Penn State Sports Magazine
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O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 11 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M passed the team's seven-game average (106,701) by only 3,197 spectators. Two years later, the attendance fig- ures were very similar. Pitt's visit on Sept. 14, 2019, drew 108,661 fans. The only game that did better that year was the White Out matchup against the Wolverines, but the attendance for the series finale against the Panthers was still just 2,983 above the average atten- dance for the season (105,678). By contrast, Penn State's visits to Heinz Field in 2016 and 2018 were much better attended than any of the Panthers' other home games. The first of those two games, on Sept. 10, 2016, drew 69,983 fans — 23,908 more than Pitt's average for the season (46,075). The second, played in a rainstorm on the evening of Sept. 8, 2018, had a listed at- tendance of 68,400, or 26,704 above the Panthers' average that year (41,696). While Franklin took issue with the as- sertion that regional rivals would draw better than the West Coast teams that are going to be visiting Beaver Stadium in the years to come, he did acknowl- edge that attendance considerations "shouldn't dictate whether we play them." "If it's the right thing to do for our conference, if it's the right thing to do for Penn State, then I'm more than open to doing it," he explained. "I think our ADs can have a conversation, get on a call and talk about it. "The thing I do know is that when we went and played at Pitt, it was the sec- ond-largest, if not the largest sporting event, in the history of Heinz Field. And I don't think you could buy a Penn State single-game ticket unless you bought their [Pitt's] season tickets. So, it was a very different deal. For us, it was an increase of [about 3,000] fans. "To me, it needs to be an even ex- change and it needs to make sense," Franklin continued. "But I think our ADs should get on the phone and work it out." Penn State holds a 53-43-4 advantage in its all-time series against Pitt. After dropping the first contest of the most recent four-game slate, the Nittany Li- ons won in 2017, '18 and '19. ■ JOE KRENTZMAN & SON, INC. • Buyers and Brokers of Steel, Iron and Nonferrous Metals • Industrial Scrap Buyers • Container Service Available • Large Service Territory Since 1903 Lewistown, PA • Hollidaysburg, PA • DuBois, PA (800) 543-2000 • www.krentzman.net F irst i n S cra p CHARTING PENN STATE Lions Have Romped In Eastern Rivalries If the former Eastern independents hold a special place in the hearts of many Penn State fans, one of the main reasons is likely that the Nittany Lions dominated all of those series. PSU has amassed a com- bined record of 236-85-12 against Pitt, West Virginia, Boston College, Syracuse, Temple and Rutgers. What's more, of those 85 wins by the opposition, most predate college football's modern era. Only 20 have occurred since 1966, the year that Joe Paterno became the Nittany Lions' head coach. Beaver Stadium has been particularly inhospitable. Syracuse, Pitt and Rutgers haven't won there since 1988, a year in which Penn State struggled with injuries and posted its first losing record of the Paterno era. West Virginia hasn't won at PSU since 1954. Temple has never won there in 26 tries. The outlier is Boston College, which defeated PSU on its home field in 1992 and 2003. The Eagles also won in Chestnut Hill in 2004, but Penn State would have its revenge … eventually. The Lions outlasted their former rival 31-30 in the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl, winning the game on a Sam Ficken extra point in overtime. — Matt Herb Penn State Versus Its Eastern Opponents Opponent First Meeting Most Recent Series Record Boston College 1949 (W, 32-14) 2014 (W, 31-30) Penn State leads 20-4 Pitt 1893 (W, 32-0) 2019 (W, 17-10) Penn State leads 53-43-4 Rutgers 1918 (L, 26-3) 2022 (W, 55-10) Penn State leads 31-2 Syracuse 1922 (T, 0-0) 2013 (W, 23-17) Penn State leads 43-23-5 Temple 1931 (L, 12-0) 2016 (W, 34-27) Penn State leads 40-4-1 West Virginia 1904 (W, 34-0) 2023 (W, 38-15) Penn State leads 49-9-2