I don’t know if Pitt will be playing in Boo City, Pa. tonight, but regardless, Pat Narduzzi and Pitt will be focused on trying to right the ship against a tough opponent.
Pitt will host No. 17 North Carolina at Acrisure Stadium, and while Pitt is coming off back-to-back losses, UNC is looking to start 4-0 and cement itself as a true contender in the ACC. Narduzzi says he knows what’s at stake this weekend.
“Game number four against a really good North Carolina team, No. 17 ranked obviously, and it should be a great atmosphere at Acrisure Stadium,” Pat Narduzzi said Thursday at his weekly news conference.
“The guys have worked hard, we think we’ve cleaned up some things we needed to clean up and you don’t snap your fingers and fix everything you’d like to, but hopefully, we will go out and play like we expected to when the season started.”
Pitt, surprisingly, has not revealed its uniforms yet. I would guess they’ll be revealed at some point before game time.
The betting odds favor North Carolina very favorably after opening as 5.5-point favorites earlier this week. And as of Saturday morning, UNC sits as a touchdown favorite.
North Carolina has gotten off to a 3-0 start in 2023, with wins over South Carolina, Appalachian State and Minnesota, and the high-powered offense is buzzing as it enters conference play.
Star quarterback Drake Maye is in the midst of a solid start to his third season at UNC, throwing for 891 yards and four touchdowns on 73% completions over three games, and running backs Omarion Hampton and British Brooks have impressed this season — along with seemingly much-improved defense.
Pitt is 5-11 all-time against North Carolina, dating back to an inaugural 45-29 loss in Chapel Hill, N.C. in 1974. The Tar Heels won six straight one-score games between 2013-18.
Pitt had won the last two meetings before Maye and UNC ran away with a 42-24 win in Chapel Hill last October. Maye threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns, adding 61 yards on the ground, in a dominant effort that Pitt hopes to quell this season.
Pitt-UNC will be broadcast on ACC Network, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium.
Television — ACC Network
Wes Durham (play-by-play)
Tim Hasselbeck (analyst)
Taylor Tannebaum (reporter)
Radio — 93.7 The Fan, Pitt Panthers Radio NetworkÂ
Jeff Hathhorn (play-by-play)
Pat Bostick (analyst)
Larry Richert and Dorin Dickerson (reporters)
SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Channels 134 or 193 or on the SiriusXM app
WPTS Radio (Pitt Student Station) — 92.1 FM
