KNOXVILLE — It was not always perfect for Pitt’s defense in the team’s 41-34 win over Tennessee. The Panthers allowed five plays of 20-or-more yards against the Volunteers on Saturday. The big plays Pitt allowed, were ultimately negated by the big plays this group made in clutch situations. This defense has been making splash plays for years and once again it was on full display in a big road enviornment.

Pitt racked up five sacks, nine tackles for loss, generated three turnovers, and had a goal line stand late in the game protecting a one-score lead.

“It’s like we always preach: bend don’t break,” Pitt senior defensive tackle Keyshon Camp said after the game.

Camp came up big on Saturday. His strip sack and fumble recovery was a big moment for the senior that has been waiting for this opporunity for a while after some injury-riddled seasons.

“It was a long time coming, but there’s things that I’ve been working on,” he said. “Like I said, the journey hasn’t ended yet. I’ve still got a lot of playing time and I know that I’ve been healthy and I’ve been taking care of my body right now.”

Haba Baldonado added a pair of sacks, including a similar strip sack that he recovered himself. David Green and Calijah Kancey also added sacks.

The Pitt defense saved the biggest moments for the final minutes. The Panthers were clinging to a seven point lead and Tennessee was driving. Reserve quarterback Hendon Hooker marched his team deep into Pitt territory, but on fourth and one from the 3-yard line, linebackers Chase Pine and Johnny Petrishen stood up and made a stop behind the line of scrimmage to turn the ball over on downs.

Pitt made the stop, but the Panthers weren’t out of the woods just yet. Pitt couldn’t move the ball following that stand, nor take the clock down either. A poor punt set up the Volunteers at Pitt’s 33-yard line with 5:33 left and it looked like another big effort for Tennessee to tie the game would be on the horizon.

Brandon Hill had other ideas.

The sophomore safety picked off Hooker’s pass on the second play of the drive. Pitt ran out the remainder of the clock, and the Panthers escaped with their first road win over a major-conference team (I know) since Notre Dame in 2008.

“It felt great,” Hill said of making the late interception. "We were practicing on that formation all week, going over our keys and fundamentals. We knew that they had two running backs in the backfield for top-protect to take shots, so I was a free player. Like I said we were working on it all week and it freed me up and read the QB and made a play.”

Pitt still has work to do according to Narduzzi, but the defense shined in the game’s must clutch moments.

“I thought they did solid, but I know there’s a lot of stuff they can clean up,” the Pitt coach said after the game.