No. 17 Pitt is hosting Miami at Heinz Field today. Here’s the latest from the game.
FIRST QUARTER
Miami won the coin toss and opted to defer, kicking off and giving the ball to Pitt top open the game. The Panthers faced a third-and-6 on their first series but converted with an impressive 37-yard catch-and-run pass from Kenny Pickett to freshman tight end Gavin Bartholomew.
That play moved the ball into Miami territory, but Pitt took some steps back with a false start and a nine-yard sack. Pickett got it back with a 14-yard pass to Melquise Stovall on second-and-24 and then threw to Taysir Mack at the goal line. The initial touchdown call was overturned to down at the 1, but Israel Abanikanda cashed in on the next snap to give Pitt the early lead.
PITT 7, MIAMI 0 - 12:09, 1st quarter
Pitt’s first defensive stand started strong when Calijah Kancey sacked Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke for a 15-yard loss on first down. But Van Dyke got it back with a 57-yard pass to Keyshawn Smith to get deep into Pitt territory. Two plays later, Van Dyke and backup tight end Elijah Arroyo hooked up for a 20-yard completion into the end zone.
PITT 7, MIAMI 7 - 10:31, 1st quarter
Pitt got into Miami territory on its next possession, but a third-and-3 pass to Lucas Krull was incomplete after a big hit on the Panthers tight end, and Pickett’s pass to Mack on fourth down was incomplete to give the Hurricanes possession.
The visitors struck quick after that. Miami moved to a first down at the 43 before a trick play left tight end Will Mallory wide open. Van Dyke had no problem hitting Mallory for a 57-yard touchdown to take the lead.
MIAMI 14, PITT 7 - 8:44, 1st quarter
Pitt needed something from its offense on the next drive, but the Panthers didn’t get anything after a facemask penalty on Marcus Minor pushed the offense back to a first-and-22. The Panthers failed to get a first down and punted, and Miami struck quickly again. This time, it took the Hurricanes two plays - the second of which was a 40-yard touchdown run by Jaylan Knighton.
MIAMI 21, PITT 7 - 6:20, 1st quarter
Pitt took the ball back trailing by two touchdowns and started driving. The Panthers converted third-and-2 with a 33-yard reception by Jordan Addison and then moved to the Miami 20 before a pair of Pickett passes fell incomplete.
Sam Scarton finished the drive with a 38-yard field goal.
MIAMI 21, PITT 10 - 3:25, 1st quarter
After Pitt’s field goal, the Panthers did something they hadn’t done in the game to that point: got a stop. Granted, Miami did its part with a pair of penalties, but Pitt stepped up to make a tackle on a third-and-17 screen and force a punt.
SECOND QUARTER
The Panthers got the ball at their own 16, but Pickett and Addison quickly moved into Miami territory with a 39-yard pass on the final play of the first quarter. Pitt then moved methodically to the 20, where Pickett threw a check down pass to Abanikanda, who scampered down the sideline for a score.
MIAMI 21, PITT 17 - 12:50, 2nd quarter
After punting on its last possession, Miami’s offense got back on track. The Hurricanes started their next drive with back-to-back screen passes for first downs and then got deep into Pitt territory on a pair of roughing the passer penalties. Miami missed two opportunities for touchdowns from the 15, though, and a third down pass was incomplete, leaving kicker Andy Borregales to attempt a 26-yard field goal that was good.
MIAMI 24, PITT 17 - 10:16, 2nd quarter
Pitt’s next drive was a solid march. Pickett connected with Rodney Hammond for a pair of passes to get a first down and then threw twice to Taysir Mack for two more first downs. But the offense stalled inside the Miami 40, and the Panthers opted to punt.
The decision was well-executed, though. Pitt downed the kick at the 8 and the defense answered with a three-and-out. Whatever momentum was gained went away quickly on the first play of the Panthers’ next drive when Pickett threw to Mack and the pass was intercepted by Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.
It only took the Hurricanes four plays to get into the end zone after that, with Knighton running from one yard out.
MIAMI 31, PITT 17 - 4:02, 2nd quarter
The Panthers got the ball back with four minutes left in the half needing a touchdown to cut the lead to seven at halftime. Things started well, as Pickett scrambled for 14 yards and then threw to Mack for 18 more to into Miami territory. The Panthers eventually reached the Miami 36, but a short Pickett scramble and two passes to Vincent Davis failed to get a first down, and Scarton had to attempt a 49-yard field goal.
This one went wide left, and Pitt went into the locker room trailing by two touchdowns.
MIAMI 31, PITT 17 - Halftime
THIRD QUARTER
Miami got the ball to open the second half, but it was Pitt’s defense that created momentum early, forcing a three-and-out with a Habakkuk Baldonado third-down sack on Van Dyke to force a punt. The Panthers got even more of a boost when Jaylon Barden returned the punt 32 yards to the Miami 27. On third-and-6 from the 12, Pickett rolled to his left, pulled up and threw to Jared Wayne in the end zone for the score.
MIAMI 31, PITT 24 - 11:18, 3rd quarter
Pitt’s defense kept it up after the touchdown. Van Dyke connected on a trio of passes to get across midfield, but Cam Bright made a seven-yard tackle for loss to push the ball back to the Pitt 48 and a third-and-17 pass only picked up 10 to force another punt.
The punt was downed at the 9, but Pitt’s offense was up to the task, as Pickett completed 5-of-5 for 89 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown pass to Barden that tied the game.
PITT 31, MIAMI 31 - 5:50, 3rd quarter
Miami got its momentum back on the next drive. After starting at the 15, the Hurricanes used screen passes to march into Pitt territory and then got to the 24 with a pass interference penalty. Three plays later, Van Dyke threw to Smith for a 13-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead.
MIAMI 38, PITT 31 - 2:15, 3rd quarter
Abanikanda got a good return on Miami’s ensuing kickoff, and the Hurricanes were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct to give Pitt even more yardage and move the ball close to midfield. Abanikanda ran for 19 yards on first down to get into Miami territory, and as the third quarter ended, Pitt was facing third-and-1 at the Miami 14.
FOURTH QUARTER
Abanikanda was stuffed on the third down run, but Pickett threw to Bartholomew for 10 yards to convert fourth-and-2. The next three plays didn’t work, though, with Pickett throwing incomplete to Bartholomew and Abanikanda before running a variation of the Pitt Special on third down. This time, Krull was trying to throw to the end zone, but the pass was incomplete and Scarton had to kick a 23-yard field goal.
MIAMI 38, PITT 34 - 13:55, 4th quarter
The offenses went quiet after the field goal, with each team posting a three-and-out before Miami got rolling again. The Hurricanes took possession at their own 8 and moved to the 35 on a screen pass before crossing midfield thanks to a personal foul penalty on Pitt.
Van Dyke then converted a third-and-5 on his own with a scramble. But on the next third down - a third-and-1 from the 25 - Miami took a false start penalty, and on third-and-6, Van Dyke’s intended target fell down. But he threw the pass anyway and Pitt linebacker John Petrishen picked it off.
The interception gave Pitt the ball at the 5 and the Panthers started moving. A 19-yard pass to Krull got things going and a 23-yard pass to Addison got close to midfield before Pickett and Wayne hooked up for a 26-yard pass on third-and-6. After Pickett got sacked on the ensuing first down at the Miami 23, it looked like the Panthers had a touchdown with Addison near the end zone. But the quarterback and receiver weren’t on the same page, so the pass missed completely and was intercepted.
Miami took over at its own 2 and seemed to be dropped in the end zone for a safety, but the officials ruled that Knighton crossed the goal line and marked his forward progress at the 1. On the next play, Van Dyke threw to Xavier Restrepo for an 18-yard gain, and the Hurricanes needed just one more first down to secure the win.
MIAMI 38, PITT 34 - Final
