Pitt is facing UCLA in the Sun Bowl today. Here’s the latest from the game.

FIRST QUARTER
Pitt got the ball to open the game and Nick Patti led the team onto the field as the starting quarterback for the first time since the Peach Bowl last December. After a miscue led to a delay of game penalty on first down, Patti showed his mobility with a 42-yard run into UCLA territory. A series of short passes kept the Panthers moving, but once they got inside the 10, things stalled. Patti was nearly intercepted on a pass to Jared Wayne on first-and-goal and then lost a yard on a quarterback keeper on second down. Patti scrambled on third down but was stopped short, leaving Ben Sauls to score the first points of the game on a 22-yard field goal.

PITT 3, UCLA 0 - 8:05, 1st quarter

Pitt’s defense had UCLA in a third down on the Bruins’ first drive, but quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson showed his prowess by rushing for a first down on third-and-5. Two plays later, he showed his arm with a 51-yard catch-and-run pass to Kam Brown. That one put UCLA at the Pitt 11, and Thompson-Robinson converted the drive with a throw to Logan Loya, who was lost by the Pitt defense and ran into the end zone untouched.
UCLA 7, PITT 3 - 5:15, 1st quarter

Pitt’s next drive looked like it was going to end before it got going after Daniel Carter was stopped short of picking up a third-and-3. But in an early gamble, Pat Narduzzi opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Pitt 31. Patti initially fumbled the snap, but Rodney Hammond picked it up and fell forward for two yards and a first down. Hammond kept things going with a 20-yard run into UCLA territory, but the offense stalled again when a third-and-5 pass to Bub Means from the UCLA 31 was dropped. Sauls finished the drive, though, with a good field goal from 49 yards to cut the lead to one.
UCLA 7, PITT 6 - 0:00, 1st quarter

SECOND QUARTER
Pitt kicked off to open the second quarter and UCLA started marching. The Panthers’ defense stepped up to force third-and-8 at the Pitt 48, but on that snap, Thompson-Robinson went deep to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, who pulled in the catch for a 49-yard gain to the Pitt 4. Two plays later, Thompson-Robinson plunged into the end zone for another touchdown.
UCLA 14, PITT 6 - 11:57, 2nd quarter

Pitt went three-and-out on its next drive, and the game seemed to be slipping away as Thompson-Robinson went to work and marched the Bruins inside the Pitt 20. But on first down from there, the UCLA quarterback made his first mistake when a pass to Loya went off the receiver’s hands and was intercepted by Tylar Wiltz.

The Panthers’ offense took the field with some momentum after the turnover, and the Patti-led group made its first big play in the passing game when, on second-and-10 from the Pitt 16, Patti scrambled before heaving a deep pass to Bub Means, who made the catch for a 45-yard gain into UCLA territory.

After that, a serious of short passes and runs from Hammond drove Pitt to the UCLA 15, and on second down, Patti scrambled again before firing a shot into the end zone for Means.

The offense stayed out to try a two-point conversion, and Patti made it happen with a quick roll-out throw to Konata Mumpfield to tie the game.
PITT 14, UCLA 14 - 3:49, 2nd quarter

UCLA took the ball back with less than four minutes on the clock and once again, Thompson-Robinson went to work. After he was sacked on first down from the UCLA 41, the Bruins quarterback moved the chains several times with quick-hitters before he fired a shot down the middle of the field to Mokiao-Atimalala, who made the catch for a 28-yard touchdown.
UCLA 21, PITT 14 - 0:57, 2nd quarter

Pitt’s final possession of the half started with 57 seconds left on the clock, but rather than run out the time, the Panthers tried to throw. Patti’s first attempt was incomplete and he had to scramble on second down, but the resulting tackle seemed to shake him up and he had to leave the game. Nate Yarnell replaced Patti and promptly threw a 16-yard pass to Wayne in triple coverage. After one more pass, Yarnell came out as Patti returned. Nothing came of the drive, though, and Pitt punted to end the half.
UCLA 21, PITT 14 - Halftime

THIRD QUARTER
UCLA got the ball to open the second half, and the Bruins didn’t look like they missed a beat, driving deep into Pitt territory with ease. But on third-and-4 from the Pitt 17, another Thompson-Robinson pass was tipped and intercepted. This time the pick came from redshirt freshman safety Javon McIntyre, who was making his first career start, and it gave the Panthers possession at their own 13.

Pitt couldn’t do anything with the turnover, going three-and-out and punting, but the defense got the ball right back with its first three-and-out of the game.

A bad punt put the Panthers at their own 48 to start the drive, and on second-and-3 Patti tried a screen pass to Mumpfield. But the throw was high and UCLA’s Jaylin Davies intercepted it. With no one in front of him, Davies ran 52 yards for a touchdown.
UCLA 28, PITT 14 - 8:45, 3rd quarter

After the pick-six, Pitt went back to work, this time focusing on the run game. But the offense ran right into a fourth-and-1 from the Panthers’ 34; Rodney Hammond converted it, though, with a nine-yard run. Pitt converted another third down when Mumpfield made a 14-yard catch on third-and-six, and the Panthers got another first down with a 14-yard run from Vincent Davis. A pass interference penalty put the ball at the 12, and after a pass to Mumpfield put the ball at the 1, Hammond finished the drive with a touchdown run.
UCLA 28, PITT 21 - 3:04, 3rd quarter

Pitt forced another three-and-out on UCLA’s next possession, but the Panthers couldn’t capitalize, picking up one first down but punting from their own side of the field as the third quarter ended.

FOURTH QUARTER
After the punt, UCLA took the ball at its own 27, but on the first play of the drive, Thompson-Robinson didn’t see Bangally Kamara in the middle of the field and threw it directly to the Pitt linebacker.

Five plays later, Hammond plowed into the end zone from seven yards out to tie the game.
PITT 28, UCLA 28 - 12:44, 4th quarter

Pitt got another big play after the touchdown when Sauls’ kickoff got hung up in the wind enough to cause UCLA’s returner to have to run to get under the ball. The returner made it to the ball but fumbled it and Solomon DeShields recovered for Pitt. The Panthers didn’t turn that turnover into a touchdown, but Sauls connected from 31 yards for the go-ahead field goal.
PITT 31, UCLA 28 - 10:38, 4th quarter

Another misplayed kickoff put UCLA at its own 5 to start the next possession. To complicate matters for the Bruins, Thompson-Robinson stayed on the sidelines with an injury and was replaced by Ethan Garbers. Either way, Pitt’s defense responded with another three-and-out, and while the Panthers couldn’t get into the end zone, they added another field goal from Sauls to push the lead to six.
PITT 34, UCLA 28 - 4:24, 4th quarter

Garbers picked up a first down for UCLA on the first play of the next drive, but the Panthers shut him and the Bruins down after that, blowing up a swing pass for a three-yard loss on first down, sacking Garbers for a four-yard loss on third down and then forcing an incomplete pass on UCLA’s try from fourth-and-9.

Pitt took the ball looking to kill as much of the remaining 2:21 in the fourth quarter, but UCLA stopped the run on three consecutive snaps and called timeout each time. On fourth-and-1 from the UCLA 28, though, a muffed handoff led to a fumbled snap and gave the Bruins possession with 2:01 on the clock.

Playing without their star quarterback, UCLA looked like it was in trouble, but on second-and-6 from the 34, running back T.J. Harden found a hole and took off for 34 yards. Garbers connected on two passes to get inside the 10 before Harden carried the ball eight yards into the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown.
UCLA 34, PITT 28 - 0:34, 4th quarter

Pitt’s sure victory looked like a sure defeat, but Patti wasn’t done yet. With 34 seconds left in the game and the ball at the 25, the redshirt senior quarterback moved the chains with an 18-yard pass to Wayne and a 17-yard pass to Means that put the ball at the UCLA 40 with 20 seconds on the clock.

For that first down play, Patti dropped back, stepped to his right and then took off on a scramble. With no timeouts, Pitt couldn’t afford to let the clock run, but Patti fought off a tackle and picked up 11 yards for a first down. After a spike, Sauls came out for his biggest field goal of the day.

The 47-yard kick was good, and the Panthers left El Paso with a 37-35 victory.
PITT 37, UCLA 35 - Final