Pitt holds on to beat Duke 28-26

FIRST QUARTER
Pitt won the coin toss and deferred, giving Duke the ball first, but the Panthers’ defense was solid and forced the Blue Devils into a three-and-out. A shanked punt gave Pitt good field position, but after a 20-yard pass to Israel Abanikanda on first down, the Panthers were stuck inside the 30. Ben Sauls finished the drive with a 47-yard field goal for the first points of the game.

Pitt 3, Duke 0 - 12:08, 1st quarter

Duke picked up a first down for the first time in the game on the next drive, starting the possession with a 12-yard run by running back Jordan Waters and getting another first down when Waters ran for eight yards on second-and-7 to get close to midfield. The defense stepped up after that, forcing an incomplete pass and two short runs to lead the Blue Devils to another punt.

Pitt’s offense couldn’t produce points from it, though, getting a first down on a pair of Abanikanda carries but getting stuck at the Pitt 30 on an incomplete pass and a sack.

Duke got good field position for its next drive when Caleb Junko’s punt was partially blocked. That gave the Blue Devils the ball at the Pitt 42, and they drove inside the 30 on a handful of plays before Riley Leonard threw down the left sideline to Jalon Calhoun for a 28-yard touchdown.

Duke 7, Pitt 3 - 3:28, 1st quarter

Pitt got a strong start to its next possession with Abanikanda leading the way, but a deep pass from Kedon Slovis to Jared Wayne on second-and-8 from the 45 was off-target, and Slovis had to throw the ball away on third down to force another punt.

This time things broke in Pitt’s favor, as Calhoun fumbled the return and Pitt long-snapper Byron Floyd recovered at the Duke 6. It only took Abanikanda one handoff from there to put the Panthers back in the lead.

Pitt 10, Duke 7 - 1:25, 1st quarter

SECOND QUARTER
Duke ended the first quarter facing third-and-8 but couldn’t convert on the first play of the second quarter, leading to another punt. The two teams traded three-and-outs before Pitt took over at its own 30 and made its first big play of the game. On second-and-9 from the 31, Slovis threw to Wayne in the middle of the field, and the senior receiver turned it into a 35-yard catch-and-run to the Duke 34.

The offense stalled after that, but Sauls converted again, this time kicking a career-long 51-yard field goal for three more points.

Pitt 13, Duke 7 - 9:12, 2nd quarter

Duke answered the Pitt field goal with its longest drive of the game, but not without some help from the Panthers. Pitt’s defense stopped the Blue Devils at their 44, but Javon McIntyre was called for roughing the kicker on the punt, giving Duke a fresh set of downs from the Panthers’ 41. The Blue Devils then picked up a big gain on a great catch by receiver Jordan Moore, which picked up 21 yards to move the ball to the Pitt 17.

The Panthers forced Duke into a fourth-and-1 from the 8, but the Blue Devils converted it with a seven-yard run by Waters and Leonard punched it in one play later for a touchdown.

Duke 14, Pitt 13 - 3:01, 2nd quarter

Pitt took the ball back with 2:58 left in the half and quickly found itself facing third-and-6, but Slovis converted that one with an eight-yard scramble before moving the ball across midfield on a 20-yard pass to Bub Means. Then, after a holding penalty put Pitt in first-and-20, Slovis and Wayne connected for a 24-yard gain to the Duke 27. An 11-yard pass to Konata Mumpfield got the Panthers inside the 16, but Pitt found itself facing third-and-9 from the 15. On that play, Slovis threw to Wayne in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown.

Pitt 20, Duke 14 - 0:10, 2nd quarter

THIRD QUARTER
Pitt opened the second half with the ball and went right to work, with Slovis throwing to Wayne for 19 yards on the first play of the quarter and then a 26-yard run from Abanikanda into Duke territory. The offense kept moving with a five-yard run to convert third-and-2 from the Duke 23, but second-and-9 from the 17 turned into second-and-24 from the 32 on a personal foul penalty against offensive lineman Gabe Houy. On the subsequent play, Slovis and Abanikanda were on different pages, and the quarterback’s pass down the left side to the running back was intercepted.

Pitt’s defense forced another three-and-out after the pick, and the Panthers took over at their own 25. But even though a false start - the first of two on the drive - pushed the offense back, they made up the yardage on a 14-yard pass to Gavin Bartholomew that converted third-and-13.

On third-and-5 from the Pitt 41, though, Slovis scrambled and tried to find an open receiver, but Duke picked off the pass for the second turnover in as many possessions.

Pitt’s defense stepped up again after the second interception. Duke started at the Pitt 47 and picked up a first down, but Shayne Simon sacked Leonard for a 12-yard loss, and Leonard’s pass on fourth-and-9 was dropped in the end zone to give Pitt possession.

As the third quarter came to an end, Pitt’s offense was driving in a methodical manner, with Rodney Hammond leading the charge across midfield.

FOURTH QUARTER
Pitt punted shortly after the start of the final quarter, and Duke took over at its own 10. The first play was a good one for the Blue Devils, who picked up 16 yards on a pass from Leonard to Calhoun. But on first down from the 26, David Green forced Waters to fumble, Brandon Hill recovered and ran 30 yards for a touchdown. Abanikanda then cashed in the two-point conversion to give Pitt a two-touchdown lead.

Pitt 28, Duke 14 - 13:30, 4th quarter

Duke followed the defensive touchdown with what looked like a methodical drive in its early going. The Blue Devils converted third-and-1 on a two-yard run, third-and-7 on an eight-yard pass and third-and-6 on a seven-yard run. That set up Duke at the Pitt 49, and on first down, Leonard found Moore wide open down the field for an easy pitch-and-catch touchdown. The Blue Devils opted to try a two-point conversion, but Leonard’s pass was incomplete, preserving an eight-point lead for Pitt.

Pitt 28, Duke 20 - 9:28, 4th quarter

Pitt had some momentum on offense to start the next drive with a 22-yard run from Abanikanda, but a short run and two incomplete passes ended the possession.

On the next drive, Duke converted third-and-10, third-and-7 and fourth-and-1 to get into Pitt territory, but an offensive holding call set the Blue Devils back, and the Panthers stood tall to force a fourth-down stop at the Pitt 37.

The Panthers took the ball back with less than four minutes to play, and two runs by C’Bo Flemister picked up seven yards, but on third-and-3, Slovis’ pass to Mumpfield over the middle skipped into the grass. That brought Pitt’s punt team out, but things went awry when Caleb Junko fumbled the snap, recovered and was tackled at the Pitt 22, where Duke took over.

Pitt managed to force the Blue Devils into third-and-10 from the 22, but Leonard threw to tight end Cole Finney on a screen that picked up 11 yards. Leonard ran for two yards on first down to get inside the 10, but a holding penalty on third-and-8 pushed Duke back to the 19 for third-and-18.

Leonard’s pass on third-and-long fell incomplete, setting up fourth-and-18 from the 19. On that play, Pitt dropped deep into coverage, but Leonard found running back Jaylen Coleman just short of the end zone. Coleman caught the pass and got across the goal line for the touchdown.

The Blue Devils had to try for two to tie the game, but their attempt at a trick play backfired when Moore was sacked before he could throw to Leonard.

Pitt 28, Duke 26 - 0:47, 4th quarter

Duke’s attempt at an onside kick was recovered by Erick Hallett, giving Pitt possession and the win.

Pitt 28, Duke 26 - Final