CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Pitt will look to build off its 24-19 win over Georgia Tech when it continues ACC play at North Carolina at 12:20 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22.
(Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)
The game will be broadcast locally on WTAE-TV and will also be available on the Pitt IMG Sports Radio Network.
This is the first road game of the year for the Panthers (2-1 overall, 1-0 ACC). North Carolina (0-2, 0-0), meanwhile, is opening ACC play and home action and is in action for the first time in two weeks after seeing its game last week with UCF canceled due to Hurricane Florence.
Narrow margins have been the rule during recent Pitt-UNC series history. The past seven meetings have been decided by a combined 28 points (4.0 points per game). The Tar Heels edged Pitt at Heinz Field last year, 34-31. Since 2013, North Carolina is the only team in the ACC Coastal that Pitt has not beaten. The Panthers are 0-5 against the Tar Heels in ACC play. North Carolina also leads the overall series, 9-3. Pitt’s last victory in the series occurred in the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte. Dave Wannstedt’s Panthers edged the Tar Heels (coached by Butch Davis), 19-17, on a field goal with 52 seconds left.
Pitt’s last 2-0 start to ACC play also occurred in 2015. The Panthers opened with a 4-0 conference record that year, finishing as the Coastal Division runner-up with a 6-2 league record, and with a 2-1 overall record, Pitt has won at least two of its first three games for the 14th time since the 2000 season. A victory at North Carolina would give the Panthers their first 3-1 start since 2015, Pat Narduzzi’s debut season in Pittsburgh.
On defense for Pitt, sophomore defensive end Rashad Weaver is tied for the national lead with three fumble recoveries on the young season. Weaver recovered two fumbles against Penn State and one last week in the Georgia Tech win.
Offensively, senior tailback Qadree Ollison is averaging 94.3 rushing yards per game. Ollison had a season-high 119 yards against Penn State and netted 91 last week against Georgia Tech. For the year, he has totaled 283 yards on 45 carries (6.3 avg.) and three touchdowns.
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North Carolina has tried to be balanced through two weeks rushing for 325 yards and passing for 371.
Antonio Williams (23 carries, 143 yards, 1 TD) leads the ground game with Nathan Elliott (37 of 73, 356 yards, 1 TD, 4 Ints) at quarterback. Anthony Ratliff (7 catches, 146 yards, 1 TD) is the top receiver.
Defensively, the Tar Heels are allowing 190 yards per game on the ground and 204.5 through the air in losses to California (24-17) and East Carolina (41-19).
SERIES NOTES
This is the 13th meeting between Pitt and North Carolina in a series that dates back to 1974…nine of the 12 games have been decided by single digits, including each of the last seven contests…the Tar Heels lead the overall series, 9-3, and have won all five ACC encounters, including last season’s 34-31 decision at Heinz Field…Pitt and North Carolina meet annually as members of the ACC’s Coastal Division…the Panthers are 2-4 against the Tar Heels in Pittsburgh and 0-5 in Chapel Hill…Pitt won the lone neutral site meeting, 19-17, in the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte…bowl MVP Dion Lewis rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown, while Dan Hutchins provided the winning points on a 33-yard field goal with 52 seconds left to upend the Tar Heels…that 2009 bowl victory capped a 10-3 season for Pitt…the Panthers’ only two regular-season wins in the series both occurred in Pittsburgh: 20-16 in 1978 and 7-6 in 1982…the 1982 game served as the opener for both schools and was a battle of preseason Top 5 teams in Three Rivers Stadium…Pitt, led by quarterback Dan Marino, was the preseason No. 1 team, while North Carolina, which featured tailback Kelvin Bryant, was No. 5…the ’82 game was played in Three Rivers Stadium to accommodate a weeknight CBS primetime TV audience.
PITT-UCF KICKOFF TIME ANNOUNCED
Pitt’s Sept. 29 game at the University of Central Florida will kick off at 3:30 p.m., and be televised by either ESPN2 or ESPNU, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced.
Television coverage will be finalized after this weekend’s games.
