37 - 34 Pitt looked like they were going to fall short with a tied game and Georgia Teh driving. But a timely defensive stop helped the Panthers secure a 37-34 win at Homecoming against Georgia Tech.
Ona 4th and short, the Yellow Jackets made the controversial decision to go for it with only a few minutes in the game and back in their own territory. That didn't pay off as the Panthers stuffed the run and took over around the Georgia Texh 30-yard line. Pitt moved the ball forward to set up a short Chris Blewitt field goal attempt. He hit the upright, but Pitt got the bounce to win as time expired. Add in those outstanding alternate jerseys, that everyone raved about, and it was a heck of a day.
That wasn't the only break Pitt got, of course. Down a touchdown, Pitt got a gift of sorts with a long tipped touchdown catch by Scott Orndoff on an under thrown ball. The Panthers did their own share of gift-giving with a botched handoff attempt, helping Georgia Tech to score a crucial points. But fortunately they had just enough to win.
Offensively, Pitt scored points with a lot of contributions. Nathan Peterman was mostly sharp. James Conner and Chawntez Moss formed a solid one-two punch. No wide receiver had a huge day but the passing game was competent with nearly 200 yards from Peterman. On defense, they had problems with the option. But they also came up with stops and while the pass defense gave up a couple of big plays, they weren't torched back there as they have been since the Yellow Jackets barely throw the ball. 'Did enough to win' is the phrase I keep coming back to.
Seeing Pitt nearly blow this one when they looked to be in control of the game wasn't ideal. And the Panthers could easily be 3-3 instead of 4-2. But the reality is that they also made plays when it counted and deserve a lot of credit for that.
Next up, Pitt has a chance to pad their record even more with Virginia coming up.
