Tag: Pitt Panthers

Oct 5, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton (28) riuns with the ball as Pittsburgh Panthers defensive lineman Nate Matlack (2) defends in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Pitt upends North Carolina, 5-0 for first time since ’91

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Eli Holstein completed 25 of 42 passes for 381 yards, three touchdowns and an interception to lead Pittsburgh to a 34-24 win over North Carolina on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The freshman quarterback also led the Panthers with 76 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in Pitt’s first win on North Carolina’s campus.

Desmond Reid had 11 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 55 yards as the Panthers improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1991. Raphael Williams Jr. and Censere Lee had touchdown catches for Pitt (5-0, 1-0 ACC).

Jacolby Criswell completed 24 of 45 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown for North Carolina (3-3, 0-2). Omarion Hampton rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown and Nate McCollum had 10 catches and 128 receiving yards. John Copenhaver had a touchdown catch for North Carolina, which has lost three in a row.

Pitt took the lead for good in the fourth quarter on an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by Holstein’s 3-yard touchdown run for a 31-24 lead. On the next Tar Heels possession, Pitt stopped Hampton on a fourth-and-1 attempt inside the Pitt 10-yard line and took over on downs with 9:08 left.

Pitt opened the scoring when its first drive stalled out at the UNC 6-yard line as Ben Sauls connected on a 24-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

After Pitt forced North Carolina into a three-and out, the Tar Heels took a 7-3 lead when Kaleb Cost jumped a third-down out route and returned an interception 84 yards for a touchdown.

Early in the second quarter, Holstein hit Reid over the middle for a 72-yard gain to set up Lee’s 7-yard touchdown catch and put Pitt back up 10-7.

North Carolina answered on its next possession with a 34-yard field goal by Noah Burnette. On Pitt’s next drive, Holstein found Williams Jr. on a crossing route for a 30-yard touchdown and a 17-10 Pitt lead with 5:41 left in the first half.

The Tar Heels came right back with a 3-yard touchdown run by Hampton to tie the game at 17 just before halftime.

A 46-yard diving completion to Konata Mumpfield set up Reid’s 2-yard touchdown catch and gave Pitt a 24-17 lead with nine minutes left in the third.

At 2:07 in the third, Criswell hit Copenhaver on a post route for an 11-yard touchdown catch to tie the game at 24.

Sauls’ 37-yard field goal with two minutes left provided the final margin for the Panthers.

–Field Level Media

Aug 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Desmond Reid (0) runs after a catch against Kent State Golden Flashes safety Alex Branch (1) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Desmond Reid, Eli Holstein power Pitt past Kent State

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Freshman quarterback Eli Holstein threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns and Desmond Reid added a pair of scores, lifting Pitt to a 55-24 victory over visiting Kent State on Saturday afternoon in the season opener for both teams.

Holstein completed 29 of 39 passes in his first collegiate game before being replaced by Nate Yarnell, with each quarterback throwing a touchdown pass to Raphael Williams Jr.

Kenny Johnson had seven catches for 105 yards with a touchdown and Konata Mumpfried also reeled in a scoring strike.

Holstein and Reid debuted for Pitt on Saturday and had a hand in most of the team’s highlight moments.

Reid rushed for 145 yards on 14 carries and scampered 78 yards for a touchdown on a punt return. The Panthers are expected to lean on the Western Carolina transfer after declaring last season’s leading rusher Rodney Hammond Jr. ineligible for the 2024 campaign on Friday.

Derrick Davis Jr. rushed for a touchdown for Pitt, which started off strong after limping to a 3-9 record last season.

Kent State’s Devin Kargman completed 14 of 28 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns. He connected on a 36-yard scoring strike with Luke Floriea and a 29-yard catch by Chrishon McCray.

Golden Flashes starting linebacker Khalib Johns was ejected following a targeting penalty in the first half. The penalty negated an apparent stop on fourth down and allowed Davis to score a few plays later.

Holstein started strong by completing all five of his pass attempts for 80 yards on Pitt’s opening drive. He connected with Johnson on a 46-yard pass play to highlight the sequence before finding Mumpfield for an 11-yard score.

The Panthers forced Kent State to go three-and-out on the next drive. Reid thwarted an attempted tackle on the ensuing punt and followed a convoy of blockers for a 78-yard touchdown.

Kargman connected with Floriea over the middle to trim Pitt’s lead to 14-7 before the Panthers responded with a pair of scores in the second quarter. Davis bulled his way into the end zone from 2 yards out to cap a 12-play, 79-yard drive and Holstein finding a wide-open Williams from 7 yards out.

Kent State took advantage of a muffed punt for a touchdown, and Kargman found McCray over the middle for a 29-yard score to pull within 28-21 early in the third quarter.

Reid responded with a 46-yard touchdown and Johnson reeled in a pass in the corner of the end zone to push Pitt’s lead to 42-24 later in the third quarter.

–Field Level Media

Nov 25, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils linebacker Tre Freeman (12) tacks Pittsburgh Panthers running back C'Bo Flemister (24) during the first half of the game at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports

Duke owns second half to get past Pitt 30-19

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Grayson Loftis threw two touchdown passes and Duke went ahead late in the third quarter on the way to a 30-19 victory against visiting Pitt on Saturday afternoon at Durham, N.C.

The outcome clinched Duke’s second consecutive winning regular season under Mike Elko, who is gaining interest from programs with head coach openings.

Jordan Moore and Jalon Calhoun each had TD catches and combined for 15 receptions to help Loftis to 248 passing yards.

The Blue Devils (7-5, 4-4 ACC) won for only the second time in their last six games. They now await a bowl invitation.

Quarterback Nate Yarnell threw for 265 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Pitt (3-9, 2-6), which never won back-to-back games this season.

Duke clinched the outcome on Todd Pelino’s 48-yard field goal with 1:59 left. Pelino also delivered a 25-yard field goal on the opening possession of the second half for a 13-10 lead that came at the end of a 67-yard drive.

Pitt’s Ben Sauls tied it 13-13 from a season-long 47 yards out on Pitt’s first possession of the second half.

Loftis threw 15 yards to Calhoun for the first touchdown of the second half with 3:44 to go in the third quarter, giving Duke a 20-13 lead.

On the last play of the third quarter, Calhoun had a 32-yard pickup on a short pass to become the fourth player in Duke history to reach 3,000 career receiving yards.

Duke extended its lead to 27-13 on Jaquez Moore’s 3-yard run with 11:54 remaining.

On its next possession, Pitt drove inside the Duke 15 until Yarnell was picked off by Jeremiah Lewis. The Panthers got the ball back and Yarnell threw 14 yards to Bub Means for a touchdown at the 5:17 mark, though the score stayed at 27-19 when a two-point conversion pass failed.

The teams traded first-quarter field goals with Pelino good from 47 yards and Sauls connecting from 35 yards.

Pitt went up 10-3 on a 93-yard drive that consisted of 15 plays. Karter Johnson bulled his way to the end zone to complete a 21-yard pass play from Yarnell.

The Blue Devils needed only 25 yards to go back ahead on Loftis’ 10-yard, third-down pass to Jordan Moore. After pinning Pitt inside the 5-yard line, the Panthers managed just a 15-yard punt.

–Field Level Media

Sep 9, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Aaron Turner (9) carries the ball on an end around as Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Phillip O'Brien Jr. (5) chases during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Corey Kiner, Cincinnati best Pitt

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Corey Kiner rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries to lead Cincinnati to a 27-21 win over host Pitt on Saturday.

Emory Jones went 18-of-26 passing for 125 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for the Bearcats (2-0).

Phil Jurkovec completed 10 of 32 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns for the Panthers (1-1).

Cincinnati led 27-7 going into the fourth quarter before the Panthers scored two touchdowns to make it a 27-21 game.

But the Cincinnati defense shut down the Pitt offense from there, and Kiner rushed for a first down with just over a minute remaining to seal the game.

The Bearcats took a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Payten Singletary, and then went up 10-0 with 8:57 left in the first quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Carter Brown.

Pittsburgh cut its deficit to 10-7 with 4:17 left in the first on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jurkovec to Konata Mumpfield, but Cincinnati answered.

The Bearcats drove 76 yards in seven plays and took a 17-7 lead with 13:20 remaining in the second quarter on a 7-yard TD run by Kiner.

Brown then made a 47-yard field goal with five seconds left until halftime to make it 20-7 Cincinnati.

Cincinnati extended its lead to 27-7 with 9:17 left in the third quarter on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Braden Smith.

The Panthers cut into the lead early in the fourth quarter, making it 27-14 thanks to a 9-yard scoring strike from Jurkovec to Mumpfield with 14:48 left.

Pittsburgh then closed to within 27-21 on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jurkovec to Gavin Bartholomew with 11:53 remaining, a score that was set up by a 60-yard pass from Jurkovec to Bartholomew to start the drive.

Mumpfield finished with four catches for 53 yards and the two scores for Pitt. Smith had five catches for 59 yards and the TD for the Bearcats.

–Field Level Media

/Nov 5, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) warms up before the game against the Syracuse Orange at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Pitt QB Kedon Slovis entering transfer portal

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis will enter the transfer portal, ESPN reported Monday.

Slovis played one season for the Panthers after transferring from Southern California.

He completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 2,397 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 11 games this season for Pitt (8-4).

Slovis has passed for 9,973 yards with 68 touchdowns and 33 interceptions in 32 games with the Trojans (2019-21) and Panthers.

The Scottsdale, Ariz., native was the 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a 2020 first-team All-Pac-12 selection at USC.

–Field Level Media

Nov 19, 2022; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers defensive end Justin Mascoll (7) pushes over Miami Hurricanes quarterback Jacurri Brown (11) for a safety during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Miami takes final shot at bowl eligibility against Pitt

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Miami Hurricanes have one more chance to become bowl eligible, and it will come on Saturday night in an ACC battle against the visiting Pittsburgh Panthers.

Miami (5-6, 3-4) opened as a six-point underdog against Pitt (7-4, 4-3) in what will serve as the regular-season finale for both teams.

The Hurricanes lead the annual series 29-11-1, and has won four in a row over Pitt.

However, Miami is coming off a 40-10 loss at Clemson and has yet to beat a team with a winning record this season.

Pitt, meanwhile, will enter Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on a three-game winning streak. Those victories were over Syracuse, Virginia and Duke.

Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi said he will have his team practice indoors this week to prepare for Miami’s heat and humidity.

“We’ll turn it up to 70 degrees,” Narduzzi said.

Weather reports indicate it will be in the 80s in Miami on Saturday night.

The Hurricanes struggled against Clemson, gaining 30 yards on 24 runs. Miami’s top two running backs, Henry Parrish Jr. and Jaylan Knighton, combined to rush 12 times for 20 yards.

“We didn’t get a ton of movement up front,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said in an understatement.

One factor that could swing Saturday’s game would be the return of Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. The Hurricanes are 2-3 since he hurt his throwing shoulder against Duke, and it’s possible he could be back to face Pitt.

In his absence, Miami has turned to true freshman Jacurri Brown, who has flourished as a runner (4.4 average) but has lacked accuracy as a passer (59.5 percent completion rate, three touchdowns, two interceptions).

Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis hasn’t been great, either, completing 57.8 percent to go with seven touchdown passes and eight interceptions.

The Panthers are powered by running back Israel Abanikanda, who leads the ACC in rushing yards (1,320) and points (116). He has rushed for 18 touchdowns and a 5.9 average.

Pitt’s Jared Wayne ranks fifth in the league with 807 receiving yards.

Defensively, Pitt’s Calijah Kancey leads the league in tackles for loss (14 1/2) and is tied for second in the ACC with 7 1/2 sacks. Teammate SirVocea Dennis has 10 1/2 tackles for loss.

Miami’s Akheem Mesidor has 10 1/2 tackles for loss and is tied for fifth in the league with seven sacks.

–Field Level Media

Oct 22, 2022; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Israel Abanikanda (2) runs the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at Cardinal Stadium. Louisville defeated Pittsburgh 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

No. 20 Syracuse, Pitt trying to avoid losing streaks

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Syracuse and Pitt both find themselves trending in the wrong direction as the regular season heads into its final month.

The Orange — ranked 20th in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season — visit the Panthers on Saturday in a match-up of ACC foes hoping to avoid their third straight defeat.

Syracuse (6-2, 3-1 ACC) opened the season with six consecutive victories, including quality wins over Louisville, Purdue and North Carolina State. The Orange then led by 14 at undefeated Clemson before crumbling down the stretch in a 27-21 defeat.

Their problems were compounded last weekend in a 41-24 home loss to Notre Dame, when they allowed 246 rushing yards and lost quarterback Garrett Shrader to a second-quarter concussion.

Shrader’s status against Pitt is cloudy, as Orange coach Dino Babers would not say this week whether the senior quarterback would get the nod against the Panthers, or whether it would be Carlos Del Rio-Wilson making his first career start.

“All that stuff is in consideration behind the curtain, but I just can’t talk about that stuff in the press conference,” Babers said.

Standout running back Sean Tucker (758 yards, 7 TDs) has found the end zone five times in the past four games. He has, however, carried only 35 times the last three games and could be in for a heavier workload Saturday.

Syracuse wraps up its regular season with four ACC games, three of which take place on the road.

“Non-conference is over,” Babers said. “We were 3-1 in non-conference. We lost to Notre Dame. Now it’s all conference play. We’ve got one loss and we have to see how we’re going to finish this thing up.”

The Panthers (4-4, 1-3) also have four league games remaining, and they hope those contests go smoother than the last two games. After getting off to a 4-2 start, Pitt has dropped lopsided decisions to Louisville (24-10) and North Carolina (42-24).

They have been outscored 38-0 in the fourth quarter of those two games.

“The fourth quarter wasn’t good enough,” Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi said seeing a 24-14 lead against UNC punctured by four unanswered touchdowns. “We turned the ball over again in the fourth quarter, which started the tumble. It seems like every week we’ve got one of those.”

On the bright side, Pitt receiver Jared Wayne had a career-high 161 receiving yards on seven catches against North Carolina. And Israel Abanikanda racked up 127 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.

“They’ve got the best running back in the country,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said of Abanikanda, who has an ACC-best 1,086 rushing yards and a national-best 16 touchdowns through the first eight games.

On the other hand, Pitt’s defense will need to be better against Syracuse. The Panthers have given up at least 24 points to seven opponents (Western Michigan was the only exception) and UNC scored the most, with 42.

Pitt has won 17 of the last 20 matchups with Syracuse, including the past four in a row. The Panthers captured last season’s meeting 31-14 behind four TD passes from Kenny Pickett, who is now starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

–Field Level Media

Sep 5, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Geoff Collins reacts after a call during the game against the Clemson Tigers during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech faces No. 24 Pitt after dismissal of Geoff Collins

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Georgia Tech will start a new era for its program when it plays at No. 24 Pittsburgh at 8 p.m. Saturday, but not in the way the Yellow Jackets envisioned when the season began.

Following a 27-17 loss at Central Florida last Saturday that put the Yellow Jackets at 1-3 (0-1 in ACC play), Georgia Tech fired head coach Geoff Collins, who went 10-28 after taking over for the retired Paul Johnson in 2018.

Georgia Tech also dismissed athletic director Todd Stansbury Monday.

Georgia Tech named associate head coach and offensive line coach Brent Key as interim, who has the unenviable task of helping his players deal with the transition and prepare for a ranked opponent on the road.

“Unfortunately, the results of our football program have fallen short of what our loyal community, fans and athletes expect and deserve,” Georgia Tech president Angel Cabrera said in a statement. “We are committed to rebuilding the program and a coaching change is a necessary first step in that process.”

Georgia Tech’s only win this season was a 35-17 win in Week 3 over Western Carolina. In its three losses, the Yellow Jackets have combined to score 20 points, and fixing those offensive struggles will likely be foremost for Key.

Georgia Tech’s offense is led by quarterback Jeff Sims, who has completed 59.8% of his passes for 739 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 111 yards.

While Georgia Tech enters in turmoil, Pittsburgh enters on a roll and in a steady place as a program.

The Panthers (3-1) enter the start of ACC play having won their last two games, at Western Michigan and against Rhode Island.

Pittsburgh received good news during the 45-24 win over Rhode Island when quarterback Kedon Slovis returned after missing the Western Michigan game with an undisclosed injury.

Slovis completed 20-of-27 passes in his return, but had the help of running back Israel Abanikanda with 177 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Abanikanda enters the game second nationally in all-purpose yards at 180.25 and sixth in rushing yards per game at 119.8.

Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi admitted Monday that a coaching change with Georgia Tech leads to some uncertainty in regards to preparation.

“It’s like going back to the opening game of the season again, not knowing what they’re going to do,” Narduzzi said. “But again, I would imagine the offense is going to stay pretty similar. The defense is going to stay pretty similar with the effect that they had. But you never know. There’s going to be different things that maybe they’re allowed to do that they couldn’t do before.”

Pittsburgh has owned the series against Georgia Tech as of late.

The Panthers have won four straight games over the Yellow Jackets and six of the last seven, with Georgia Tech’s lone win in that span coming in 2017.

Last season, Pittsburgh earned a 52-21 over the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.

–Field Level Media

Sep 1, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel during the first half against the Ball State Cardinals at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

No. 24 Tennessee preps for ‘tough and physical’ No. 17 Pitt

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No. 24 Tennessee had little problem dispatching overmatched Ball State 59-10 in the season opener last week.

The Volunteers’ second matchup — Saturday at No. 17 Pitt — will be much more challenging.

“This is a big game for us, obviously,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “The first road test for us against a really good football team. They are tough and physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage, and they do a really nice job. It will be a big test for us.”

High expectations exist for the Volunteers (1-0) this season, and Saturday’s game will be a big measuring stick.

“Last week has nothing to do with this coming week,” Heupel cautioned. “A year ago has nothing to do with what’s going to happen this week. To perform the right way, you have to prepare the right way. That’s in the film room and making sure we’re getting an edge on that side of it, preparing for it, practicing in a great way and then be ready to go and compete.”

Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker completed 18 of 25 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns and added two rushing scores last week.

Ten different players caught at least one pass.

“He’s smart, he’s competitive and he’s consistent in his work habits,” Heupel said of Hooker. “I expect that to continue to grow.”

Linebacker Juwan Mitchell was inactive against Ball State, and it’s unclear if he’ll play against the Panthers. Mitchell missed most of last season with a shoulder injury.

Following an exhilarating 38-31 victory over West Virginia last week, Pitt (1-0) will prepare to host a Southeastern Conference team for the first time in program history.

The Panthers are 3-0 all-time against the Volunteers, including last year’s 41-34 victory in Knoxville, Tenn.

“We know we’re going to get their best shot,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said of Tennessee. “They’re talented. They’re athletic. They’re an SEC football team that is going to look the part when they walk into the stadium on Saturday.”

Kedon Slovis made a sparkling debut for Pitt as he completed 16 of 24 passes for 308 yards and one touchdown. It was the highest passing yardage recorded by a Panthers quarterback in a season opener since 1998.

Still, Narduzzi said the Southern California transfer is just beginning to reach his potential.

“I thought Kedon played a really good game, really good, better than I thought when I watched it live,” Narduzzi said. “But he was — we thought he was late with the ball, but there was other issues with some of the routes, and I won’t get into the weeds with that. But there was some — he was waiting on his receivers to get where they needed to be, and they weren’t there for whatever reason that we won’t discuss.”

M.J. Devonshire’s game-winning, 56-yard interception return for a touchdown with 2:58 left against the Mountaineers marked the Panthers’ third straight game with a defensive touchdown, dating to last year’s ACC Championship.

–Field Level Media