Pitt Claims First-Ever ACC Coastal Division Title with Win at Wake Forest

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published November 18, 2018 5:20 am
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (EYT) — Pitt has come along way since a 51-6 trouncing by Penn State in the second game of the season.

(Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)

Box Score

So far, in fact, that the Panthers wrapped up their first-ever ACC Coastal Division title with a 34-13 win at Wake Forest, Pitt’s fourth straight win and fifth in six games.

“Wow, you know what? You can hear the noise in the locker room,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “Our kids have done some unbelievable things this year. It starts with our seniors. I couldn’t be happier. We came prepared. We brought these (tugging on his ACC Coastal Division Championship hat) from Pittsburgh. I said ‘get them, it’s going to happen.'”

Pitt scored 28 of the 31 second-half points to overcome a 10-6 halftime deficit.

“Our kids had a lot of faith in the second half when a lot of teams might have panicked on the road,” Narduzzi said. “We had faith in there. Hey guys, we didn’t play very good in the first half. We are going to go out and knock them out in the second half. That is what our kids do. They just do what they do.”

Watch more of Narduzzi’s postgame media conference. Video courtesy of Pitt UPMCA LiveWire

After managing just a 2-yard Darrin Hall touchdown run late in the first half, Pitt turned to Kenny Pickett in the second half.

The sophomore quarterback threw three touchdown passes after halftime including a 4-yard toss to Rafael Araujo-Lopez and a 63-yard strike to Taysir Mack in a span of just under three minutes late in the third quarter that gave Pitt the lead. He then hit Maurice Ffrench with a 23-yard pass midway through the fourth quarter after a short field goal by Wake Forest had gotten the Demon Deacons back within seven, 20-13.

Stefano Millin put the game on ice when he scored on a 6-yard run with 3:22 to play.

Watch game highlights. Video courtesy of Pitt UPMCA LiveWire.

Pitt, which had relied on the run in recent weeks, went to the air in this one with Pickett throwing for 316 yards on 23 of 30 passing. Mack (3 catches, 105 yards, Ffrench (6 catches, 76 yards) and Araujo-Lopez (6 catches, 73 yards) were the main targets.

The running game wasn’t completely absent, and Qadree Ollison ran 18 times for 52 yards with Hall picking up 44 yards on 13 carries to help the Panthers run for 154 of their 470 yards on the day.

Pitt’s defense allowed just one touchdown and 285 yards on the day.

Jamie Newman went 15-for-30 for 206 yards passing for the Deamon Deacons and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Alex Bachman. Nick Sciba added a pair of field goals, including one from 32 and one from 20.

While the victory clinched the Coastal for Pitt, Wake Forest must beat Duke to qualify for a bowl game. The Deamon Deacons are 5-6 overall and 2-5 in the ACC Coastal.

Pitt is now 7-4 and 6-1 in the Coastal. The Panthers finish the regular season at Miami (Fla.) Saturday, Nov. 24, before taking on Clemson in the ACC Title game at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, in Charlotte.

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