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been perpetuated in recent years by a series of provocations and slights, the latest being a kerfuffle over information about Penn State's defensive signals that recent transfer John Petrishen may or may not have shared with Pitt's coaching staff. That kind of thing couldn't help but get people even more amped up for this year's clash in Uni- versity Park, but Franklin said he isn't so sure it's good for the rivalry, or for the sport. "There are aspects of this game that bring out the worst in both fan bases and populations," he said. "I know some people may say that's good, [but] I don't know if that's good. I think we can have a great game without all that other stuff." It's unclear whether the Nittany Lions and Panthers will be able to have a game of any kind now that this year's matchup is in the books. The Lions' vic- tory was the last game in a four-game series that began in 2016. There's been no official talk of resuming the rivalry, which dates back to 1893. Even if there were talk of a resump- tion, the earliest the schools could meet again is 2024. That's the first season in which the Nittany Lions have a hole in their schedule for a nonconference op- ponent. They also have an opening in 2025, but they will need for both of those games to take place at Beaver Sta- dium in order to play seven-game home schedules those years. That would likely be a deal-breaker for Pitt, and it's only the first obstacle in a maze of stumbling blocks. Narduzzi said that he told his players before facing Penn State this year that they "might be the last team to ever get to play this game." "I don't know if it will be played," he said. "I'm either going to be in a coffin or retired probably, so I don't know which one it will be." The series' end is disheartening, Nar- duzzi said, because the geographic prox- imity of the two schools makes it the kind of rivalry that ought to be pre- served. "We all want to play this game," he said. "It's close enough to get on a bus. We don't have to go wait at an airport, don't have to go through customs, we A total of 32 Penn State football alumni were populating the rosters of 20 Na- tional Football League teams as the 2019 season began on Sept. 5. A total of 27 Penn State players made 53-man rosters, while the Nittany Lions have three former players on practice squads, and two Penn Staters are on in- jured reserve with NFL teams. In addition, there is one Nittany Lion on an NFL roster who did not play foot- ball at Penn State: Chris Hogan of the Carolina Panthers, a former lacrosse player for the Lions who took up football a:er electing to use his 9nal year of col- legiate athletic eligibility at Monmouth. Hogan appeared in the most recent Super Bowl as a member of the victori- ous New England Patriots, but he has moved to Carolina for his seventh season in the NFL. Center A.Q. Shipley and running back Saquon Barkley were selected as team captains for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants, respectively. The Detroit Lions, New York Giants, F O O T B A L L 32 football alumni on NFL rosters GIANT STEPS Barkley was named a captain by the Giants heading into his second pro season. Photo by KA Sports Photos

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