparked the nine-game winning streak that culminated in a Big Ten title.

(From Big Ten Network via YouTube)

Sept. 9, 2017: The Lions get revenge for their loss at Pitt a year prior. Saquon Barkley breaks the game open with a 46-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter to give Penn State its first win over its rival since 1999.

Oct. 21 - Nov. 4, 2017: Penn State goes 1-2 in a season-defining stretch after rising to No. 2 in the rankings. A 42-13 rout of No. 19 Michigan gives fans hope that a playoff berth was imminent, but two losses by a combined four posts at Ohio State and Michigan State in successive weeks kill the dream. The Lions held fourth-quarter leads in both defeats.

Penn State's Lamont Wade, left, and DaeSean Hamilton leave the field after a 27-24 loss to the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on November 4, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Sept. 8, 2018: In the last scheduled Pitt-Penn State game in Pittsburgh, the Panthers make some costly first-half errors but stay within 14-6 at the break. That was as close as it would get. The Lions pour it on in the second half and roll to a 51-6 rout in the rain at Heinz Field.

(From ACC Digital Network via YouTube)

Sept. 29, 2018: Penn State takes another lead into the fourth quarter against Ohio State, but quarterback Dwayne Haskins leads the Buckeyes to two touchdowns in the final eight minutes to knock the Lions off by a single point for a second consecutive year. Two weeks later, Penn State blows another late lead to lose to Michigan State again, realistically ending its hopes of competing for a championship, conference or otherwise.

(From ESPN via YouTube)

Nov. 2, 2018: Pitt travels to Charlottesville with a chance to take command of the ACC Coastal race and converts. Running back Darrin Hall rushes for 229 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Panthers to a 23-13 win over No. 23 Virginia that sets them up well to eventually claim the division.

(From ACC Digital Network via YouTube)

Dec. 1, 2018: The Panthers fail to recapture the glory of 2016 as Clemson holds quarterback Kenny Pickett to just 8 passing yards in a 42-10 defeat in Pitt's first ACC championship appearance.

Sept. 14, 2019: Pitt and Penn State meet for the 100th and possibly final time in Happy Valley. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi's decision to kick a field goal, trailing 17-10 with a little over six minutes remaining, backfires as kicker Alex Kessman misses from just 19 yards. The Lions defense held from there to secure indefinite bragging rights

(From Big Ten Network via YouTube)

We wrote it

"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.

— Ron Cook on the Pitt-Penn State game in 2016, which drew a Pittsburgh record crowd of 69,983 to Heinz Field

They said it

"I usually have a lot to say but I am at a loss for words, but this is disappointing to me and I want to apologize to all Pitt fans for being so enthusiastic when they hired Coach Graham because I obviously jumped the gun in judging his character. It all sounded exciting, his offense and stuff, but here is a guy that talked about commitment, loyalty, faith and character and yet he doesn't seem to live by those things. A text message is all we get? That's just wrong."

— Pitt receiver Cam Saddler on the departure of coach Todd Graham

Pitt coach Todd Graham helps the referee signal a turnover against South Florida in 2011 at Heinz Field. (Matt Freed /Post-Gazette)

"They're a bunch of fighters. They fight hard. Bunch of great kids. It's been a memorable year. You know, we're not an undefeated team, but I think we're a hard-working, tough football team."

— Penn State coach Bill O'Brien after beating Wisconsin in the 2012 season finale. Many people didn't hear "fighters," though.

"I don't know what it means to them, but it means a hell of a lot to us. We take a lot of pride in the fact we're the best team in the state. I think we showed that today."

— Pitt offensive lineman Brian O'Neill after the Panthers' 42-39 win against Penn State in 2016.

"You could have a talented quarterback with a bad play-caller and make him look bad. You see that around the country, some closer than others."

— Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi in what was widely interpreted as a dig at Penn State's James Franklin's coaching of former five-star prospect Christian Hackenberg.

"I know last year, for their win, it was like the Super Bowl. But for us, this was just like beating Akron."

— Penn State coach James Franklin after a 33-14 victory against Pitt at Beaver Stadium in 2017.

Penn State's Marcus Allen celebrates after tackling Pitt's Darrin Hall in the end zone in 2017 at Beaver Stadium. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

Catching up with ... Andrew Taglianetti

Pitt's Andrew Taglianetti talks with the Post-Gazette about his service trip to Haiti in 2012 as Mark Giubilato looks on. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

Pitt ends the 2010s facing the same key question it started with. Can its coach guide the program to the proverbial next level?

Andrew Taglianetti has a word of caution for those who believe the grass would be greener on the other side of Pat Narduzzi, despite the eight-win ceiling he's failed to crack in five seasons here.

The former Panthers safety committed to Dave Wannstedt out of Central Catholic, then played under three different head coaches — not counting interims — and watched the program fade from conference championship contention to mediocrity.

Pitt's Andrew Taglianetti blocks a punt by Utah's Nick Marsh in 2011 at Heinz Field. Taglianetti, who holds the school record for blocked punts in a career with six, was nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his efforts on the field, community and classroom. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

Not exactly next-level stuff. And for that reason, Taglianetti thinks it's important to remember the unintended consequences of messing with a steady foundation like the one Wannstedt had built before he was fired in 2010.

"In order to be successful, you need to build that pipeline for recruiting, and that's where Pitt really lost out over those years with all those different coaching staffs," he said.

Pitt's Andrew Taglianetti, center, is congratulated by Todd Thomas and Jarred Holley after an interception against Syracuse in 2011 at Heinz Field. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

"I think what ultimately happened was we had three different coaches come in with three different philosophies recruiting all different types of players. And then it's really hard to build that brand back up. But I think Narduzzi, because of the stability, is finally in a place where he can generate that pipeline of recruits that leads to success."

He should know.

Life after Pitt has been interesting for Taglianetti. For a while, he worked with the Penguins, the team his father, Peter, won two Stanley Cups with in the early 1990s. He's since moved on to sales rep work for a defense contracting company, which led him to a unique side hustle selling Soviet arms from the World Wars I and II eras to collectors.

"Bolt-action rifles, old hand guns that had just been sitting in storage for decades now," he said. "We'll be importing them in soon and then re-selling them commercially."

— Adam Bittner