Pitt (6-2, 3-1) will look to bounce back from its loss to Miami with a trip to Duke (3-5, 0-4) on Saturday. Here’s everything you need to know to get the week started.
Time, TV and radio info
Pitt-Duke is set for a noon kickoff at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham (N.C.) on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network with radio coverage in Pittsburgh on 93.7 The Fan.
What’s the spread?
Pitt is a 20-point favorite over Duke, according to the early lines on BetOnline.
Weather outlook
According to weather.com, Saturday in Durham will see a high of 53 degrees with a 24% chance of precipitation.
Game week schedule
Pat Narduzzi will hold his weekly press conference on Monday at noon. Select players and assistant coaches will address the media on Tuesday and Wednesday; Narduzzi will also have his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays.
On Thursday, Narduzzi will have his final press briefing of the week.
Here on Panther-Lair.com, The Kenny Pickett Show debuts every Wednesday morning and the Panther-Lair Show live stream airs Wednesday nights at 8:30 p.m.
Notes of note
- Pitt is 15-9 all-time against Duke but 6-1 since joining the ACC. The Panthers have not lost to the Blue Devils in five games under Pat Narduzzi.
- The last three Pitt-Duke games have had final scores separated by less than 10 points. The 2017 game in Durham finished 24-17. 2018 was a 54-45 final after a late Pitt safety at Heinz Field. And the 2019 game in Durham finished 33-30 on a late-game touchdown pass. The Panthers and Blue Devils did not meet last season as part of the ACC’s COVID-adjusted schedule.
- Narduzzi is 48-36 as Pitt’s head coach; only five coaches in school history have won more games. The Panthers are 32-22 in ACC games under Narduzzi.
- Pitt is 6-2 for the second time under Narduzzi. The Panthers opened the 2015 season - Narduzzi’s debut - at 6-1 before a loss to North Carolina dropped them to 6-2. They lost to Notre Dame the following week to fall to 6-3 and finished the regular season 8-4.
Top storylines
- Pitt turned its first loss this season into a four-game winning streak, and the Panthers will be looking for a similar response to this most recent defeat. Pitt has had at least one multi-game losing streak in each of Narduzzi’s first six seasons.
- The Panthers’ defense gave up 38 points and nearly 500 yards to Miami’s offense on Saturday, but Duke has not been quite as successful as the Hurricanes so far this season. The Blue Devils rank No. 12 in the ACC in points per game, averaging 24.5, and they have averaged just 10.3 points in conference games.
- Duke ranks last in the ACC in scoring defense, allowing 40.5 points per conference game. The Blue Devils have also allowed an average of 348.3 passing yards per ACC game.
- After his record-setting game against Miami, Kenny Pickett is second in the ACC in passing yards with 2,755, and he leads the conference with 26 passing touchdowns. Pickett is sixth nationally in passing yards, fifth in passing yards per game and tied for fourth in passing touchdowns.
- Pickett has now passed for 10,739 yards in his career, making him the second player in Pitt history to throw for 10,000 yards. He needs 529 yards to pass Alex Van Pelt as the leading passer in Pitt history. Pickett also needs 925 yards to break Rod Rutherford’s Pitt record for passing yards in a season.
