The previous season saw Pitt win the Sun Bowl over Kansas for an 8–4 record, highlighted by wins at Georgia and Notre Dame. The stage was set for 1976, with Pitt ranked ninth in the AP preseason poll, for the Panthers to make a run for the national championship.
In the first game of the 1976 season, the Panthers faced off against Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. A year earlier, Tony Dorsett had finished with 303 yards rushing in Pitt's 34–20 victory over the Irish. "They even grew the grass high," said Carmen DeArdo, a diehard Pitt alumnus, "and everyone knew Tony would get the ball." "They didn't let that grass grow long enough," Dorsett said later. He darted 61 yards on his first run of the season and tacked on 120 more by the end of the 31–10 Pitt win.[3][4]
The season continued with a 42–14 win at Georgia Tech and a 36–19 win over Miami. The Panthers traveled to Annapolis on October 23 to face Navy and Dorsett broke the NCAA career rushing record on a 32-yard touchdown run in the 45–0 victory. Dorsett's achievement prompted a mid-game celebration in which even Navy saluted the feat with a cannon blast.[5] Pitt won a tough, hard-fought battle against struggling rival Syracuse.
On November 6, the second-ranked Panthers hosted Army at Pitt Stadium and won handily, but the significant action was taking place several hundred miles west, in West Lafayette, Indiana, where the Purdue Boilermakers held off the top-ranked Michigan Wolverines 16–14 in the closing seconds. The Pitt Stadium crowd erupted in celebration when the stadium public address announcer dramatically gave the final score from Purdue. For the first time in the modern era, Panther fans could legitimately claim, "We're number one!" Pitt defended its ranking in a close Backyard Brawl against West Virginia to go 10–0 heading into the regular season finale on national television against instate rival Penn State (7–3).[6]
At a packed Three Rivers Stadium on the night after Thanksgiving, the Nittany Lions scored first and held Dorsett to 51 yards in the first half; the game was tied at seven at halftime.[7] Majors adjusted for the second half by shifting Dorsett from tailback to fullback, enabling him to explode for an additional 173 yards as Pitt rolled to a 24–7 victory to cap an undefeated regular season.[7][8]
In December, Dorsett became the first (and remains the only) Pitt Panther to win the Heisman Trophy as the nation's best college football player. Dorsett also won the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and was named UPI Player of the Year. He led the nation in rushing with 1,948 yards and was selected as an All-American. Dorsett finished his college career with 6,082 total rushing yards, then an NCAA record for career rushing.
Sugar Bowl
The 11–0 Panthers accepted an invitation to the Sugar Bowl to face fifth-ranked Georgia. Pitt defeated the Bulldogs 27–3 and was voted number one by both the Associated Press and Coaches polls, claiming their ninth national championship.[9] This was Pitt's first undefeated national championship since 1937. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) named Majors the 1976 Coach of the Year. Following this historic season, Majors returned to his alma mater, the University of Tennessee, to take the head coaching job.[10]
^Official 2009 NCAA Division I Football Records Book(PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2009. p. 85. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
^"CNNSI.com – College Football – Heisman Heroes – Suzuki presents Heisman Heroes: Tony Dorsett – Friday August 25, 2000 01:29 PM". CNN.
^Gorman, Kevin (2008-10-30). "Pitt-Notre Dame series produces phenomenal performances". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
^"Tony Dorsett No. 1". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. October 24, 1976. p. 77.
^Axelrod, Phil (November 26, 1976). "Pitt, State, maybe Tennessee". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 18.
The Year the Panthers Roared. Francis J. Fitzgerald, ed., Louisville, Kentucky, AdCraft Sports, 1996, ISBN1-887761-06-3
January 07, 2023
1976, pittsburgh, panthers, football, team, represented, university, pittsburgh, 1976, ncaa, division, football, season, recognized, consensus, national, champion, pitt, also, awarded, lambert, meadowlands, trophy, best, division, team, east, panthers, played,. The 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1976 NCAA Division I football season and is recognized as a consensus national champion 2 Pitt was also awarded the Lambert Meadowlands Trophy as the best Division I team in the East The Panthers played their home games at Pitt Stadium in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers footballConsensus national championSugar Bowl championEastern championSugar Bowl W 27 3 vs GeorgiaConferenceIndependentRankingCoachesNo 1APNo 1Record12 0Head coachJohnny Majors 4th season Offensive coordinatorJoe Avezzano 1st season Offensive schemeVeerDefensive coordinatorBobby Roper 1st season Base defenseBasic 50Home stadiumPitt Stadium capacity 56 500 Seasons 19751977 1976 NCAA Division I independents football recordsvte Conf OverallTeam W L T W L TNo 1 Pittsburgh 12 0 0No 17 Rutgers 11 0 0San Diego State 10 1 0No 12 Notre Dame 9 3 0Colgate 8 2 0Boston College 8 3 0Cincinnati 8 3 0Memphis State 7 4 0North Texas State 7 4 0Southern Illinois 7 4 0Penn State 7 5 0Villanova 6 4 1South Carolina 6 5 0Virginia Tech 6 5 0Army 5 6 0Florida State 5 6 0Illinois State 5 6 0Richmond 5 6 0West Virginia 5 6 0Georgia Tech 4 6 1Temple 4 6 0Air Force 4 7 0Dayton 4 7 0Louisville 4 7 0Marshall 4 7 0Navy 4 7 0Indiana State 3 7 0Hawaii 3 8 0Holy Cross 3 8 0Miami FL 3 8 0Syracuse 3 8 0Utah State 3 8 0Northeast Louisiana 2 9 0Southern Miss 2 9 0Tulane 2 9 0North Texas State originally 6 5 was awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player 1 Rankings from AP PollDuring the 1970s the top ranked team won its bowl game only three times Pittsburgh joined Nebraska 1971 and USC 1972 Kiosk in the Great Hall at Heinz Field celebrating Pitt s 1976 national championship A football signed by the 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team including Tony Dorsett and head coach Johnny Majors Contents 1 Schedule 2 Roster 3 Coaching staff 4 Regular season 5 Sugar Bowl 6 Game summaries 6 1 at 11 Notre Dame 6 2 at Georgia Tech 6 3 Temple 6 4 at Duke 6 5 Louisville 6 6 Miami FL 6 7 at Navy 6 8 Syracuse 6 9 Army 6 10 West Virginia 6 11 vs 16 Penn State 6 12 vs 5 Georgia Sugar Bowl 7 Team players drafted into the NFL 8 Awards and honors 9 Media 9 1 Radio 10 References 11 Further informationSchedule EditDateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSeptember 114 20 pmat No 11 Notre DameNo 9Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame IN rivalry ABCW 31 1059 075September 187 30 pmat Georgia TechNo 3Grant FieldAtlanta GAW 42 1443 424September 251 30 pmTempleNo 3Pitt StadiumPittsburgh PAW 21 738 500October 21 30 pmat DukeNo 2Wallace Wade StadiumDurham NCW 44 3137 200October 91 30 pmLouisvilleNo 2Pitt StadiumPittsburgh PAW 27 634 000October 161 30 pmMiami FL No 2Pitt StadiumPittsburgh PAW 36 1942 434October 232 00 pmat NavyNo 2Navy Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis MDW 45 026 346October 301 30 pmSyracuseNo 2Pitt StadiumPittsburgh PA rivalry W 23 1350 399November 61 30 pmArmy No 2Pitt StadiumPittsburgh PAW 37 745 753November 131 30 pmWest VirginiaNo 1Pitt StadiumPittsburgh PA Backyard Brawl ABCW 24 1656 500November 269 00 pmNo 16 Penn StateNo 1Three Rivers StadiumPittsburgh PA rivalry ABCW 24 750 250January 112 30 pmvs No 5 GeorgiaNo 1Louisiana SuperdomeNew Orleans LA Sugar Bowl ABCW 27 376 117 HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern timeRoster Edit1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team rosterPlayers CoachesOffense Pos Name ClassC 67 Tom Brzoza JrQB 12 Matt Cavanaugh JrTE 81 James Corbett SrRB 33 Tony Dorsett SrRB Jo Jo Heath FrQB 10 Robert Haygood SrLG 66 George Link JrWR 24 Gordon Jones SoWR 19 Randy Reutershan JrWR 29 Willie Taylor JrFB 34 Elliott Walker JrQB Tom Yewcic Sr Defense Pos Name ClassLB 55 Al Chesley SoDT 75 Ed Gallagher SoDE 70 Randy Holloway JrDE 60 Cecil Johnson SrCB 31 Bob Jury JrDT 78 David Logan SoDT 68 Don Parrish SrDE 91 Al Romano SrCB 21 J C Wilson Jr Special teams Pos Name ClassP 41 Larry Swider Sr Head coachJohnny MajorsCoordinators assistant coachesLegend C Team captain S Suspended I Ineligible Injured RedshirtCoaching staff Edit1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football staffCoaching staff Johnny Majors head coach Joe Madden assistant head coach defensive secondary Joe Avezzano offensive coordinator offensive line Bobby Roper defensive coordinator defensive line Bill Cox quarterbacks receivers Jim Dyar defensive secondary Larry Holton defensive ends Harry Jones offensive backs Bob Matey middle guards junior varsity Support staff Henry Lee Parker administrative assistant to the head coach Keith Schroeder coordinator of computer scouting Ray Olsen graduate assistant Dave Wannstedt graduate assistant Strength and conditioning staffRegular season EditThe previous season saw Pitt win the Sun Bowl over Kansas for an 8 4 record highlighted by wins at Georgia and Notre Dame The stage was set for 1976 with Pitt ranked ninth in the AP preseason poll for the Panthers to make a run for the national championship In the first game of the 1976 season the Panthers faced off against Notre Dame in South Bend Indiana A year earlier Tony Dorsett had finished with 303 yards rushing in Pitt s 34 20 victory over the Irish They even grew the grass high said Carmen DeArdo a diehard Pitt alumnus and everyone knew Tony would get the ball They didn t let that grass grow long enough Dorsett said later He darted 61 yards on his first run of the season and tacked on 120 more by the end of the 31 10 Pitt win 3 4 The season continued with a 42 14 win at Georgia Tech and a 36 19 win over Miami The Panthers traveled to Annapolis on October 23 to face Navy and Dorsett broke the NCAA career rushing record on a 32 yard touchdown run in the 45 0 victory Dorsett s achievement prompted a mid game celebration in which even Navy saluted the feat with a cannon blast 5 Pitt won a tough hard fought battle against struggling rival Syracuse On November 6 the second ranked Panthers hosted Army at Pitt Stadium and won handily but the significant action was taking place several hundred miles west in West Lafayette Indiana where the Purdue Boilermakers held off the top ranked Michigan Wolverines 16 14 in the closing seconds The Pitt Stadium crowd erupted in celebration when the stadium public address announcer dramatically gave the final score from Purdue For the first time in the modern era Panther fans could legitimately claim We re number one Pitt defended its ranking in a close Backyard Brawl against West Virginia to go 10 0 heading into the regular season finale on national television against instate rival Penn State 7 3 6 At a packed Three Rivers Stadium on the night after Thanksgiving the Nittany Lions scored first and held Dorsett to 51 yards in the first half the game was tied at seven at halftime 7 Majors adjusted for the second half by shifting Dorsett from tailback to fullback enabling him to explode for an additional 173 yards as Pitt rolled to a 24 7 victory to cap an undefeated regular season 7 8 In December Dorsett became the first and remains the only Pitt Panther to win the Heisman Trophy as the nation s best college football player Dorsett also won the Maxwell Award the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and was named UPI Player of the Year He led the nation in rushing with 1 948 yards and was selected as an All American Dorsett finished his college career with 6 082 total rushing yards then an NCAA record for career rushing Sugar Bowl EditThe 11 0 Panthers accepted an invitation to the Sugar Bowl to face fifth ranked Georgia Pitt defeated the Bulldogs 27 3 and was voted number one by both the Associated Press and Coaches polls claiming their ninth national championship 9 This was Pitt s first undefeated national championship since 1937 The American Football Coaches Association AFCA named Majors the 1976 Coach of the Year Following this historic season Majors returned to his alma mater the University of Tennessee to take the head coaching job 10 Game summaries Editat 11 Notre Dame Edit See also 1976 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and Notre Dame Pittsburgh football rivalry 9 Pittsburgh Panthers at 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 1 2 34Total 9 Pittsburgh 7 14 01031 11 Notre Dame 7 3 0010at Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame IN Date September 11Game time 4 20 PM EDTGame attendance 59 075TV announcers ABC Keith Jackson Ara Parseghian Statistics Pittsburgh Notre DameFirst downsPlays yardsRushes yardsPassing yardsPassing comp att intTime of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh PassingRushingReceivingNotre Dame PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Pittsburgh Notre Dame1 Notre Dame McAfee 25 yard touchdown reception from Siager Reeve kick good 0 71 Pittsburgh Dorsett 5 yard touchdown run Long kick good 7 72 Pittsburgh Haygood 1 yard touchdown run Long kick good 14 72 Pittsburgh Haygood 1 yard touchdown run Long kick good 21 72 Notre Dame 53 yard field goal by Siager 21 104 Pittsburgh 34 yard field goal by Long 24 104 Pittsburgh Cavanaugh 8 yard touchdown run Long kick good 31 10 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 31 10at Georgia Tech Edit See also 1976 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team Robert Haygood tore knee ligaments in the victory 3 Pittsburgh Panthers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 1 2 34Total 3 Pittsburgh 7 7 141442Georgia Tech 0 7 7014at Grant Field Atlanta GA Date September 18Game time 7 30 PM EDTGame attendance 43 424 Statistics Pittsburgh Georgia TechFirst downsPlays yardsRushes yardsPassing yardsPassing comp att intTime of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh PassingRushingReceivingGeorgia Tech PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Pittsburgh Georgia Tech1 Pittsburgh Dorsett 6 yard touchdown run Long kick good 7 02 Pittsburgh Dorsett 6 yard touchdown run Long kick good 14 02 Georgia Tech Jolly 1 yard touchdown run Smith kick good 14 73 Pittsburgh Cavanaugh 4 yard touchdown run Long kick good 21 73 Georgia Tech Rucker 1 yard touchdown run Smith kick good 21 143 Pittsburgh Jones 51 yard touchdown reception from Haygood Long kick good 28 144 Pittsburgh Dorsett 10 yard touchdown run Long kick good 35 144 Pittsburgh Jones 6 yard touchdown reception from Cavanaugh Long kick good 42 14 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 42 14Temple Edit See also 1976 Temple Owls football team Temple Owls at 3 Pittsburgh Panthers 1 2 34TotalTemple 7 0 007 3 Pittsburgh 0 6 8721at Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh PA Date September 25Game time 1 30 PM EDTGame attendance 38 500 Statistics Temple PittsburghFirst downsPlays yardsRushes yardsPassing yardsPassing comp att intTime of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsTemple PassingRushingReceivingPittsburgh PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Temple Pittsburgh1 Temple Johnson recovered blocked punt and returned 15 yards for a touchdown Sornisky kick good 7 02 Pittsburgh 50 yard field goal by Long 7 32 Pittsburgh 33 yard field goal by Long 7 63 Pittsburgh Walker 1 yard touchdown run 2 point run good 7 144 Pittsburgh Dorsett 3 yard touchdown run Long kick good 7 21 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 7 21at Duke Edit See also 1976 Duke Blue Devils football team 2 Pittsburgh Panthers at Duke Blue Devils 1 2 34Total 2 Pittsburgh 7 23 14044Duke 7 0 16831at Wallace Wade Stadium Durham NC Date October 2Game time 1 30 PM EDTGame attendance 37 200 Statistics Pittsburgh DukeFirst downsPlays yardsRushes yardsPassing yardsPassing comp att intTime of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh PassingRushingReceivingDuke PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Pittsburgh Duke1 Duke Gore 4 yard touchdown run Fusco kick good 0 71 Pittsburgh Taylor 66 yard touchdown reception from Cavanaugh Long kick good 7 72 Pittsburgh Safety blocked punt goes out of the end zone 9 72 Pittsburgh Taylor 10 yard touchdown reception from Cavanaugh Long kick good 16 72 Pittsburgh Corbett 27 yard touchdown reception from Cavanaugh Long kick good 23 72 Pittsburgh Jones 37 yard touchdown reception from Cavanaugh Long kick good 30 73 Pittsburgh Jones 27 yard touchdown reception from Cavanaugh Long kick good 37 73 Duke Barney 1 yard touchdown run 2 point pass good 37 153 Pittsburgh Dorsett 4 yard touchdown run Long kick good 44 153 Duke Williamson 55 yard touchdown reception from Dunn 2 point pass good 44 234 Duke Gore 1 yard touchdown run 2 point run good 44 31 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 44 31Louisville Edit See also 1976 Louisville Cardinals football team Louisville Cardinals at 2 Pittsburgh Panthers 1 2 34TotalLouisville 0 0 066 2 Pittsburgh 10 17 0027at Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Date October 9Game time 1 30 PM EDTGame attendance 34 000 11 Statistics Louisville PittsburghFirst downsPlays yardsRushes yardsPassing yardsPassing comp att intTime of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsLouisville PassingRushingReceivingPittsburgh PassingRushing Tony Dorsett 30 CAR 130 YDSReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Louisville Pittsburgh1 10 21 Pittsburgh Cavanaugh 17 yard touchdown run Long kick good 0 71 Pittsburgh 39 yard field goal by Long 0 102 10 49 52 Pittsburgh Cavanaugh 6 yard touchdown run Long kick good 0 172 Pittsburgh Fumble recovery returned 0 yards for touchdown by Johnson Long kick good 0 242 Pittsburgh 30 yard field goal by Long 0 274 Louisville Fumble recovery returned 0 yards for touchdown by Abood Turner kick no good 6 27 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 6 27Matt Cavanaugh sustained a hairline fracture in the left ankle during the first half Miami FL Edit See also 1976 Miami Hurricanes football team Miami FL Hurricanes at 2 Pittsburgh Panthers 1 2 34TotalMiami FL 0 0 61319 2 Pittsburgh 9 13 01436at Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh PA Date October 16Game time 1 30 PM EDTGame attendance 42 434 Statistics Miami FL PittsburghFirst downsPlays yardsRushes yardsPassing yardsPassing comp att intTime of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsMiami FL PassingRushingReceivingPittsburgh PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Miami FL Pittsburgh1 Pittsburgh Safety Felder tackled Mason in end zone 0 21 Pittsburgh Dorsett 3 yard touchdown run Long kick good 0 92 Pittsburgh 25 yard field goal by Long 0 122 Pittsburgh 29 yard field goal by Long 0 152 Pittsburgh Dorsett 40 yard touchdown reception from Yawcic Long kick good 0 223 Miami FL Johnson 3 yard touchdown run 2 point run failed 6 224 Pittsburgh Taylor 10 yard touchdown run Long kick good 6 294 Miami FL Cain 75 yard touchdown reception from Glover 2 point pass incomplete 12 294 Pittsburgh Dorsett 53 yard touchdown run Long kick good 12 364 Miami FL Anderson 2 yard touchdown run Dennis kick good 19 36 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 19 36at Navy Edit See also 1976 Navy Midshipmen football team 2 Pittsburgh Panthers at Navy Midshipmen 1 2 34Total 2 Pittsburgh 7 7 102145Navy 0 0 000at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis Maryland Date October 23Game time 2 00 PM EDTGame attendance 26 346 Statistics Pittsburgh NavyFirst downsPlays yardsRushes yardsPassing yardsPassing comp att intTime of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh PassingRushing Tony Dorsett 27 CAR 180 YDS 3 TDReceivingNavy PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Pittsburgh Navy1 Pittsburgh Corbett 30 yard touchdown reception from Yawcic Long kick good 7 02 Pittsburgh Dorsett 6 yard touchdown run Long kick good 14 03 Pittsburgh 40 yard field goal by Long 17 03 Pittsburgh Dorsett 69 yard touchdown run Long kick good 24 04 Pittsburgh Dorsett 21 yard touchdown run Long kick good 31 04 Pittsburgh Dorsett 32 yard touchdown run Long kick good 38 04 Pittsburgh Sindewald 18 yard touchdown run Long kick good 45 0 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 45 0Syracuse Edit See also 1976 Syracuse Orangemen football team and Pittsburgh Syracuse football rivalry Syracuse Orangemen at 2 Pittsburgh Panthers 1 2 34TotalSyracuse 7 0 6013 2 Pittsburgh 3 7 7623at Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh PA Date October 30Game time 1 30 PM EDTGame attendance 50 399 Statistics Syracuse PittsburghFirst downsPlays yardsRushes yardsPassing yardsPassing comp att intTime of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsSyracuse PassingRushingReceivingPittsburgh PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Syracuse Pittsburgh1 Pittsburgh 41 yard field goal by Long 0 31 Syracuse Magee 80 yard touchdown reception from Hurley Jacobs kick good 7 32 Pittsburgh Dorsett 1 yard touchdown run Long kick good 7 103 Syracuse 45 yard field goal by Jacobs 10 103 Syracuse 55 yard field goal by Jacobs 13 103 Pittsburgh Dorsett 33 yard touchdown run Long kick good 13 174 Pittsburgh 47 yard field goal by Long 13 204 Pittsburgh 29 yard field goal by Long 13 23 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 13 23Army Edit See also 1976 Army Cadets football team Army Cadets at 2 Pittsburgh Panthers 1 2 34TotalArmy 0 0 707 2 Pittsburgh 3 10 21337at Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh PA Date November 6Game time 1 30 PM ESTGame attendance 45 753 Statistics Army PittsburghFirst downsPlays yardsRushes yardsPassing yardsPassing comp att intTime of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsArmy PassingRushingReceivingPittsburgh PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Army Pittsburgh1 Pittsburgh 27 yard field goal by Long 0 32 Pittsburgh 39 yard field goal by Long 0 62 Pittsburgh Dorsett 4 yard touchdown run Long kick good 0 133 Pittsburgh Dorsett 32 yard touchdown run Long kick good 0 203 Pittsburgh Dorsett 5 yard touchdown run Long kick good 0 273 Army Logue 27 yard touchdown reception from Hall Castelli kick good 7 274 Pittsburgh Taylor 24 yard touchdown reception from Cavanaugh Long kick good 7 344 Pittsburgh 35 yard field goal by Long 7 37 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 7 37West Virginia Edit See also 1976 West Virginia Mountaineers football team and Backyard Brawl West Virginia Mountaineers at 1 Pittsburgh Panthers 1 2 34TotalWest Virginia 3 0 7616 1 Pittsburgh 7 7 3724at Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh PA Date November 13Game time 1 30 PM ESTGame attendance 56 500TV announcers ABC Steve Zabriskie Lee Grosscup Statistics West Virginia PittsburghFirst downs 15 25Plays yards 169 399Rushes yards 99 350Passing yards 70 49Passing comp att int 0 0 0 0 0 0Time of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsWest Virginia PassingRushingReceivingPittsburgh PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP West Virginia Pittsburgh1 Pittsburgh Dorsett 17 yard touchdown run Long kick good 0 71 West Virginia 22 yard field goal by McKenzie 3 72 Pittsburgh Dorsett 3 yard touchdown run Long kick good 3 143 Pittsburgh 27 yard field goal by Long 3 173 West Virginia Lewis 14 yard touchdown reception from Kendra McKenzie kick good 10 174 Pittsburgh Dorsett 30 yard touchdown run Long kick good 10 244 West Virginia Lewis 9 yard touchdown reception from Kendra McKenzie kick no good 16 24 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 16 24vs 16 Penn State Edit See also 1976 Penn State Nittany Lions football team and Penn State Pittsburgh football rivalry 1 Pittsburgh Panthers vs 16 Penn State Nittany Lions 1 2 34Total 1 Pittsburgh 0 7 71024 16 Penn State 7 0 007at Three Rivers Stadium Pittsburgh PA Date November 26Game time 9 00 PM ESTGame attendance 50 250TV announcers ABC Chris Schenkel Bud Wilkinson Steve Zabriskie Statistics Pittsburgh Penn StateFirst downsPlays yardsRushes yardsPassing yardsPassing comp att intTime of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh PassingRushingReceivingPenn State PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Pittsburgh Penn State1 11 59 Penn State Torrey 21 yard touchdown reception from Fusina Capozzoli kick good 0 72 7 42 Pittsburgh Dorsett 6 yard touchdown run Long kick good 7 73 13 23 Pittsburgh Dorsett 40 yard touchdown run Long kick good 14 74 10 55 Pittsburgh Walker 12 yard touchdown run Long kick good 21 74 3 10 Pittsburgh 47 yard field goal by Long 24 7 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 24 7vs 5 Georgia Sugar Bowl Edit See also 1976 Georgia Bulldogs football team and 1977 Sugar Bowl 1977 Sugar Bowl 1 Pittsburgh Panthers vs 5 Georgia Bulldogs 1 2 34Total 1 Pittsburgh 7 14 3327 5 Georgia 0 0 303at Louisiana Superdome New Orleans LA Date January 1Game time 12 30 PM ESTGame attendance 76 177TV announcers ABC Keith Jackson Ara Parseghian Statistics Pittsburgh GeorgiaFirst downs 24 14Plays yards 480 181Rushes yards 288 135Passing yards 192 46Passing comp att int 0 0 0 0 0 0Time of possessionTeam Category Player StatisticsPittsburgh Passing Matt Cavanaugh 10 18 192 YDS 1 TDRushing Tony Dorsett 32 CAR 202 YDS 1 TDReceiving Willie Taylor 4 REC 72 YDSGeorgia PassingRushingReceivingScoring summaryQuarter Time Drive Team Scoring information ScorePlays Yards TOP Pittsburgh Georgia1 Pittsburgh Cavanaugh 6 yard touchdown run Long kick good 7 02 Pittsburgh Jones 59 yard touchdown reception from Cavanaugh Long kick good 14 02 Pittsburgh Dorsett 11 yard touchdown run Long kick good 21 03 Georgia 25 yard field goal by Leavitt 21 33 Pittsburgh 42 yard field goal by Long 24 34 Pittsburgh 31 yard field goal by Long 27 3 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 27 3Team players drafted into the NFL EditMain article NFL Draft Player Position Round Pick NFL ClubTony Dorsett Running back 1 2 Dallas CowboysLarry Swider Punter 7 185 Denver BroncosJim Corbett Tight end 7 194 Cincinnati BengalsAl Romano Defensive lineman 11 289 Houston OilersCarson Long Kicker 11 302 Los Angeles RamsDon Parrish Defensive end 12 314 Atlanta Falcons 12 Awards and honors EditTony Dorsett Heisman Trophy 13 Tony Dorsett Walter Camp Award 14 Tony Dorsett Maxwell Award Tony Dorsett led the nation in rushing with 1 948 yards Tony Dorsett All America selectionMedia EditRadio Edit Flagship station Play by play Color commentator Sideline reporter Studio hostWTAE AM 1250 Bill Hillgrove John SauerReferences Edit https www sports reference com cfb years 1976 standings html Official 2009 NCAA Division I Football Records Book PDF Indianapolis The National Collegiate Athletic Association August 2009 p 85 Retrieved 2009 10 16 CNNSI com College Football Heisman Heroes Suzuki presents Heisman Heroes Tony Dorsett Friday August 25 2000 01 29 PM CNN Gorman Kevin 2008 10 30 Pitt Notre Dame series produces phenomenal performances Pittsburgh Tribune Review Archived from the original on 2013 01 04 Retrieved 2010 04 29 Tony Dorsett No 1 Reading Eagle Pennsylvania Associated Press October 24 1976 p 77 Axelrod Phil November 26 1976 Pitt State maybe Tennessee Pittsburgh Post Gazette p 18 a b Parascenzo Marino November 27 1976 Panthers claw Nittany Lions 24 7 Pittsburgh Post Gazette p 1 Mackin Mike 2008 06 12 Let s Learn From the Past The 1976 Pitt Panthers Pittsburgh Post Gazette Retrieved 2010 04 29 Yearly National Championship Selections 1976 National Championships College Football Data Warehouse Archived from the original on 2007 11 09 Retrieved 2009 04 15 Fitzgerald Francis J ed 1996 The Year the Panthers Roared Louisville Kentucky AdCraft Sports ISBN 1 887761 06 3 Pitt loses quarterback but Dorsett nears record Eugene Register Guard 1976 Oct 10 Retrieved 2018 Dec 30 1977 NFL Draft Listing Pro Football Reference com Pro Football Reference com Archived from the original on 2007 12 22 1976 42nd Award Tony Dorsett Pittsburgh Back HeismanTrophy com Archived from the original on 2013 10 04 Retrieved 2011 06 06 Football Further information EditThe Year the Panthers Roared Francis J Fitzgerald ed Louisville Kentucky AdCraft Sports 1996 ISBN 1 887761 06 3 1976 team where are they now Pitt Magazine article Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers football team amp oldid 1126703859, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
