PITTSBURGH — Earlier this week, Walt Harris seemed confused.

The Pittsburgh coach had faced Penn State three times previously since taking over the Panthers in 1997, and three times the Nittany Lions had won.

So when a reporter asked him what a victory Saturday might do for his program, the normally well-spoken coach stumbled for words and nearly dodged the question completely.

"I can't really state that until I experience it," Harris said during his weekly press conference. "So I am looking forward to that experience happening, but until it happens, my focus is on preparation and getting our guys ready to play and I think if that part happens it will be easy to answer that question at that time."

That time happened around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, when his Panthers strolled off the Three Rivers Stadium field, 12-0 victors against a Lions squad that had taken 34-17, 20-13 and 20-17 wins during Harris' tenure.

The latter game, played at Beaver Stadium last year, nearly went into overtime, but former Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington blocked a 52-yard try by Pittsburgh place kicker Nick Lotz.

But now, at least, Harris could answer the question that had dogged him for three years.

"It was a tremendous game for Pittsburgh and all the people who have followed us," Harris said. "We've been down and lost this, lost that. We haven't been this and we haven't been that, but today we exorcised a lot of demons."

Saturday's game — the last one scheduled between the two teams, in a rivalry that dates back to 1893 — might have been more a victory for Pittsburgh than a loss for Penn State. The Lions had won 23 of 30 games against the Panthers since Joe Paterno took over for Penn State in 1966. Pittsburgh had shut out the Lions only once before, in 1987.

This year — as it had been shown by Penn State's 1-2 record coming into the game, resulting from a 29-5 loss to Southern California and a 24-6 loss to Toledo — easily could be defined as a rebuilding year for the Lions.

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is set to have one of its best years in recent memory — at least during Harris' reign — starting out 3-0 and looking bowl-ready even this early.

"Everybody has a rebuilding year," Panthers wide receiver Antonio Bryant said. "And right now, I think Penn State is in a rebuilding year.

"Right now, we're just better than them. We have so many more weapons."

Penn State still holds an eight-game lead on the series, 50-42, with four ties, but it seemed as if Pittsburgh ultimately had the last laugh.

And, from what some Panthers players said after the game, maybe that's all they needed.

"There wasn't any respect on the field at all," Panthers defensive end Bryan Knight said.

"I've got to be honest with you. There were some extra cheap shots, but it's all a part of the game."

There wasn't much respect after the game, either, at least from Pittsburgh's side.

"I don't think they were confused," Panthers backup quarterback Rod Rutherford added about Pittsburgh's hyped-up offense. "I think the question is: What are they going to do to stop it?"

Saturday, at least, it didn't seem like much.