During 7-year span, Pitt-Penn State game drew all eyes of college football world

Pitt-Penn State was a rivalry for the ages, then it went on hiatus. Saturday's rekindling of the long-lost intrastate series returns the focus to a seven-year stretch of games rivaling any in college football.

From 1976-82 — considered the height of the rivalry — both teams won national titles and were top-10 mainstays. Penn State won four games during that stretch, Pitt three.

“I wish they could play it every year,” said Todd Blackledge, who was 2-1 against Pitt as Penn State's starting quarterback from 1980-82. “The Pitt-Penn State game was as good a rivalry as there was.”

Blackledge authored one of the signature plays in the series, a 31-yard touchdown strike to receiver Kenny Jackson in the third quarter of Penn State's 19-10 comeback win in 1982.

With Blackledge under center, Penn State won its first national championship later that season. After knocking off Pitt, the Nittany Lions upset Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to capture the title.

Jackson said the win over Pitt — which was in the hunt for the national championship in 1979, '80 and '81 and won it all in 1976 — reaffirmed how formidable an opponent the Panthers were.

“I knew (Pitt) had good football players, but I didn't know the history of the rivalry,” said Jackson, Penn State's first All-American wide receiver who finished 2-1-1 against the Panthers from 1980-83.

“It had its own niche,” Blackledge said. “That Friday after Thanksgiving, the battle of Route 322, a lot of the in-state competition, even though I was an Ohio guy, I found out pretty quickly how important that game was.”

Said Jackson: “Think of all the great athletes Pitt had. Not just (Dan) Marino. Hugh Green. Rickey Jackson. Pitt became serious. And I started to understand. I was going to class with kids from Pittsburgh. When they go home, they get ridiculed if we lost. It's deep.”

So deep that Pitt offensive lineman Jim Sweeney was forced to put aside his personal feelings when he faced Penn State defensive lineman Greg Gattuso from 1980-83. Sweeney and Gattuso were teammates at Seton-La Salle.

“I had a special interest in it because I was playing directly across from my best friend,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney and Gattuso have known each other for decades. They're together again at the University of Albany. Gattuso, the coach there since 2014, hired Sweeney to coach the offensive line.

“In the locker room, guys would bring it up. Greg and I were talking about it (Tuesday) morning,” Sweeney said of the rivalry. “It's good they brought it back.

“I don't think (Pitt-Penn State) can be duplicated anywhere in the country (the way it was). All the No. 1 rankings. There was so much talent. There's so many good teams now.”

John Harris is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jharris@tribweb.com: or via Twitter @jharris_trib.