News and notes from Pitt's loss at UCF

- The loss drops Pitt to 2-3 on the season; the Panthers also started 2-3 last year. In his fourth season as head coach, Pat Narduzzi is 23-20 overall and 19-20 against FBS opponents.

- Saturday’s loss was Pitt’s second defeat by at least 30 points this season, joining the 52-6 loss to Penn State in Week Two. The last time Pitt lost two games by at least 30 points in one season was 2001; that year, the Panthers lost to Syracuse 42-10 and Boston College 45-7 in back-to-back games.

- Central Florida produced 568 yards of total offense; that was the most Pitt has allowed since Oklahoma State went for 676 in Week Three last season. Conversely, Pitt’s 272 yards of offense on Saturday were the fewest yards the Panthers have gained since they put up 235 in a loss at Georgia Tech last season.

- Pitt’s leading receiver for the second consecutive week was junior Maurice Ffrench, who caught three passes for 78 yards and a touchdown against UCF. The touchdown was a 58-yard run on what was effectively a jet sweep, with quarterback Kenny Pickett flipping the ball forward to Ffrench as he ran across the formation before dodging tackles and winning a footrace to the end zone.

Last week at North Carolina, Ffrench was Pitt’s top receiver with 65 yards and a score on seven catches. He leads Pitt in receptions this season with 14 and is second in receiving yards with 172.

- Redshirt sophomore receiver Taysir Mack had two catches for 41 yards in the first quarter, including a 28-yard pass to convert third-and-14 on Pitt’s first drive, but he was hurt on an incomplete pass trying to convert third-and-3 on the Panthers’ third possession (he also took a shot catching a 13-yard pass on the previous play).

Mack played one snap on Pitt’s next drive but limped off the field and did not return.

- Mack’s absence meant extra playing time for redshirt freshmen Dontavius Butler-Jenkins and Michael Smith. Butler-Jenkins caught three passes for eight yards; Smith did not have any receptions, although he was targeted several times and dropped one of those targets.

- The Pitt coaches also got playing time for other infrequently-used players on Saturday. Sophomore AJ Davis recorded his first rushing attempts since the Penn State game and finished with 19 yards on five carries. Redshirt freshman offensive linemen Jerry Drake, Gabe Houy and Carson Van Lynn all saw action on Pitt’s final series. Redshirt sophomore lineman Bryce Hargrove also rotated in at both right guard and left guard in the game.

- On defense, freshman cornerback Marquis Williams played for the first time since the opener against Albany. He was one of five freshmen to travel to Orlando; receiver Shocky Jacques-Louis and running back Mychale Salahuddin also traveled and played, while defensive lineman David Green and cornerback V’Lique Carter traveled but did not play.

- Williams’ primary role was as a nickel-back, since that defensive sub-package made its 2018 debut on Saturday. Sophomore Jason Pinnock was the primary nickel-back, but Williams and redshirt sophomore Therran Coleman also worked in that role. Pinnock had one tackle and one pass breakup; Coleman had one tackle and one forced fumble.

- Pitt’s first touchdown on Saturday came in the first quarter when redshirt senior receiver Rafael Araujo-Lopes returned a punt 85 yards to the end zone. That was the first punt return touchdown of Araujo-Lopes’ career and more than tripled his punt return yardage this season. It was also Pitt’s first punt return touchdown since Quadree Henderson ran one back 75 yards in the Panthers’ win over Virginia last season.

- Redshirt junior tight end Will Gragg also caught his first passes since transferring to Pitt from Arkansas this offseason. Gragg had three receptions for 21 yards on Saturday.