Pitt always seems to save its best for last — or at least for long after it is too late to produce a season that is anything but teetering on mediocre. This one probably stings a little more than many others given the lofty expectations for this team in the preseason.
The Panthers started showing signs a couple of weeks ago that they were figuring it out with a blowout win at Florida State. Then on Saturday, they pounded Virginia Tech 47-14 in one of the best games they’ve played in a while.
Pitt’s speed and talent on both sides of the ball was on display, and the playmakers just made big play after big play. This is the way it was supposed to go this season for Pitt. This was the team we all expected them to be. But, in what is an old and frustrating story with the Panthers, it happened way too late.
This was supposed to be one of the Panthers’ best teams in several decades. The Panthers had visions of playing for the ACC title game, and they entered the year feeling disrespected when they weren’t ranked in the preseason poll.
Then the Panthers killed any hopes of a special season by losing four games in a row. Pitt had bad losses to Boston College and North Carolina State and then were embarrassed, 45-3, by Notre Dame. That was probably the day even some of the most die-hard fans tuned them out.
The Panthers team that was hyped in the preseason, though, showed up in a big way for Senior Day. The Panthers looked every bit of a Top 25 team as they beat the daylights out of a hapless Hokies team. The final margin of 33 points doesn’t do justice to just how much the Panthers dominated. Kenny Pickett threw for 404 yards and two touchdowns and Pitt had 30 first downs and 556 yards of total offense.
The Panthers defense gave up a few big plays on busted coverages, but for the most part it dominated the Hokies offense. The Panthers looked faster, more physical, hungrier and tougher than the Hokies all game. Pitt’s defense flew around the ball and made sure every hit count.
Make no mistake — Pitt didn’t exactly beat a vintage Virginia Tech. I have no idea if Justin Fuente is on the hot seat, but watching that Hokies mess that showed up Saturday, he should be. That’s why it is true some of Pitt’s excellence was probably a product of Virginia Tech’s, um, not-so-excellence.
The point, though, is Pitt did to Virginia Tech what good teams do to bad teams. Good teams blow bad teams out, especially at home, and especially on Senior Day. And that’s the most frustrating part of this Pitt team — and program, for that matter. I do believe — and have believed all year — that Pitt is a talented football team, but it doesn’t matter because it’s barely above .500 and not in the ACC title chase.
This is the story of Pitt football, though, isn’t it? The Panthers lose too many games they shouldn’t, then look like world beaters after it is already too late. If the Panthers just handled their business against Boston College and N.C. State, they are sitting at 7-2 today and are ranked going into their showdown with Clemson next week.
Instead they are 5-4 and will likely need to beat Georgia Tech in their final game just to finish with a winning record at 6-5. I am not saying Pitt can’t beat Clemson, but obviously it is going to be very difficult to do. That’s especially true since the Tigers are an angry bunch because they didn’t get to play this weekend. Florida State made what seems like an awfully convenient decision to cancel its game with Clemson on Saturday, and the Tigers weren’t quiet about their displeasure about it.
So add that — a focused and angry Clemson team — to the list of reasons why Pitt will have a hard time getting out of Death Valley with a win next Saturday. But if this version of the Panthers that we just watched wreck Virginia Tech shows up, they will give the Tigers a battle.
It doesn’t really matter, though, because this is another season where Pitt fans are left to wonder: what if? What if they played a little better against Miami, N.C. State and Boston College? What if they fixed some of the issues with the run game and defense before the season was six or seven games old?
Those questions will sting for a long time, as the offseason is near and this great group of seniors (along with some underclassmen that have NFL aspirations) will move on. Pitt was fun to watch on Saturday and deserves a lot of credit for playing an excellent game. But it is almost too little, too late and that’s why, even with an upset of Clemson, this season will be remembered as a disappointment — and that’s far more often than not the story of the Panthers program.
First Published: November 22, 2020, 1:08 a.m.