Sept. 7, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the 97th meeting between Penn State and Pittsburgh just days away, a quick scan of the Nittany Lion record book certainly does not do justice to the rich tradition between the two in-state opponents.
In the most-played all-time series in program history, Penn State and Pittsburgh met for the first time in 1893.
For perspective, in the same year that the Nittany Lions and the Panthers kicked off for the first time in Happy Valley, boxers Andy Bowen and Jack Burke fought for seven hours and 19 minutes to no decision for more than 100 rounds.
In that first meeting between the two teams, Penn State shut out Pitt 32-0, under the direction of George "Doc" Hoskins, Penn State Football's first coach in program history.
Ninety-five games later, the Nittany Lions and the Panthers will meet Saturday in Pittsburgh to reopen a series that's been dormant for 16 years.
In his weekly press conference, Nittany Lion head coach James Franklin pointed out one particular note ahead of Saturday's game.
"One of the things that I thought was really interesting that I didn't know, 68 of the 96 games have been played in Pittsburgh," Franklin said. "Completely skewed that way, which I just thought was an interesting stat."
An interesting stat for sure, as taking a closer look at the numbers in the series reveals that Penn State played Pittsburgh on the road in consecutive seasons from 1903 to 1930, a total of 28 road games for the Nittany Lions against the Panthers. Penn State and Pitt met yearly from 1900 to 1931.
Penn State and Pitt also met regularly from 1935 to 1992, playing 37 of the 58 outings in the span on the road.
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