The 21st Century Pitt Bracket: Quarterfinals

We're into the quarterfinals of the 21st Century Pitt Bracket, with just eight teams remaining in the search for the best team of the last 20 years.

The first two days of the tournament saw multiple upsets, with the teams from 2010, 2000, 2001, 2012 and 2018 all getting into the quarterfinals by knocking off teams with better seeds.

Now it's the Elite Eight. The top two seeds are still alive but can they make the Final Four? Here's a look at where the bracket stands. (Click on the bracket for a larger view.)

Game Thirteen: No. 1 vs. No. 9
After getting an upset win in the 8/9 game, the 2010 team advanced to face the No. 1 overall seed, the team from 2009, in the Elite Eight. It was a matchup of Dave Wannstedt’s final two teams, but the outcome wasn’t close at all, as the 2009 squad blew out its successors 43-17.

The game was the Dion Lewis Show, and while Lewis actually lined up for both teams, his 2009 performance far outpaced what he did for the 2010 roster: the 2009 Lewis rushed 30 times for 218 yards and four touchdowns, scoring in the first quarter to give the 2009 team the first lead of the game and then reaching the end zone twice in the third quarter to put the game out of reach before adding one more scoring run in the fourth quarter.

Lewis led the way for the 2009 team but quarterback Bill Stull had a nice game, too, completing 18-of-27 for 299 yards and one touchdown (a 56-yard toss to Oderick Turner in the second quarter). On the other side, first-year starter Tino Sunseri went 23-of-39 for 244 yards, but he also rushed for the 2010 team’s two touchdowns.

Final: 2009 Pitt 43, 2010 Pitt 17

Game Fourteen: No. 4 vs. No. 12
In the second game of the Elite Eight, the No. 4 seed 2003 team hosted the team from 2000, which entered the tournament as a No. 12 seed and then knocked off the eight-win Panthers from 2016 to advance.

Turns out, the 2000 team didn’t advance on luck, as those Panthers kept their hot streak alive and positively dominated the 2003 Pitt team 41-10.

One big key for the 2000 Pitt team was keeping Larry Fitzgerald out of the end zone; Fitzgerald finished with 95 yards on five receptions, and Rod Rutherford couldn’t get touchdowns from any of his other receivers. Meanwhile, John Turman found pay-dirt three times for the 2000 team, throwing two touchdown passes to R.J. English and one to Kris Wilson.

The two Turman-to-English scores gave the 2000 team a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, but a field goal and a Brandon Miree touchdown run brought the score to 17-10 at halftime. The second half was all 2000, though: Turman and Wilson connected for a third-quarter score before Kevan Barlow took over in the fourth quarter. Barlow scored twice in the final 15 minutes and finished the game with 190 rushing yards on 22 attempts (he also had three catches for 35 yards). As was the case at the time, the 2003 team was undone by its inability to stop the run.

With the win, the 2000 team advanced to face the No. 1 overall seed - the 2009 Panthers.

Final: 2000 Pitt 41, 2003 Pitt 10

Game Fifteen: No. 2 vs. No. 10
In another matchup of back-to-back seasons, the third game of the Elite Eight saw the No. 2 seed 2002 team take on the No. 10 seed 2001 squad that had upset No. 7 2019 to advance. The 2001 team had upset on its mind again, as Walt Harris’ second-half warriors knocked off the 2002 Panthers 24-17.

As the game started, it looked like chalk would hold, with the 2002 team taking a 17-0 lead on a Brandon Miree touchdown run and a Rod Rutherford touchdown pass to Lamar Slade. But the 2001 Panthers had some fight in them. David Priestley and Brennan Carroll got things started with an eight-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes left in the first half. Then, after the 2001 defense forced a three-and-out, Antonio Bryant went 73 yards on a punt return to cut the lead to three points.

Neither team produced much offense in the second half, but the 2001 team got what it needed, first with a Lousaka Polite rushing touchdown to go ahead 21-17 and then with a Nick Lotz field goal to set the final score.

The 2001 defense was strong throughout the game, led by star cornerback Torrie Cox, who grabbed two interceptions on Rutherford passes and held Larry Fitzgerald in check for seven receptions but just 85 yards. Priestley was also picked off twice (Malcolm Postell and Gerald Hayes each grabbed an interception) but Ray Kirkley managed to top 100 yards on the ground (17 rushes for 105 yards) that helped 2001 control the game.

Final: 2001 Pitt 24, 2002 Pitt 17

Game Sixteen: No. 11 vs. No. 14
The final game of the Elite Eight was a pairing of teams who advanced through upsets, as the No. 14 seed 2012 got into the quarterfinals after knocking off No. 3 seed 2008 and the No. 11 seed 2018 beat the No. 6 seed 2004.

It was a matchup of Paul Chryst’s first season and Pat Narduzzi’s ACC Coastal-winning squad, and the latter came out victorious with a 34-20 win to advance to the Final Four.

As you might expect, the 2018 team’s attack was led by the run. Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison combined for 125 yards on 30 carries, but the biggest play of the game came in the second quarter when V’Lique Carter broke free for a 59-yard touchdown run that put the 2018 team ahead 21-0.

The 2012 team tried to battle back. Mike Shanahan caught a pass from Tino Sunseri for the 2012 team’s first score, but the two squads traded field goals a few times heading into the fourth quarter. Chryst’s players made it a one-score game in the final frame when Rushel Shell scored a 22-yard touchdown run to make it 27-20, but Kenny Pickett threw a short pass to Qadree Ollison for a six-yard score to set the final score.

Pickett actually split time with Ricky Town in the game, and in a most curious development, Town completed all seven of his attempts - just as he did in the 2018 team’s upset of the 2004 squad. For the 2012 team, Sunseri completed 20-of-36 for 254 yards and a score, but the rushing attack never made an impact, picking up just 118 yards on 37 attempts (3.2 yards per carry).

The 2018 team will now get a shot at the team from 2001 in the semifinals.

Final: 2018 Pitt 34, 2012 Pitt 20

With that, the Final Four is set. The No. 1 overall seed and three double-digit seeds have advanced to the semifinals. Tomorrow, No. 1 seed 2009 will face No. 12 seed 2000, while the Nos. 10 and 11 seeds on the other side of the bracket - 2001 and 2018, respectively - will meet on the other side of the bracket.