Pitt's 2021 football schedule released
Pitt had already known its opponents for the 2021 football season. On Thursday morning, the ACC officially released the dates to accompany those names. The ACC is returning to the traditional divisional schedule after modifying the 2020 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pitt is set to play four non-conference game. The Panthers will play seven home games at Heinz Field this fall, including three in the month of September. Pitt will play 11 of its games on Saturday's, but the Panthers will also feature a Thursday night primetime showcase at home against North Carolina on November 11th. Here is a closer look at the 2021 Pitt football schedule.
Saturday September 4, 2021: Massachusetts
Pitt will open the 2021 season at home against the UMass Minutemen. It will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Massachusetts made the jump from the FCS to FBS ahead of the 2012 season. The Minutemen have yet to appear in a bowl game during their time in the FBS. Massachusetts competes as an Independent program, and of course there is a strong connection as Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple was the former head coach in Amherst. Whipple had two stints at UMass, and guided the program to the 1-AA national championship back in 1998. UMass compiled an 0-4 record in 2020.
Saturday September 11, 2021: at Tennessee
Pitt will head to Tennessee for the first time since 1983. The Panthers own a 2-0 record all-time against the Volunteers. The programs share a connection in the form of a former head coach. Johnny Majors guided Pitt to a National Championship in 1976 before returning to his alma mater. Majors then led Tennessee to three SEC titles during his tenure before coming back to Pitt for a second stint. Tennessee is coming off a dismal 3-7 season in 2020, which led to the firing of head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Just yesterday, Tennessee announced the hiring of Josh Huepel as his replacement. The Panthers have some familiarity with Huepel as he coached UCF prior to heading to Knoxville. Pitt split a two-game series with the Golden Knights, including a dramatic 35-34 Pitt win back in 2019.
Saturday September 18, 2021: Western Michigan
Pitt returns home to face Western Michigan. It will mark the first-ever meeting between Pitt and the Broncos, and Western Michigan will become the tenth program from the MAC the Panthers have faced in the school's history. Western Michigan had a hot start to the 2020 season with a 4-0 record, but lost its remaining two games and did not participate in a bowl. Tim Lester is entering his fifth season as head coach, and has taken the Broncos to two bowls games during his time in Kalamazoo.
Saturday September 25, 2021: New Hampshire
Pitt will host FCS New Hampshire to close out the non-conference schedule and the month of September. New Hampshire competes in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and has been a fixture in the FCS playoffs in recent memory. The Wildcats have made the FCS playoffs 14 times since 2004, including runs to the semifinals in 2013 and 2014. This will be the second-ever meeting between the two programs, as Pitt defeated New Hampshire at Heinz Field back in 2010 in the final year of the Dave Wannstedt era. Ray Graham rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-16 Pitt victory.
Saturday October 2, 2021: at Georgia Tech
Due to a scheduling change in 2020, this will actually be the third straight season Pitt heads to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech. Pitt concluded the 2020 season this year with a 34-20 win over the Yellow Jackets. Sophomore running back Vincent Davis rushed for a career-high 247 yards in the win. Pitt holds a 10-5 all-time edge in the series, including wins in five of the previous six meetings. This will be the third year of the Geoff Collins era in Atlanta, and he has compiled a 6-16 record to date. There appears to be a little bad blood brewing between Collins and Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi stemming from a handshake fiasco in the game this season.
Saturday October 16, 2021: at Virginia Tech
Following a bye week, the Panthers will stay on the road for another divisional showdown against Virginia Tech. Pitt handled the Hokies at Heinz Field this season by a score of 47-14. This will be the 21st meeting between the two programs, and the 9th as members of the ACC. Since joining the conference, Pitt and Virginia Tech have an even 4-4 split in this series with the home team winning six of those games. Pitt's last win in Blacksburg came in 2015, and have lost the two matchups since, including a 28-0 defeat in 2019. Justin Fuente is set to begin his sixth season with the Hokies, and has a 38-26 record in Blacksburg. The Hokies finished last year at 5-6 and missed a bowl game for the first time since 1992.
October 23, 2021: Clemson
Pitt has been a member of the ACC since 2013 and this will be the first time Clemson will come to Heinz Field. The Tigers have won six straight ACC Championships and have collected a pair of national titles during this current stretch of dominance. Clemson lost to Alabama in the national championship game earlier this month and is set to lose a number of key contributors from that squad, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The Panthers fell victim to Clemson during the 2020 season with a 52-17 blowout loss. The Tigers recruit as well as anyone in the country and will still likely be a top-5 team when they come to Pittsburgh. Pitt is 2-2 all-time against Clemson, with wins coming in 1977 and 2016. The Tigers have won the last two meetings and this will be the first game played in the city of Pittsburgh.
October 30, 2021: Miami
The Panthers will host a pivotal showdown against ACC Coastal rival Miami to end the month of October. Pitt lost to Miami 31-19 this past season, but played that game without starting quarterback Kenny Pickett. The Hurricanes posted a strong campaign in 2020, with an 8-3 final record in Manny Diaz's second season in Coral Gables. Miami star quarterback D'eriq King is set to return, but will be coming off an injury and it is still unclear how he will respond. The series has been dominated by the Hurricanes, with Miami holding a 28-11-1 record over Pitt.
November 6, 2021: at Duke
Pitt did not see ACC Coastal opponent Duke last season following the altered schedule. The Blue Devils finished a dismal 2-9 in 2020 in David Cutcliffe's 13th season on the sidelines. Pitt and Duke have played in a number of highly entertaining games since the Panthers joined the ACC. Pitt is 6-1 against the Blue Devils, but five of those games have been decided by 9 points or less. Pitt last played in Durham in 2019 and needed a Kenny Pickett to V'lique Carter touchdown pass in the closing seconds to escape with a 33-30 victory.
November 11, 2021: North Carolina (Thursday)
Pitt's lone Thursday game this season will be against ACC Coastal favorite North Carolina in a primetime showdown. The Panthers will also have a short week to prepare for this one. The Tar Heels will be led by Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Sam Howell. He has been the leader of the resurgence for this program under Mack Brown. Howell threw for over 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2020. North Carolina has long been a thorn in Pitt's side since joining the ACC. Pitt is just 1-6 against the Tar Heels as conference foes, with the lone win coming in overtime in a Thursday night home game in 2019. Prior to that, the Tar Heels had won all six meetings by a total of 26 points.
November 20, 2021: Virginia
Pitt closes out the home slate with a game against Virginia. It was another divisional game Pitt lost last season due the reshuffling of the schedule due to the pandemic. Pat Narduzzi is 4-1 against the Cavaliers in his tenure, with the lone loss coming in the 2019 season opener. Virginia went on to win the division that season and earned a trip to the Orange Bowl. Bronco Mendenhall is heading into his sixth-season with the Cavaliers and he has put together a 30-32 record in that time. Virginia is coming off a 5-5 season, and the program opted not to participate in a bowl.
November 27, 2021: at Syracuse
Pitt's opponent on Thanksgiving weekend has changed through the years. This year it will be Syracuse, and if Pitt has anything close to a traditional rival in this league, it is the Orange. Syracuse is Pitt's third-most common opponent throughout history and this year's matchup will be the 77th meeting between the two schools. Pitt owns a 41-32-2 edge over Syracuse, and the two schools have played every year since 1955. Since 2002, Pitt has dominated the series 16-3. Pitt won last year 21-10 at Heinz Field, as the Orange went on to have a dreadful 1-10 season. Dino Babers is entering his sixth season with the program, and has four losing seasons, but did manage to put together a 10-win campaign in 2018. All three of Syracuse's wins over Pitt since 2002 have come in the Carrier Dome.