Need to know: Pitt-Tennessee game week
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Pitt (1-0) will go on the road this week to face Tennessee (1-0) at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
Here's everything you need to know to get the week started.
Time, TV and radio info
Pitt-Tennessee will kick off at noon ET at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville (Tenn.). It will be broadcast by ESPN with radio coverage on 93.7 The Fan.
What’s the spread?
As of Monday morning, Pitt is favored by 2 points, according to Scoresandodds.com, with the over/under set at 52.
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 2-0 all-time against Tennessee, having defeated the Volunteers 30-6 in 1980 and 13-3 in 1983. Both games were on the road.
- Including those two games against Tennessee, Pitt is 12-3-2 all-time against current SEC teams. The Panthers’ last SEC game was the 38-17 loss to Ole Miss in the 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl. Pitt’s most recent win against an SEC opponent was the 27-10 win over Kentucky in the 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl.
- The last time Pitt beat a Power Five non-conference opponent on the road was 2008 when the Panthers defeated Notre Dame in four overtimes. Since then, Pitt has lost at Iowa twice (2012 and 2015), at Oklahoma State (2016), at Penn State twice (2017 and 2019) and at Notre Dame (2010, 2012 and 2018).
Weather outlook
According to weather.com, Saturday in Knoxville will be sunny with a high temperature of 84 degrees and less than 10% chance of precipitation.
Top storylines
- This week’s game will be the sixth time Pat Narduzzi has led a team on the road against a Power Five non-conference opponent. Narduzzi is still looking for his first win in that setting, having lost at Iowa in 2015, Oklahoma State in 2016, Penn State in 2017, Notre Dame in 2018 and Penn State in 2019.
- Pitt rushed for more than 200 yards in the season-opening win over UMass on Saturday, but the Panthers did so with six different running backs carrying the ball. The rotation will inevitably be trimmed down, but how that trimming happens will be one of the key storylines to watch this Saturday.
- Pitt’s defense manhandled UMass, with the pass rush recording 25 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, and five sacks. Tennessee figures to provide more resistance - as well as the first real test for the Panthers.
- Similarly, Pitt’s secondary was never really tested on Saturday against UMass, and while Joe Milton completed just 11-of-23 for 140 yards and one touchdown in the Volunteers’ 38-6 win over Bowling Green, there are bound to be more passes thrown downfield. How Pitt’s defensive backs respond will be a top storyline in the game.