PITTSBURGH — Still in search of its first conference win Pitt travels to Durham, N.C., to take on Duke at 12:20 p.m. Saturday.
(Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)
Pitt enters the game at 2-5 overall and 0-3 in the ACC with Duke entering at 4-3 and 1-3 in the conference. The game will be on the ACC Network (WTAE in Pittsburgh) as well as the PITT IMG Sports Radio Network.
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GAME STORYLINES
• Pitt seeks its first ACC win when it faces Coastal Division foe Duke this Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium. Both teams are looking to get back on the winning track. In their most recent outings, the Panthers lost to nationally ranked NC State, 35-17, while the Blue Devils fell to Florida State, 17-10.
• Pitt and Duke square off annually as members of the Coastal Division. The Panthers are 3-1 against the Blue Devils in ACC play and triumphed at Heinz Field last year, 56-14.
• Duke’s lone win during this recent stretch was a two-overtime 51-48 decision in Pittsburgh during the 2014 season. In ACC play, the Panthers are 2-0 in Durham.
• Pitt’s original starting quarterback, senior graduate transfer Max Browne, is out for the season due to an injury sustained at Syracuse (Oct. 7). In his absence, the Panthers’ top two signal callers are sophomore Ben DiNucci and freshman Kenny Pickett.
• DiNucci has played in six games this year with two starts. He has completed 57% of his passes (55 of 97) for 612 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Pickett, who made his college debut two games ago at Syracuse, has thrown for 74 yards on 6-of-14 passing (43%).
• The Panthers will be significantly challenged by a Duke defense that ranks 19th nationally in fewest yards allowed (312.9 yards per game) and 16th in rushing defense (108 yards per game).
• Pitt is 2-5 for the first time since the 2001 season. The 2001 Panthers began the year 1-5 but rallied with six consecutive wins (including a bowl victory) to finish 7-5.
• Among the 22 starting positions listed in Pitt’s probable lineup, only six are occupied by seniors (four on offense and two defense). One of those seniors is listed as a co-starter with an underclassman (at defensive end).
SERIES NOTES
This is the 22nd meeting between Pitt and Duke in a series that dates back to 1929…it is also the fifth Atlantic Coast Conference matchup between the two schools…Pitt and Duke meet annually as members of the ACC’s Coastal Division…the Panthers lead the overall series, 12-9, and have won six of the past seven meetings…Pitt leads the ACC series, 3-1, and triumphed at Heinz Field last year, 56-14…in the last game played in Durham (2015), the Panthers claimed a 31-13 decision…in 2014, Duke defeated Pitt at Heinz Field, 51-48, in two overtimes…that marked the Blue Devils’ first victory over the Panthers since 1966, snapping a four-game series losing streak…there have been some milestone moments in the Pitt-Duke series…on Sept. 29, 1951, Duke defeated Pitt, 19-14, in the first live nationwide telecast of a sporting event…NBC was responsible for the landmark broadcast…the inaugural game of the series was on Oct. 5, 1929, when Pitt defeated host Duke, 52-7, in the first game ever played at “Duke Outdoor Stadium,” later renamed Wallace Wade Stadium…the 1937 and 1938 games featured two of the nation’s very best teams and a pair of legendary coaches in Pitt’s Jock Sutherland and Duke’s Wallace Wade…on Nov. 27, 1937, the No.1-ranked Panthers defeated the No. 18 Blue Devils, 10-0…Pitt would finish 9-0-1 to claim the national title (Duke finished 7-2-1)…on Nov. 26, 1938, the No. 3 Blue Devils blanked the No. 4 Panthers, 7-0, in what would be Sutherland’s final game as Pitt’s coach…Duke finished the 1938 regular season unbeaten (9-0), untied and unscored upon, but lost to Southern California in the Rose Bowl, 7-3…Pitt, which did not go to a bowl, finished 8-2.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television • ACC Network (WTAE-TV, Ch. 4, in Pittsburgh)
Tom Werme, play-by-play
Dave Archer, analyst
D.J. Shockley, reporter
Pitt Radio • 93.7 The Fan & the Pitt IMG Sports Network
Bill Hillgrove, play-by-play
Bill Osborn, analyst
Larry Richert, reporter
SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Internet Channel 972
WPTS Radio (Pitt Student Station) • 92.1 FM
Pitt IMG Sports Network Online Audio Options
PittsburghPanthers.com
Pitt Panthers Gameday App
TuneIn (free live and on-demand content)
PITT/VIRGINIA GAME KICKOFF TIME ANNOUNCED
Pitt’s October 28 game against Virginia at Heinz Field will kick off at 12:30 p.m., and be televised locally by AT&T SportsNet, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday.
