Pitt players appreciative of the fans
CHARLOTTE — As the clock started to evaporate in Pitt’s 45-21 win over Wake Forest in the ACC Championship, Bank of America Stadium started to feel a little like Heinz Field. The Pitt football team received a strong showing in fan support on Saturday night, and it did not go unnoticed to the players on the field.
“It felt like home,” Pitt safety Brandon Hill said after the game. “It felt like we had the city behind us, even though we were at a different site, but just the support from the fans and the unconditional love for the Pitt Panthers here has been great and well needed and we appreciate all the fans. We love y’all.”
The players showed their love to the fan in the form of the program’s best season in decades. Pitt earned its 11th win of the season on Saturday night, and the fans that follow this team got to bask in the glory with the players.
“It’s actually nuts,” Pitt senior guard Marcus Minor said of the Pitt crowd on Saturday. “I was never able to have such great support. It’s such a beautiful sight to have fans whether it’s driving seven hours or flying - it’s crazy how much support was able to come.”
Pitt fans were not only eager to see the team win its first ever ACC title, they wanted to show support to their star player Kenny Pickett. In the closing minutes of the game, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi was able to give Pickett a curtain call of sorts, and the blue and gold clad crowd chanted the name of the Pitt quarterback as he walked off the field.
“It's special,” Pitckett said of that moment leaving the field to a standing ovation. "It’s been a long road. It hasn't been this my entire career, and to battle through the adversities early on and to finish it off like this, it's unbelievable. I really don't have too many words for it.”
Pitt won its first ACC title on Saturday night, but this is the second time they have appeared in the title game. In the 2018 game, Pitt lost to Clemson 42-10 in front of a large contingent of Tigers fans. It was a different vibe in the stadium on Saturday night, with more Pitt fans than ever before traveling with the team to Charlotte.
“When we played here in 2018 it was all orange, now it’s all blue this year,” Pitt senior linebacker Chase Pine said. “It felt like a home game.”
The win obviously means a lot to the players and coaches as they have put in the work since spring ball, but they also recognized that Saturday’s win was more than just a win for the team.
“I think it means everything for Pittsburgh, the University of Pittsburgh,” Pitt linemen Gabe Houy said after the game. “This is what we’ve been striving for for five years now and we finally got it done so I’m just proud of my class, proud of my guys, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
The Pitt faithful remained in the stadium long after the final whistle and celebrated with the team as they raised the trophy. The players took note of that as well.
“We heard them all game long,” Pitt linebacker Johnny Petrishen said of the fans. “It was amazing, the support all weekend was great. I heard it was crazy in downtown Charlotte. The Pitt fans have been unbelievable all year."