The losing end of a close one

The Panthers built a 5-2 overall record and a four-game winning streak with victories over UCF, Delaware, Duke and Syracuse, and each of those wins came in rather thrilling fashion.

There was the “Pitt Special” trick play to beat UCF. A fourth-quarter comeback touchdown to beat Delaware. A final-minute scoring drive to come back against Duke. And a strong final drive to hold off Syracuse’s fourth-quarter rally.

Each of those four contests was a one-score game decided in the fourth quarter, and while they all went in Pitt’s favor, there was underlying feeling that couldn’t be ignored:

If Pitt kept playing those close games, eventually, the end results wouldn’t be victories. And on Saturday at Heinz Field, that’s exactly what happened as the Panthers lost to Miami 16-12 in a game that saw Miami lead into the fourth quarter, Pitt take the lead back with seven minutes to play and the Hurricanes go on top in the final minutes.

Pitt’s players and coaches knew they were walking a tightrope, and they knew that on Saturday, they fell off.

“It’s going to catch up to us,” redshirt junior center Jimmy Morrissey said after the game. “That’s the emphasis at practice, that’s the emphasis at meetings, we just - we’re running out of time now. 5-3, eight weeks in, eight games in, we’ve got to start learning how to put together drives, finishing them in the end zone. We were moving the ball well enough but we didn’t put enough points on the board.”

Morrissey puts the blame on Pitt’s offense, and there is certainly plenty to be had on that side of the ball. Pitt has scored 17 offensive touchdowns in eight games this season; that’s a bad enough number, but it’s even worse in the second half, where the Panthers have reached the end zone just five times.

As a result, Pitt has found itself in close game after close game.

Meanwhile, Pitt’s defense has been rock solid. The Panthers gave up just over 200 yards of total offense to Miami and allowed two offensive touchdowns. One of those touchdowns came on the Hurricanes’ final drive as backup quarterback Jarren Williams led Miami on a 62-yard march.

But Miami’s other touchdown came after a Kenny Pickett interception gave the Hurricanes a short field, and that has been a trend for Pitt this season. Of the 18 touchdowns Pitt’s defense has given up in eight games, nine have come on short fields after turnovers (including a blocked punt in the season-opening loss to Virginia).

“Terrible,” Morrissey said. “We didn’t finish. We didn’t play well enough. Three turnovers and, what was it? Four field goals? I’m shocked that we were even in that game. Our defense did a great job.”

Week after week, Pitt’s defense has given the team a chance to win, but the Panthers’ offense has failed to build a lead that didn’t look vulnerable in the fourth quarter - or, in the case of the Miami game, wasn’t strong enough to hold up at the end. Junior quarterback Kenny Pickett said after Pitt’s win at Syracuse last week that the Panthers have to do a better job of closing teams out; against Miami, the offense had plenty of chances but couldn’t capitalize, driving into the red zone three times but failing to score a touchdown on each of those possessions.

“It all comes down to making sure that we block well enough for Kenny, make the holes for the running backs and make sure that Kenny gets the ball out on time properly, and then once our receivers get the ball, they have to make plays,” Morrissey said. “It all trickles down and it’s just frustrating.”