Panther Talk: Best Pitt Football Moments as Students

From the day we first set foot on Pitt's campus as students in the fall of 2014, we fell in love with our school. To sum it up, there is nothing quite like being a Pitt Panther. As you all know, one of the best parts about being a Pitt student is getting to be in the Panther Pitt (or whatever the name of the student section was when you were in school). College football saturdays are special, but being a part of a student section makes it even more special. As students, we got to experience some great Pitt football moments and we are going to relive those memories today! The following Pitt moments are from 2014-2018; we hope you enjoyed these as much as we did!

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What a day this was! Tailgates were up and running at 6 AM, students camped out for the Panther Pitt, and you could not have been around a much better environment. Not only was the environment great, but the game itself was amazing with Pitt storming out to a big lead to only let PSU come racing back. No Pitt fan will ever forget the play Mr. McSorley threw the game clinching INT to Ryan Lewis. A lot of players from that game deserved the game ball, but.... 

October 2015: Pitt 23 Syracuse 20

This game may not have been on may of your radars for this list, but it is one I will never forget because of the photo I took below. #25 ranked Pitt went into Syracuse with a 5-1 record and was tied at 20 at the end of the 4th quarter. Pitt drove down the field and Chris Blewitt hit one of his many game winners at Pitt (Oh, and the fake punt!!!). The picture below was so special to see in Narduzzi's first season because you can tell how much it means to him and how much the players love him. This is when I knew Duzz was THE guy. 

October 2016: Pitt 37 GT 34

Man, after thinking again about this game, this might be the best Pitt game of my lifetime. The game started with a BIG BOY TD by Mr. Piesman that got the crowd going crazy. 

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As you can also see, it was the first homecoming retro game, which already made it special. Pitt was down late in the 4th quarter and then Peterman (when he was good at football) hit Scott Orndoff for a ridiculous catch that should have been picked off for a TD and then Tyrique Jarrett made a huge stop on 4th down. After that, Chris Blewitt once again sealed the deal with the game winning FG off the goal post! What an amazing game!

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ACC Championship Weekend 2018

Yea, yea, save your breath on mentioning the score or stats. We were there and we know what happened and don't want to hear it. Notice we say "Championship Weekend," because the trip to Charlotte was still so fun. We were just happy to be there and experience the atmosphere. Charlotte is a really nice little city and we hope our Panthers can make it back again this December. 

November 12, 2016: 43-42

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 You know how ESPN will show highlights of fans going crazy around campus after a huge win? After beating #2 Clemson, in Death Valley (!), Oakland was practically on fire. The most impressive win in our time on campus and one of the best in Pitt history. Of course the odds were stacked against the Panthers with so many key injuries, Deshaun Watson still on the Tigers roster, and Steve Levy calling the game like a Clemson booster who went to Vegas to bet his lifesaving on a victory. We would happily dive more into this game, but for length-sake; there was a lot of magic and leadership on the 2016 Pitt team and we contend if the secondary was on the level it currently is, this would've been a Top 4 team. 

Pitt Breaks #2 Miami

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And on this day, November 24, 2017, Kenny Football is born. The season as a whole may have been disappointing, but being front-row to possibly the biggest home upset in Pitt football history was an experience of a lifetime. Try it sometime. This game may as well have had "Trap Game" in neon written all over it as #2 Miami, surprise team-of-destiny, with their world-shifting "turnover chain," officially broke. When historians speak of the greatest annals in Miami history, Pitt will be shinning bright at the top. If they continue to suck in 2019, Manny Diaz will certainly have open public tryouts for QB. 

These are all great Pitt moments and being students during them makes it even better. What are your best Pitt football moments as students? Thanks for reading!

As always, Hail to Pitt!!

-Aaron and Ryan, TGYK