Where does the win over Clemson rank among legendary Pitt wins?
MORE HEADLINES - Beating Clemson was just what the doctor ordered | Pitt's defense made enough plays to win | Recruit reactions: What did Pitt's top prospects think of the upset? | Try Panther-Lair.com FREE for 60 days!| Discussion: Who was the player of the game? | Pitt defies the odds at No. 2 Clemson
Pitt's 43-42 win over Clemson was an instant classic for Pitt fans and Pat Narduzzi's first signature win as head coach of the Panthers. But where does it rank among other legendary Pitt wins over the last 35 years?
Here's the (totally subjective) top five, along with a few honorable mentions.
5. Pitt 42, Penn State 39 - Sept. 10, 2016
There might be some recency bias at play here, but this game had a lot going for it. The scene was unmatched: the renewal of the series with Pitt's most-hated rival played in front of the biggest crowd to ever watch a Pittsburgh sports event. The Panthers maximized the hometown crowd by jumping out to an early lead and then held off a scrappy Penn State offense before Ryan Lewis closed it out with a game-winning interception in the end zone.
It's hard to tell where the 2016 Pitt-Penn State game fits in the history of that legendary series, but as with quite a few games on this list, that final score - 42-39 - instantly became a calling card for Pitt fans: a point to the scoreboard easily referenced with fans from a certain school in the middle of the state.
With the renewal of the series, the crowd and the way the game unfolded, the 2016 Pitt-Penn State game earns a spot on this list.
4. Pitt 41, West Virginia 38 - Nov. 28, 1997
The oldest game on this list just barely edges out another game from the same season. But while the win over then-No. 22 Miami in September of Walt Harris' debut is one of the signature wins of that "return-to-relevance" season, the Backyard Brawl stands out for a variety of reasons.
Most notably, the win in Morgantown gave Pitt bowl eligibility for the first time since 1989, ending a seven-year drought that saw the program sink to depths that had virtually no precedent. Getting back to the postseason signaled a reversal of fortunes for the program, and even though the next few years would see Harris' squad deal with the difficult process of rebuilding, the 1997 season indicated that better days could be ahead and the West Virginia game was a key piece of that year's success.
But the game isn't legendary just for its part in that season's fortune; it was also a wild game. After a lot of back-and-forth in regulation, the first overtime saw a pair of missed field goals and the second overtime was similarly fruitless with two turnovers.
In the third overtime, the legend was born. West Virginia kicked a field goal to go ahead 38-35 and then sacked Pitt quarterback Pete Gonzalez to force fourth-and-17. That down-and-distance is one Pitt fans still reference, as Gonzalez hit Jake Hoffart for 20 yards to set up the game-winning touchdown.
3. Pitt 41, Notre Dame 38 - Nov. 13, 2004
The mark of a legendary game is that game's legendary performances, and Tyler Palko's showing at Notre Dame in 2004 was instantly one of the legendary performances in Pitt history, a position it still holds today, even if Palko is just as infamous for his post-game remarks as he is for his passing.
But the passing is something to behold. 334 yards and five touchdowns, to be exact - more touchdowns than any opposing quarterback had ever thrown at Notre Dame Stadium. Palko's status as a Pitt icon had been growing since his days at West Allegheny, and there are a few plays in his career that will always define him. But his performance in South Bend made him a Pitt legend.
2. Pitt 43, Clemson 42 - Nov. 12, 2016
Saturday's win in Death Valley was an instant legend. A flawed Pitt team riding a two-game losing streak had a date with a buzzsaw of a 9-0 team whose personnel closely resembled that of an NFL roster. This was the lock of all locks, as the Panthers were 21-point underdogs.
But as is the case with virtually all of the games on this list, this Pitt team had more resiliency than a lot of people gave it credit for. The Panthers went blow-for-blow with the Tigers, never letting the nation's No. 2 team get ahead by more than eight points and holding three leads of their own before Chris Blewitt - arguably the biggest of many heroes on that day - gave Pitt the ultimate lead with a game-winning 48-yard field goal.
Pitt's win over Clemson had more than a few legendary performances. Blewitt's field goal, Saleem Brightwell's 70-yard interception return, two earlier picks by Ryan Lewis and Avonte Maddox, Matt Galambos' team-high 12 tackles including a huge stop on fourth down, the best game of Nate Peterman's career, the best game of Scott Orndoff's career, two touchdowns from George Aston and an unbelievable show of strength and will from James Conner.
More than a few legends were born on Saturday at Clemson, and that score - 43-42 - will be one Pitt fans use as shorthand for years to come.
1. Pitt 13, West Virginia 9 - Dec. 1, 2007
When it comes to Pitt fan shorthand, nothing is more widely-recognized than 13-9.
As legendary as Saturday's win at Clemson was - and it will go down in history as one of the great all-time Pitt wins - the win in Morgantown is almost in a class of its own. In fact, no game from the last 35 years really came close until the win over Clemson, but the 13-9 game still stands alone. The storylines are well-known: WVU was ranked No. 2 in the nation and needed to just beat a down-on-its-luck Pitt team with a 4-7 record and back-to-back shellackings at the hands of those very Mountaineers.
It was easy money for West Virginia on its march to the national championship game, while Pitt was headed for a third miserable record under Dave Wannstedt, whose tenure with the Panthers was getting more and more tenuous by the week. But that Pitt team - like this year's - was a resilient bunch. They didn't play a perfect game, but they fought harder and played tougher than their rivals to the south, and like so many of the games on this list, they earned it in a way that separates the game.
The Panthers shocked the nation that night in Morgantown, and all of the elements of that game give it a slight edge over the Clemson win.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Pitt 36, Notre Dame 33 - Nov. 1, 2008
The longest game in Notre Dame Stadium history saw a huge performance from LeSean McCoy and four field goals - including the game-winner - from Conor Lee.
Pitt 12, Penn State 0 - Sept. 16, 2000
The final game between the two rivals before a 16-year hiatus and the last time Pitt faced Joe Paterno, highlighted by Rod Rutherford's touchdown run at Three Rivers Stadium.
Pitt 21, Miami 17 - Sept. 18, 1997
The first signature win of the Walt Harris Era and one of Pitt's best wins in program history, the Panthers upended the No. 22 team in the country on national television.
Pitt 28, Virginia Tech 21 -Nov. 2, 2002
One of the best wins of the Harris Era came when Pitt went to Blacksburg in 2002. The Hokies were undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the nation, but with 161 yards from Brandon Miree and three touchdowns from Larry Fitzgerald, the Panthers handed Frank Beamer his first loss of the season.
Pitt 10, Penn State 0 - Nov. 15, 1987
This one from the 1980's saw Pitt hosting the reigning national champions, a 7-2 Penn State team looking to play its way into the Citrus Bowl. But the Panthers scored a field goal on their first possession and returned an interception for a touchdown in the final minutes to beat the Nittany Lions.