Pittsburgh looks to bounce back from loss in visit to Duke
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) ā Pittsburghās rapid rise hit an abrupt stop. The Panthers now must surge through November to secure a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
The Panthers visit Duke on Saturday for a Coastal Division matchup. It comes a week after Pitt (6-2, 3-1 ACC) lost at home against Miami, ending a four-game winning streak that had carried the Panthers into the AP Top 25 while increasing Heisman Trophy buzz for quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Pitt still leads the division race, though Virginia (4-2 ACC) sits a game back in the loss column and still has a matchup with the Panthers ahead that could determine the division winner.
āThereās no room for error,ā Pickett said. āThe sense of urgency is up. ... Weāre going after it. Thereās not a lot of missed assignments and you can tell guys are in the playbook.ā
The challenge is different for the Blue Devils (3-5, 0-4), who are trying to turn around a season that is getting away from them fast.
Duke followed a 48-0 loss at Virginia by barely avoiding another shutout in a 45-7 loss at No. 10 Wake Forest last weekend. The top unit hasnāt scored a touchdown since early in the fourth quarter of a 31-27 home loss to Georgia Tech on Oct. 9.
āWhatever it is each week, we just need to keep working,ā running back Mataeo Durant said. āWe donāt need to give up in the middle of a season when we have a few more games left. We still have a lot to play for."
Some other things to know about Saturdayās Pittsburgh-Duke game:
DEFENSIBLE āDā
Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi insists heās still got confidence in his defense even after it gave up 492 yards against the Hurricanes, the second time the unit has been lit up in a home loss. Western Michigan racked up 517 yards in a stunning September upset.
Narduzzi noted Pittās mistakes against Miami were mostly in the first quarter as the Hurricanes raced to a 21-7 lead. The Panthers gave up just a single touchdown after the break, though it came immediately after Pitt tied the game at 31.
āIf it would have been a first half and the second half the same, maybe weāre back to square one,ā he said. āBut weāve got a good football team and Iāve got a lot of trust and faith in our guys.ā
EMPTY DRIVES
Duke gave up 100 unanswered points from late in the Georgia Tech loss until reserve quarterback Riley Leonard scored on a 2-yard keeper with 7:17 left against Wake Forest, a run of 25 straight completed drives (uninterrupted by halftime or the gameās end) without scoring.
āWhen you get in the red zone, my line of thinking has always been youāre getting more and more like a backyard,ā Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. āYou think people at that point, youāve got to have the right go-to people. ā¦ And youāve got to design better around that. Thatās, again, my job.ā
ROAD PLAY
Pittsburgh is 3-0 on the road against power-conference opponents, starting with a win at Tennessee on Sept. 11. The Panthers won at Georgia Tech by 31 and at Virginia Tech by 21 in league games last month.
THE SERIES
Pittsburgh has won six of seven with Duke since joining the ACC for the 2013 season, including the last five. Dukeās lone win came in a 51-48 shootout in 2014 on the road.
The division opponents didnāt play last year for the first time since Pittās arrival after the league shuffled its scheduling model due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
WIDE DISTRIBUTION
Pitt could be without senior receiver Taysir Mack, who exited last weekās game and had his left arm in a sling in the second half. Mack is third on the team with 27 receptions for 461 yards and three touchdowns.
A season ago, Mackās absence might have been a problem. Pickett, however, has had little trouble spreading it around with 16 different Panthers catching at least one pass.
Freshman tight end Gavin Bartholomew has joined graduate transfer Lucas Krull to give Pitt depth at a position where production has lagged for years. They have combined for 38 catches for 464 yards and six scores.
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AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
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Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap