Nothing too impressive aboit this:
Palko played for the University of Pittsburgh football team, where he led the Panthers. He started his career in 2002 as a lettered true freshman. He only completed 2-3 passes for 13 yards on the season, but rushed for an eight yard touchdown late in Pitt’s Insight Bowl victory over Oregon State.
The following season, 2003, Palko redshirted. In 2004, as a redshirt-sophomore, Palko earned second-team All-Big East honors and was named Pitt’s MVP and offensive captain as a first-year starter. Palko’s 3,067 yards and 24 touchdowns with only seven interceptions were capped off with a great drive near the end of the season. Palko’s 24 TDs led the Big East and were third-highest single-season in Pitt history, and his passying yardage total was the most ever for a sophomore and third best overall in Pitt history as well. Palko also had four 300-yard passing games and one 400-yard passing game that season alone. Palko started early against USF with a career-high 411 yards, fifth-highest in school history, and matched a personal best of five touchdowns with no interceptions that game. Palko burst into the national limelight against Notre Dame when he threw five touchdown passes and totaled 334 yards with no INTs. His signature performance came late in the fourth quarter, when Palko led two late scoring drives: one for a TD and one for a game-winning field goal with one second left to play. Palko led three consecutive scoring drives against Temple to overcome a 10-point fourth quarter deficit and overcame the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Backyard Brawl after being down 13-9 in the fourth quarter, by leading a drive that consisted of four third-down conversions that ended with a two-yard run by Palko for the score. The game was famous for Palko’s hurdle of defensive back star Pacman Jones in the second quarter on a scramble for a first down. Palko’s fourth quarter heroics earned Pittsburgh a trip to the Fiesta Bowl to play the Utah Utes. Palko did not have a night to remember being sacked nine times and suffering a humiliating 35-7 loss to Utah
As a junior in 2005, Palko earned second-team Big East honors for the consecutive season and was also named Pitt’s captain for the second year also. Palko’s passing stats were not as productive as the previous year’s, with 2,392 yards and 17 touchdowns with nine interceptions, but his rushing of six scores was a career-high and a team-high for the season and Palko was Pitt’s third leading scorer with 36 points. Palko’s 371 yards and four TDs against Rutgers were season-highs while his 35 completions of 58 attempts were both career highs. He continued his performance against West Virginia for 308 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss. Palko threw for 198 yards and a touchdown against the second-team best Big East team in Louisville. In the season-opener against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Palko threw for 220 yards with one TD and one INT while rushing for a four-yard score as well.
In his final season as a Panther, 2006, Palko failed to produce better statistically than his sophomore year, with 2,871 yards passing, but topped the 2004 results with 25 touchdowns. Palko only rushed for 77 yards and two scores on the season though. Palko and the Panthers opened the season against Virginia with 283 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. Palko followed it up with a 267 yard performance (Cincinnati), 277 yard performance (Michigan State), and ended the 200+ yard game streak against The Citadel with 313 yards for four scores. Against West Virginia late in the season, Palko threw for a season-high 341 yards along with two scores in a 45-27 loss. In the season finale against the Louisville Cardinals, Palko threw for 307 yards with a touchdown, but threw three interceptions as well. Palko’s yardage was first in the Big East, passing efficiency of 173.4 was first in the conference, and his completons per game was also first. His ten 300-yard passing games on the season tied a Big East-record set by Rutgers’ Ryan Hart from 2002-2005. Palko, along with linebacker H.B. Blades, were invited to attend the Senior Bowl at season’s end.
Palko ended his career tied for second in school history in career touchdown passes with Alex Van Pelt with 66 touchdowns passing and was second in school history in career passing yardage, trailing Dan Marino by 254 yards. Palko’s career totals of 8,343 passing yards with 66 touchdown passes ranks him as one of the top three greatest passers in Panther-history.
