Pitt comeback falls short
Pitt defensive back Avonte Maddox knocks Miami running back Joseph Yearby out of bounds Friday after he ran for a first down in the first quarter at Heinz Field.
Pitt quarterback Nathan Peterman passes under pressure by Miami defensive lineman Ufomba Kamalu in the first quarter Friday at Heinz Field.
PITTSBURGH – A game against one of college football’s perennial powers offered Pitt the chance to pad its résumé for the postseason and show steady improvement under first-year head coach Pat Narduzzi with a nine-win regular season.
Instead of heading to a bowl game on a three-game winning streak, the Panthers left Heinz Field with more questions than answers.
Another slow start was too much to overcome as Pitt finished the regular season with a 29-24 loss to Miami and was left wondering how it lacked energy in front of more than 40,000 fans on senior day.
The Panthers finished with an 8-4 overall record – 6-2 in the ACC – and will learn of its bowl fate Dec. 6. They were held to just 102 total yards in the first half, kicker Chris Blewitt missed a 48-yard field goal and quarterback Nate Peterman threw a first-quarter interception.
The Hurricanes (5-3, 8-4), meanwhile, had 377 yards and capitalized on all four of their trips inside Pitt’s 20-yard line.
“I didn’t feel like we had the energy in the first half,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t know why, but the kids came out with a little bit better energy in the second half and sometimes, on senior day, I’ve seen guys kind of not play as well, period. Sometimes it’s tough. There are a lot of emotions in game like that. We just didn’t have it for that first half.”
Peterman completed 13 of 27 passes for 142 yards and threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Scott Orndoff, a Waynesburg native, in the fourth quarter. He also ran for a 1-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to draw Pitt to within five points, but its comeback bid fell short after a last-second lateral play was fumbled out of bounds.
Miami led 17-0 after the first quarter and 23-3 at halftime. Peterman was intercepted on Pitt’s first offensive drive. It was his first interception against an ACC opponent and his first since Pitt’s loss to Iowa Sept. 19.
The Panthers also committed 10 penalties for 73 yards and Blewitt missed two field goals, but Peterman pointed to himself for the loss.
“You win because of great quarterback play, period,” Peterman said bluntly. “Some things can go wrong, but I feel a lot of responsibility for this loss. I have to be better. This is going to burn with me for these next four weeks, so I’ll be working extremely hard to not cost us the game like this again.”
Miami struck quickly in the first quarter with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that sophomore quarterback Brad Kaaya capped with a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down. It added one of its five field goals after Peterman’s interception and Kaaya made a picturesque throw to the back-left corner of the end zone, where Rashawn Scott caught the ball and dragged his left foot inbounds for a 22-yard score later in the quarter.
Kaaya neutralized one of the top pass rushes in the nation by extending plays and completed 21 of 35 passes for 261 yards. He was not sacked.
Pitt found success with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half, when fullback George Aston’s block on the edge sprung junior wide receiver Tyler Boyd’s 30-yard run, but senior tight end JP Holtz dropped a pass in the end zone to force the Panthers to settle for a field goal.
The Hurricanes carried a 23-3 lead into halftime after Michael Badgley’s 23-yard field goal as time expired.
“A lot of guys, including me, just weren’t out there doing our jobs,” Boyd, who said he has not decided whether he will enter the NFL Draft, said. “We weren’t executing plays. Once you don’t do your job or your assignment, things aren’t going to work.”
The Panthers drove to Miami’s 33-yard line on the first drive of the second half and faced fourth-and-one, but a false start and a delay of game forced them to punt. On their next drive, they went 61 yards – all by freshman running back Darrin Hall – and cut the deficit to 13. Hall broke a tackle and ran for a 35-yard touchdown. He finished with a career-high 103 yards.
The Hurricanes increased their lead to 16 points on a 45-yard field goal and Pitt failed to respond. Its next drive ended after just 11 yards and a fake punt attempt was whistled dead on a false start.
Miami added another field goal before Quadree Henderson’s kick return gave the Panthers the ball at the Hurricanes’ 2-yard line and Peterman found Orndoff for the tight end’s fifth touchdown catch of the season.
Miami did not convert a third down in the fourth quarter, but Blewitt missed another field goal and Peterman’s touchdown run wasn’t enough.
“One of the reasons I love this football team is they have no quit in them,” Narduzzi said. “They never quit. They continue to fight, fight and fight. They always feel like they have a chance to win it and once again, we had a chance to win at the end of the game. We have to make a few more plays.”