I know that a lot of you miss some of the unique aspects that made TNIAAM so successful. Every now and then a story comes along that brings us back to those early blog days and this is one of those occasions.
The latest A24 release “How to Make a Killing” (not a Jimmy Sexton biopic) features footage from the 2016 Syracuse-Pitt football game. Yes that 2016 Syracuse-Pitt football game.
If you’re going to have a movie warning about overindulgence, then what better game to choose than a 76-61 game where Orange quarterback Zach Mahoney went 43-61 for 440 yards and 5 passing touchdowns. Mahoney added two more scores on the ground in a game where the Syracuse offense ran 106 plays! Talk about excessive greed!
In an era of weird Syracuse football games, this one might stand alone as the most inexplicable game ever. A quarterback mostly known as a runner put his name all over the Syracuse record book including 3 TD passes in the final 8 minutes of the game.
But why did A24 pick this game specifically? Is it a nod to the Sickos? Is Glen Powell looking to add another football role to his resume and play Mahoney in a future biopic? I mean it would seem like Hollywood would love to showcase the Mahoney-Peterman battle on the big screen.
Where else could you see the story of a former walk-on who spent a glorious November afternoon going toe to toe with a future NFL starter? We’ll be looking forward to watching “The Officer and a Peterman” on a streaming service to be determined sometime in 2028.
