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 Pitt’s home crowd at Acrisure Stadium, a series of mistakes allowed for the game to slip away, resulting in a 34-27 Panthers loss in overtime.
“That was a heck of a football game against a good football team,” Narduzzi said following the loss. “I think what it comes down to, I told our guys, ‘It’s a game of inches.’ There were inches all over the place that we needed to get.”
The game first took a turn when a sharp 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 (1-1) with another 10-point cushion, neither the excitement nor the lead would last long.
Deep shots down field from quarterback Hendon Hooker — who finished the game completing 27 of 42 through the air for 325 yards and two touchdowns — gave Tennessee (2-0) game-tying and go-ahead scores, with the second coming after a Pitt turnover on downs on 4th-and-3 from the Tennessee 27.
Tennessee defensive back Trevon Flowers sacks Pitt quarterback Nick Patti on third down in overtime, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Acrisure Stadium.Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
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.
Pitt scored just one touchdown in its four trips to the red zone during regulation. In addition to struggling to finish drives, the Panthers also had trouble in the kicking game, as redshirt sophomore Ben Sauls made just two of his four field goal attempts, missing from 46 and then 36 yards out. Both misses came in the third quarter.
“There were some things we could have done better,” Bartholomew said, “but, you know, the game’s in the past. We’ll worry about next week.”
A critical mistake by Tennessee allowed the Panthers to tie the game 27-27 with 2:23 remaining on a clutch touchdown catch on 4th-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 115 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.
“The defensive players played their hearts out,” Narduzzi said. “That’s a tough offense with their tempo. … They did a heck of a job, really for four quarters.”
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.
Quotable: While there was much to be said about the overtime loss, Narduzzi took the first few moments of his postgame press conference to speak about the death of Frank Cignetti Sr., a former Pitt assistant coach and the father of current Panthers’ offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.
“When you think about sacrifice, you know this is the game of football and there are so many other games in life,” Narudzzi said. “The sacrifice he made sitting here — there was no doubt (Cignetti Jr.) was going to coach the game. That’s a major sacrifice. It’s the game of football and the game of life. Our prayers go out to their family. It’s just a sad, sad deal.”
Cignetti Sr.’s passing happened so close to kickoff that Pitt players weren’t aware of his death until after the game. Narduzzi said Cignetti Jr. was informed his father passed away just after the team’s pregame lunch during a final preparation meeting just before warmups.
Pitt running back Israel Abanikanda carries for a first down against Tennessee in the fourth quarter, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Acrisure Stadium. Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Up next: After playing their first two games at home, the Panthers hit the road to Kalamazoo next weekend to face Western Michigan.
Although the MAC program is a step down 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.
“Last year was last year,” redshirt senior defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado said. “This year, they’re going to feel us.”
Western Michigan improved to 1-1 Saturday with a 37-30 victory over conference foe Ball State. The Broncos were led to victory by quarterback Jack Salopek, a Norwin High School graduate.
