LaVar Arrington seemed destined to do big things against Pitt from the moment he joined Penn State’s star-studded recruiting class in 1997.
The North Hills product was one of the most sought-after recruits in the country after rushing for more than 4,000 yards and notching hundreds of tackles with the Indians. Living up to his potential at the next level, naturally, would mean beating up on his team’s most bitter rival.
He did so in more ways than one when the Panthers visited Beaver Stadium 20 years ago in their last trip to Happy Valley until the current four-year series that will conclude Saturday.
The first quarter brought a lot of the expected — the future No. 2 pick in the NFL draft was quickly in the backfield making tackles for loss and harassing Pitt quarterback John Turman.
But it also included some unexpected chipiness between Arrington and — seriously — Pitt punter Greg DeBolt.
The two tangled first on a Pitt punt early in the frame. Arrington knocked DeBolt down behind the play and gave him a couple of extra shoves for good measure. He was not flagged.
He wasn’t so lucky later in the period. After DeBolt booted another ball to the Nittany Lions, Arrington shed a blocker and clobbered him with another late hit.
This time, DeBolt responded in kind.
"I used a single low on him," DeBolt told the Post-Gazette after the game. “I put my shoulder pad into his shin, and I don't think he liked that."
Nope. The two scuffled, with Pitt’s D.J. Dinkins getting involved, too.
The result was two personal foul calls on Arrington, who came dangerously close to getting ejected. He was not happy.
"I was trying to get off the field, but [DeBolt] kept holding me," Arrington said. "Then [Dinkins] came over — and he's a personal friend of mine. And they called the penalty on me. They were Big East officials. Maybe that's why [Dinkins] didn't even get a flag."
Penn State’s resulting field position led to the Panthers getting the ball back in a favorable spot. They promptly drove down the field and tied the score, 7-7, with a touchdown pass from Turman to Antonio Bryant.
The dogfight was on. Pitt, a huge underdog, kept things tight with the second-ranked Lions for the rest of the afternoon.
It was 10-10 early in the fourth quarter when Eric McCoo put Penn State ahead by a touchdown. Only then did Arrington’s day begin to improve.
On the ensuing drive, he picked off a Turman pass and returned it deep into Pitt territory, giving his team a golden opportunity to put its rival away.
It didn’t. Quarterback Kevin Thompson was himself picked off shortly thereafter, and Pitt eventually clawed back to tie it when Turman found Julius Dixon for a 42-yard touchdown with 4:34 left.
Fortunately for the Lions, Arrington had another big play in him.
Penn State’s offense answered Pitt with a 24-yard field goal by Travis Forney with 1:20 remaining, but the Panthers quickly drove into field goal range themselves. Overtime looked like a distinct possibility when Nick Lotz lined up for a 52-yard field goal with just seconds left.
Arrington blocked it.
Time soon expired, and the Lions held on to win a thriller. It proved to be coach Joe Paterno’s final win against Pitt. The Panthers won a four-year series finale the following year at Three Rivers Stadium.
Arrington, however, was the man of the hour. Even Pitt coach Walt Harris was amused by the altercations with DeBolt, despite the loss.
"I think that was just kind of a funny little thing going on," Harris said afterward. "It was just fortunate for him he didn't get tossed out. That would have been great for us, though."
Arrington, meanwhile, was more focused on getting a win that kept his team in the national title hunt.
He didn’t yet know that Penn State would lose its last three regular-season games to tumble out of the picture not just for that season, but most of the next five years.
''This was a good game, a sweet game, the kind of game you always remember being a part of,'' Arrington told the New York Times. ''I'm not going to back down from anybody. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.''
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.
First Published: September 13, 2019, 3:30 p.m.
