Pitt's Four All-Time Best Wins vs. Notre Dame

In honor of this big top 25 matchup, here are some of the biggest Pitt Panthers wins over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Nov 1978; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back #33 TONY DORSETT in action against the Notre Dame Irish at Pitt Stadium during the 1978 season. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images © Copyright Malcolm Emmons | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers vs. the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is a long and historic college football rivalry that dates back to 1930.

There have been many stellar games that fans of both teams will remember for the rest of their lives, good or bad. Hopefully, with more to come.

In honor of these two programs meeting for the first time since 2023, here are a couple of the best wins the Panthers have had over the Fighting Irish.

1975 — The Tony Dorsett Game

The day was Nov. 15, 1975 — exactly 50 years from this week's game. Pitt lost the last 11 meetings and hadn't beaten Notre Dame since 1963. That was until Dorsett took the field at the old Pitt Stadium.

Dorsett rushed for a staggering 303 yards and scored two touchdowns in the 34-20 win. To this day, Dorsett still has the most rushing yards of any player in college football history against Notre Dame, with 754 rushing yards from 1973-76. This is in large part due to his stellar 1975 performance, which is also the record for most rushing yards against the Fighting Irish in a single game.

1999 — The Pitt Stadium Farewell Game

The Panthers bid farewell to their home stadium of 74 years for the final time, and did so in winning fashion.

Pitt defeated Notre Dame 37-27, with two big second half touchdowns from Kevan Barlow, including the last-ever touchdown in the stadium on a 2-yard score in the fourth quarter. He finished with 19 carries for 71 yards.

The Pitt faithful pulled down the uprights and ripped up strips of turf in celebration, while the security guards scrambled to limit the damage.

2004 — Tyler Palko's legacy Game

Nov. 13, 2004; South Bend, IN USA; Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko pitches the ball to running back Raymon Kirkley during the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's 41-38 win over Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Matt Cashore-Imagn Images Copyright (c) 2004 Matt Cashore | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko had a whopping 334 passing yards and five touchdowns to upset No. 24 Notre Dame 41-38. The Panthers sealed the win with a last-second field goal by Josh Cummings.

Palko will be the honorary captain for this week's game, Pat Narduzzi announced.

Palko's performance was one of the best by a Pitt quarterback ever. He became the first quarterback in college football history to throw five touchdowns against the Irish and gave one of the most passionate speeches you'll ever hear after the game.

"I don't really care about stats right now. All I care about is we got the win," Palko said during the NBC postgame interview. "...We got a win. We needed this win so badly over a great Notre Dame team. I'm so proud of our f---ing football team. Man, we're awesome."

2008 — The Marathon Win

The Panthers escaped South Bend with a 36-33 win after four overtimes to make it the longest game of this historic series.

Pitt was trailing 17-3 at halftime and spurred a comeback with the help of LeSean McCoy's 169-yard rushing game and five field goal makes by Conor Lee, including the game-winner in the fourth overtime.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

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