No bulletin board material from Pitt players leading into Penn State

Pitt will host Penn State on Saturday night for the third installment of the current four-game series between the two schools. On Tuesday, head coach Pat Narduzzi made two players available to the media. It marked the first time a member of the team was made available to the media during Penn State week.

Pat Narduzzi has handled the media on his own in the week leading up to the Penn State games in each of the last two seasons. That decision to hold the players back drew criticism, as some suggested it made this one particular game more important than the rest.

On Tuesda,y seniors Quintin Wirginis and Connor Dintino were made available to talk about the Panthers’ upcoming game. But if you wanted to see them give Penn State some bulletin board material, you might have to keep looking.

“Every game is important, every game has pressure,” Dintino said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, it could be Penn State or it could be whoever we’re playing after Penn State - they’re all important.”

That was a straightforward answer from the fifth-year senior, but also an expected one. Dintino grew up in New England and probably has a different view on the rivalry than perhaps some of the local players.

“I don’t have any friends - no,” the Pitt right guard said of the Penn State roster. “I think there’s one kid from Massachusetts, a running back, but other than that I don’t really know anyone on that Penn State team.”

Conversely, Wirginis is a Pittsburgh kid and grew up with both Pitt and Penn State fans in his life. He knows fans from both sides and knows the rivalry is important locally.

“I guess the fact that you’ve got the whole fanbases behind each other make it really fun,” Wirginis noted. “You see it on social media and everything and it’s just a fun time. There’s just so much built up for this game in this city and this whole state and that’s what really separates it.”

On the other hand, Dintino hasn’t seen much in the way of social media, because he doesn’t have an account.

“I don’t have social media, so this is the most social media I’ve gotten this week,” Dintino joked. "I don’t know what they’re saying. I kind of got rid of that when I got to college. So I don’t know what they’re saying out there.”

Both players have different approaches to Saturday’s upcoming game, but they also can both take some things from having participated in the game in the past, especially the 42-39 win in 2016 at Heinz Field.

“The atmosphere in that game said it all,” Wirginis said. “Just the electricity that came with that whole week, and this week too shows how much this game means to people.”

Added Dintino, “It was loud - great atmosphere. We had a lot of Pitt fans and a lot of Penn State fans there."

There may not be that personal touch for Dintino, the New England native. But for Wirginis it is different having one of his best friends attend Penn State.

“Yea, one of my best friends went to Penn State from my grade,” Wirginis explained. "There was a little bit where we didn’t talk too much when he was in school, but he’s out of school now and we’re still good friends.”

Neither player seemed willing to give up any bulletin board material, however.

“We can’t focus different from one team to another team,” Dintino said. “So what I think we’re focusing on is having that same edge every week - whoever we’re playing.”

Added Wirginis, “I said before you’ve got to attack every game with the same type of preparation and same type of worth. It’s not like we treat teams differently in the film room and on the field. We’re still practicing. We’re still out there busting our balls and we’re certainly going to go out there and give it all we got on Saturday too.”