The rundown: Storylines, stats and more from Pitt's loss to BC
Pitt lost the regular-season finale to Boston College on Saturday, and here’s a recap of what happened.
STORYLINES
- For the second game in a row, Pitt’s offense was ineffective on Saturday. After getting shut out at Blacksburg last week, the Panthers didn’t have much better luck against the Eagles, scoring just one touchdown and settling for four field goals to get to 19 points. It was the fourth time this season that Pitt has scored one or zero offensive touchdowns in a game this season.
- Continuing a trend of the entire season, the Panthers were mistake-prone against Boston College, committing four turnovers - three fumbles and an interception - and four penalties, all of which were false starts on Pitt’s offense. The Panthers simply couldn’t get out of their own way, particularly early in the game when they took two false starts on the first drive, fumbled away the second and third drives and then committed a false start at the goal line to kill a potential touchdown on the fourth possession.
- Kenny Pickett bounced back from his miserable performance at Blacksburg by throwing for 323 yards, but he also threw his ninth interception of the season and lost a fumble for the second time in the last two games.
- Pitt did a good job with Boston College star running back A.J. Dillon in the first half, holding him to 44 yards on 14 carries (3.1 yards per carry). But Dillon broke out in the second half with 134 yards on 18 attempts after halftime. He had 82 yards in the third quarter - boosted by a 61-yard touchdown run - and 52 yards in the fourth quarter, and when the Eagles needed to put the game away on the final drive, he answered the call, rushing eight times for 47 yards and picking up four first downs.
STAT STANDOUTS
Kenny Pickett - 30/40, 323 yards, 1 INT, 4 sacks
Vincent Davis - 5 rushes, 45 yards, 1 TD
Jared Wayne - 6 receptions, 100 yards
Jazzee Stocker - 11 tackles
Alex Kessman - 4/4 field goals (made 23, 35, 48 and 43)
GOING FORWARD
That’s it for Pitts 2019 regular season, as the Panthers finish 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the ACC. Now Pat Narduzzi and his team will wait to see where they're headed for a bowl destination. The prospects in that regard took a hit with Saturday's loss, but the team should find out next Saturday where it is headed in the postseason.