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to keep the momentum going, and it had to come through twice because of a fum- bled punt following a third-down stop. With 1:26 left, Pitt recovered the botched punt at the Penn State 41-yard line. After three passing plays, the Panthers were at the 5-yard line, but a personal foul against them on the third pass set the ball back to the Penn State 25. On the next play, Pitt fumbled, nose guard Greg Gattuso recov- ered and the Lions ran out the clock. Pitt looked fired up as the second half opened, taking the ball at its own 23-yard line following the kickoff. Four plays later, the Panthers were at their 46, facing sec- ond-and-8. But Penn State's momentum was about to skyrocket. Pitt's running back gained 13 yards before Roger Jackson stripped the ball and Mr. Nasty, Parlavec- chio, recovered at the Penn State 44. Two plays later, Blackledge hit Kenny Jackson at the sideline inside the 15-yard line and Jackson juked past two Pitt defenders for a 42-yard touchdown and a 21-14 lead. The Lion defense forced another three- and-out, and four plays later a 45-yard touchdown pass to the wide-open Jack- son made it 28-14. There was still 9:07 left in the third quarter, but the game was virtually over because the shell-shocked Panther players never recovered. Brian Franco added a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 38-yarder in the fourth quarter before All-America guard Sean Farrell recovered a Lion fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Robinson's interception put the exclamation point on the 48-14 final. As Parlavecchio was heading into the Penn State locker room, Sue Paterno kissed him on the cheek. In reflecting back on the game, one can easily speculate that this was the begin- ning of the end of the traditional Pitt-Penn State rivalry. Both teams were still among the elite in college football. The Lions fin- ished No. 3 in the nation and went on to win the 1982 national championship, play for the title in 1985 and win it again in '86. "There's no way they win the champi- onship in '82 if not for what we did in '81," said Parlavecchio, now coaching high school football in New Jersey after three years as an assistant with the Ten- nessee Titans. "We beat all those tradi- tional powerhouses that year, like Notre Dame and Southern Cal, and take out No. 1 in their own backyard, and that gave [Penn State] the confidence for what fol- lowed in '82 and the next few years." As for the Panthers, Sherrill left Pitt for Texas A&M after beating Georgia, 24-20, in the Sugar Bowl and ranking No. 4, and the next year Pitt was No. 5 with Marino still at quarterback. But from 1983 through the last game in 2000, the Pan- thers were never ranked when the two teams met, while the Lions were consis- tently in the top 10 or top 20. The Lions and their fans will be ventur- ing into hostile territory again, with the series resuming in Pittsburgh, and they're certain to get an earful from Pitt support- ers inside and outside Heinz Field. But no matter what Pitt fans may hurl at them, Penn State supporters will always have the perfect reply: 48-14! ■ UPSET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53 Nittany Lions to open at West Point Penn State's wrestling series with Army began in 1922. There have been 36 meet- ings since then, 32 of which have been won by the Nittany Lions, but it's been decades since they've been back to West Point. That changes this year. To open the 2016-17 season, its eighth under Cael Sanderson, Penn State travels to face Army (Nov. 11) two days before the home opener against Stanford (Nov. 13), a team the Lions defeated in Palo Alto, Calif., 31- 12, last season. It will be the Cardinal's first visit to Rec Hall, and it's just one in- triguing entry in a schedule that contains some atypical inclusions (and exclu- sions). The Nittany Lion Open is taking a hia- tus, just as it did in the 2013-14 season. Instead, PSU will travel to Philadelphia for the Keystone Classic at Penn (Nov. 20), a first under Sanderson. The follow- ing weekend, Lehigh travels to University Park for the only match scheduled in the Bryce Jordan Center. The next weekend, the Lions will host Binghamton for their second-ever meeting. PSU won the first contest in 2009, 36-8. Next is a trip to Reno, Nev., on Dec. 18 for the Tournament of Champions, which is on the schedule this year in lieu of the Southern Scuffle. The Nittany Lions haven't wrestled at the TOC since Sanderson's first season in 2009. Then the Big Ten schedule begins. After a weekend trip to Minnesota (Jan. 6) and Nebraska (Jan. 8), the Lions will return to Rec Hall to face Rutgers in their league home opener on either Jan. 13, 14 or 15. The next four meets will take place on the road against Iowa (TBA – Jan. 20, 21 or 22), Wisconsin (Jan. 27), Northwestern (Jan. 29) and Ohio State (TBA – Feb. 3, 4 or 5). Following the brutal stretch of away matches, the Lions cap the conference season by hosting Illinois (Feb. 10) and Maryland (Feb. 12). Prior to the postseason tournaments, Penn State will once again compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Associa- tion's Championship Dual Series, a post- season dual meet concept modeled after college football's bowl system. Appearing in the championship meet last season, the Lions topped Oklahoma State in Rec Hall, 29-18. – TIM OWEN W R E S T L I N G 2016-17 SCHEDULE NOVEMBER 11 at Army West Point........................................7 p.m. 13 STANFORD................................................... 2 p.m. 20 Keystone Classic at Penn.................................. TBA DECEMBER 4 LEHIGH (Br yce Jordan Center)........................ 2 p.m. 11 BINGHAMTON............................................... 2 p.m. 18 Reno Tourney of Champions at Reno, Nev....... 6 a.m. JANUARY 6 at Minnesota................................................ 8 p.m. 8 at Nebraska..................................................3 p.m. TBA RUTGERS......................................................... TBA TBA at Iowa.............................................................TBA 27 at Wisconsin.................................................8 p.m. 29 at Northwestern............................................2 p.m. FEBRUARY TBA Ohio State........................................................ TBA 10 ILLINOIS....................................................... 7 p.m. 12 MARYLAND................................................... 2 p.m. 19 NWCA Championship Dual Series (site TBA)........ TBA MARCH 4-5 Big Ten Championships at Indiana......................TBA 16-18 NCAA Championships at St. Louis, Mo................TBA

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