Today is Day Two of the 21st Century Pitt Bracket, where we’re trying to find the best Pitt team from the last 20 seasons.
On Day One, the left side of the bracket saw a few upsets, such as the No. 9 seed 2010 team knocking off the No. 8 seed 2015 squad and the 2016 team falling in a 5/12 upset to the team from 2000. Four teams remain on that side of the bracket, and here’s how it looks head into Day Two.
(Click the image for a larger view.)
Here's how the games on the right side of the bracket played out in simulations on WhatIfSports.com.
Game Seven: No. 15 vs. No. 18
The first matchup on the right side of the bracket paired one of the more celebrated teams in recent Pitt history with one of the more forgotten teams in recent Pitt history, as the 2007 Panthers, who finished their season with an upset win over No. 2 West Virginia, took on the 2011 squad that represented Todd Graham’s lone year in Pittsburgh.
The 2007 team created a legend, but in this tournament, Graham is advancing, as the 2011 team won 20-16 with a fourth-quarter comeback.
In 2007, Pitt was led by LeSean McCoy, whose pure ability carried the running game and was key in the Backyard Brawl upset. But facing the better-than-it-gets-credit-for 2011 defense, McCoy was largely held in check, gaining just 74 yards and a touchdown on 24 rushing attempts. In fact, McCoy was actually outplayed in the matchup by Wisconsin transfer Zach Brown, who rushed for 88 yards on just 13 carries and caught three passes for 37 yards.
After three field goals to open the game - two by Kevin Harper and one by Conor Lee - the two teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter. But Lee added two more field goals in the final 23 seconds of the first half, connecting from 30 to tie the game 13-13 and then hitting a 28-yard kick after the 2011 team lost a fumble and gave the 2007 Panthers good field position.
The halftime lead held for the 2007 team into the fourth quarter, but Tino Sunseri and Devin Street put the 2011 team back in front on a 16-yard touchdown pass. That was Sunseri’s second scoring throw of the game, having tossed a one-yard pass to Isaac Bennett in the second quarter. He completed 14-of-23 for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Final: 2011 Pitt 20, 2007 Pitt 16
Game Eight: No. 14 vs. No. 19
Sunseri went 2-for-2 in the first round of the right side of the bracket, as Game Eight featured the 2012 Pitt team against the 2017 squad, and Paul Chryst’s first roster pulled out a 20-13 win that wasn’t as close as the score indicates.
The 2017 Panthers actually took the lead first on an Alex Kessman field goal, but Sunseri threw touchdown passes to Mike Shanahan and Drew Carswell to put the 2012 team on top, and only a 35-yard run by Quadree Henderson with 33 seconds left in the game cut the final to one score.
Henderson finished with 50 yards on five rushing attempts, and he was the 2017 team’s best rusher, as Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison combined for 70 yards on 20 carries. Really, though, neither team got much out of its rushing game, as the 2012 Panthers, led by Ray Graham and Rushel Shell averaged 2.6 yards per carry on 49 rushing attempts.
Pat Narduzzi tried to get a spark out of his offense late in the game when he replaced starter Max Browne (14/31, 139 yards, 1 INT) with freshman Kenny Pickett (5/9, 79 yards), but it was too little and too late.
Final: 2012 Pitt 20, 2017 Pitt 13
Game Nine: No. 2 vs. No. 15
The 2002 team made its debut in the ninth game of the tournament and faced the 2011 squad that fresh off a defeat of the 2007 Panthers. But Todd Graham’s team couldn’t build a winning streak largely because they couldn’t move the ball, and Walt Harris and the 2002 Pitt squad took a 19-7 victory.
Given the firepower on the 2002 team, the game was actually close thanks to a stellar performance by the 2011 defense. Myles Caragein, Aaron Donald, Carl Fleming and Shayne Hale each sacked Rod Rutherford once and Todd Thomas intercepted him. But the 2011 offense couldn’t match that performance: Sunseri was 16-of-29 for 179 yards and a pick, and even worse, he was the team’s leading rusher with 37 yards on 18 attempts as Isaac Bennett and Zach Brown combined for 56 yards on 25 carries.
Larry Fitzgerald had a typical game for him: five catches, 104 yards and a first-quarter touchdown that gave the 2002 team an early lead. Rutherford threw his second touchdown pass in the fourth quarter on a 16-yard toss to Kris Wilson, and David Abdul provided two field goals in between.
Final: 2002 Pitt 19, 2011 Pitt 7
Game Ten: No. 7 vs. No. 10
The 7/10 matchup featured two teams from opposite ends of the century: the No. 7-seed 2019 Panthers and the No. 10-seed 2001 Panthers. Each team lost five games during its season, but in this matchup, Walt Harris and his squad bested Pat Narduzzi’s most recent roster by a final score of 38-28.
Not surprisingly, the 2019 team had major issues in the run game, rushing for 42 yards on 31 attempts, so Mark Whipple leaned on the passing game, calling for Kenny Pickett to attempt 55 passes. Pickett completed 30 of those for 356 yards, three touchdowns and one pick, with the scoring tosses going to V’Lique Carter, Will Gragg and Nakia Griffin-Stewart. Maurice Ffrench had game highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (125).
The game was a close one, with the 2001 team taking a 14-0 lead I the first quarter on a David Priestley pass to Lamar Slade and a Ray Kirkley 29-yard run. But the 2019 Panthers battled back, as Pickett’s touchdown throws to Carter and Gragg sent the teams to halftime with 2001 leading 17-14.
Pickett made a crucial mistake on the first drive of the second half, though. With the ball at the 19, he threw into traffic; 2001 cornerback Torrie Cox picked it off and ran 19 yards for a score.
The 2019 team didn’t go away, though. Todd Sibley scored late in the third quarter and Pickett hooked up with Griffin-Stewart to give the 2019 Panthers a 28-24 lead two minutes into the final frame. But Priestley, who had been held largely in check throughout the game, threw touchdown passes to Kris Wilson and Darcey Levy in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset
Final: 2001 Pitt 38, 2019 Pitt 28
Game Eleven: No. 3 vs. No. 14
In the next game, the No. 3 seed 2008 team hosted the No. 14 seed 2012 team, which had defeated the 2017 team to advance. The 2008 Panthers looked like a much greater challenge, though, led as they were by LeSean McCoy and a very good defense.
But Paul Chryst’s first team did just enough to sneak by and a Kevin Harper field goal at the buzzer gave the 2012 Panthers a huge upset win.
The 2012 team wasn’t known for its defense, but it played a strong game against the 2008 Panthers. McCoy was stuffed consistently and rushed for just 37 yards on 20 carries. And Bill Stull completed 16-of-30 for 233 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions. But despite the struggles, it looked like Dave Wannstedt’s squad would survive when LaRod Stephens-Howling ran in from 22 yards to put the 2008 team ahead 20-19.
That lead held until the very end when Harper set up for his eighth field goal attempt of the game (a Pitt record for attempts in a game). He had already made kicks from 29, 31, 43 and 37 while he missed from 30, 50 and 46, but his attempt from 41 with time running out was down the middle, and it sent Wannstedt’s 9-4 team home.
The 2012 team’s lone score came on an Isaac Bennett touchdown run, but Sunseri led the offense by throwing for 297 yards and no interceptions.
Final: 2012 Pitt 22, 2008 Pitt 19
Game Twelve: No. 6 vs. No. 11
The final game of the second round was a matchup of two teams who won some hardware but probably could have accomplished more: the No. 6 seed 2004 team and the No. 11 seed 2018 team.
It was a matchup of Big East champ vs. ACC Coastal champ, and this time, the ACC was superior as the 2018 Panthers hung on for a 29-24 win.
The game was full of curious decisions, particularly from the 2018 team. For instance, Ricky Town got the start at quarterback and completed all seven of his attempts for 102 yards and a touchdown, but he was replaced by Kenny Pickett who had a solid game, going 8-of-15 for 125 yards and another score.
(Head coach Pat Narduzzi had no comment on whether Town came out of the game due to injury).
The first half also saw 2018 kicker Alex Kessman miss an extra point and then line up to kick a field goal from the 7-yard line. And the 2018 team’s first touchdown came from freshman running back Mychale Salahuddin, who ran 42 yards on a sweep in the first quarter but got just one carry the rest of the way.
Regardless of Salahuddin’s usage, the 2018 team had a lot of success on the ground. Ollison and Hall combined for 170 yards on 29 carries and the team rushed for 233 yards while averaging five yards per attempt. The 2004 team, on the other hand, needed 50 carries to get to 145 yards.
Part of the problem was pass protection. The 2018 defense sacked Tyler Palko five times, but when he wasn’t getting sacked, Palko was pretty effective, throwing for 259 yards and two scores with one interception on 20-of-28 passing.
The 2018 team took a 22-10 lead into the fourth quarter, and Palko and Erick Gill connected to cut the lead to five, 2018 responded with a four-yard run by V’Lique Carter. 2004’s last gasp came on a Palko-to-Kirkley touchdown pass in the final four minutes, but that was all Walt Harris’ final Pitt team could muster.
Final: 2018 Pitt 29, 2004 Pitt 24
With 12 games down, the Elite Eight is set. Here's what the bracket looks like heading into tomorrow.
