PITTSBURGH — When Pat Narduzzi’s team looks back on its battle against Tennessee on Saturday, it will be the self-imposed errors and failure to take advantage of the ones made by their opponent that will cause the most pain.
After jumping out to a 10-point lead against the Volunteers in front of its home crowd at Acrisure Stadium, a series of mistakes allowed for the game to slip away, resulting in a 34-27 Pitt loss in overtime.
The game first took a turn when a sharply thrown pass from Kedon Slovis bounced off the hands of Panthers receiver Bub Means and into the arms of defender Trevon Flowers. Following a poor showing on its first three possessions of the day, the No. 24 Vols’ offense found its rhythm, driving down the field for its first score.
Although a 57-yard touchdown catch from Panthers’ tight end Gavin Bartholomew brought fans back to their feet and provided No. 17 Pitt with another 10-point cushion, neither the excitement nor the lead would last long.
Deep shots down field from quarterback Hendon Hooker gave Tennessee game-tying and go-ahead scores, with the second coming after a Pitt turnover on downs on fourth-and-3 from the Tennessee 27.
Nick Patti was called upon by the Panthers to start the second half after Slovis suffered a game-ending injury in the final minute of the second quarter. While the redshirt senior delivered a gutsy effort, battling through injuries of his own, Patti’s performance wasn’t enough to lead a successful Pitt comeback.
A critical mistake by Tennessee allowed for the Panthers to tie the game 27-27 with 2:23 remaining on a clutch touchdown catch on fourth-and-goal from Jared Wayne. However, when the contest went to overtime, it was the Vols who had the final laugh, winning the game on a 28-yard touchdown reception from Cedric Tillman, which was followed by a defensive stop.
Key stat
While they came out on the losing end, the Pitt defense was stellar in the second half, holding the Vols to just 133 yards and three points in the two quarters.
The Panthers defense and special teams unit created numerous opportunities for the offense to battle back, including a forced fumble and blocked punt, to go along with the fumbled punt that set up Wayne’s game-tying score.
Pitt was especially strong up front, limiting Tennessee to an average of 2.6 yards-per-rush on 35 attempts as a team. The Panthers sacked Hooker three times and tallied five tackles for loss.
Up next
After playing their first two games at home, the Panthers will hit the road to Kalamazoo next weekend to face Western Michigan.
Although the MAC program is a step down in prowess compared to both West Virginia and Tennessee, there will be no lack of motivation for Narduzzi’s team as it looks to avenge its 44-41 upset loss it suffered to the Broncos last fall. Western Michigan improved to 1-1 Saturday with a 37-30 victory over conference foe Ball State.
