Pitt holds off rally by Louisville for victory
Louisville cornerback Shaq Wiggins (6) tackles Pittsburgh fullback George Aston (35) in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich)
Pittsburgh wide receiver Tyler Boyd (23) runs past Louisville linebacker Keith Brown (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich)
PITTSBURGH – A trip to the ACC championship game is no longer an option, but Pitt’s players are not done making a statement.
In a season dotted with surprises, it was coach Pat Narduzzi’s offense that was the loudest. Expected starters at quarterback and running back are either out for the season or relegated to the sideline, but the Panthers’ offense returned to its former self for a 15-minute span Saturday.
That’s all it needed.
Quarterback Nate Peterman threw four second-quarter touchdowns, freshman running back Qadree Ollison ran for a score and Pitt’s defense held on for a 45-34 win over Louisville at Heinz Field.
The Panthers (6-1, 8-3) secured the program’s first eight-win regular season since 2009, gaining 326 yards and converting six of eight third downs in the first half. They scored 35 points in the second quarter to secure an 18-point lead.
“Offensively, in the first half our guys were explosive,” Narduzzi said. “Our guys made plays on both sides of the ball, but in the second half, I guess maybe (Louisville) made some adjustments and shut us down a little bit. Defensively, we played pretty good. It’s win No. 8. We’ll take it any way we can get it.”
Peterman completed 22 of 34 passes to nine different receivers for 232 yards. He had touchdown passes of 35, 32, 4 and 4 yards. Ollison, meanwhile, ran for 153 yards, becoming the fifth freshman in Pitt history to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season.
The Panthers had 476 yards of offense against a defense that entered Saturday allowing just over 311 per game and was ranked 14th in the nation. After a first half in which Louisville got beat in every facet, it shut down Pitt in the second half, holding the Panthers to 2 of 8 on third down and forced them to punt on five consecutive possessions.
Pitt’s only points in the second half came on an 18-yard field goal by Chris Blewitt after Ollison was stopped a half of a yard short of the end zone with 5:25 remaining.
“We started fast,” Ollison said. “We were able to start clicking on offense and hitting on cylinders. When we’re playing like that we’re tough to stop. We just have to finish better.”
Louisville freshman quarterback Lamar Jackson led the Cardinals on two scoring drives in the second half, including his two-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to cut Pitt’s lead to eight points.
After Jackson’s touchdown run, Ollison led Pitt on a 60-yard drive, gaining 46 yards on five carries, before Blewitt’s field goal. The Cardinals turned it over on downs on the ensuing drive and Ollison’s two first-down runs on the final drive sealed the win.
Louisville gained 354 yards, but Pitt held the Cardinals to minus-1 rushing yards and had seven sacks, including five by defensive end Ejuan Price.
“We talked about it at the half,” Narduzzi said of the comeback. “I said, ‘Hey, we aren’t worried about winning this game, it’s just by how many points are we going to win this game?’ That’s kind of the attitude. We knew we weren’t going to lose the game.”
Peterman was outstanding in the first half, picking apart the Cardinals’ blitzing defense and throwing pair of touchdowns to fullback George Aston.
Louisville couldn’t find an answer for junior wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who had 11 catches for 103 yards, choosing to not double-cover one of the nation’s top wide receivers. He caught a 35-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter over two defensive backs.
“We just flat out got beat,” Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino said. “You have to take your hat off to their offense and their defense, but mainly their offense. They did a great job of executing, and I think they had the ball 37 minutes in the game? You can’t give up that many long, big drives and have your offense on the sidelines.”
After Wallace’s 32-yard field goal gave Louisville a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter, Ollison capped a 9-play, 87-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Louisville answered with a 29-yard touchdown pass, but less than five minutes later, Peterman faked a handoff and threw a high pass to Boyd in the end zone for the touchdown and a 14-10 advantage.
Peterman added a 32-yard score to Dontez Ford and Pitt cornerback Avonte Maddox’s 30-yard pick-six increased the Cardinals’ deficit to 25 points.
Louisville turned to Jackson on the next drive and it took him two plays to get the Cardinals in the end zone with three seconds before halftime.
“This is one of the reasons I came here,” Boyd, a Clairton High School graduate, said of the win. “I wanted to join these guys and a bunch of guys from the WPIAL. This bunch can get it done and put Pitt back on the map.”