Pitt has found its opponent for its lone non-conference game of the 2020 season, as the Austin Peay Governors have agreed to come to Heinz Field on Sept. 12.
Austin Peay, which plays in the FCS-level Ohio Valley Conference, is one of a number of FCS-level teams that are attempting to play their four non-conference games in the fall while the conference schedule and FCS playoffs have been postponed until the spring.
Pitt was locked into the Sept. 12 date when it re-made its schedule along with the ACC, but the date came opened when Miami University (Ohio) backed out of playing the Panthers when the MAC made the move to a spring schedule.
Pitt’s opener against the Governors will take place exactly one week before ACC play begins with a game against Syracuse at Heinz Field on Sept. 19.
This will be the first meeting between Pitt and Austin-Peay. The Governors are coming off an 11-4 season in 2019 that saw them advance to the FCS quarterfinals.
This year’s Governors will have to deal with the loss to graduation of FCS All-American quarterback JaVaughn Craig, who threw for 3,208 yards and 28 touchdowns last season. But they’re still deep at quarterback, as 2018 starter Jeremeiah Oatsvall returns after missing all but two games with an injury in 2019.
The Governors will open their season this Saturday when they play Central Arkansas in a neutral-site game in Montgomery, Ala. They’ll also visit Cincinnati on Sept. 19 and have one game yet to be scheduled.
