Pitt Showed the Season Isn’t Over Yet

PITTSBURGH — I don’t know if Pitt will be good enough the rest of the way to sneak into a bowl game, but man, the Panthers showed they’re not done just yet.

It was going to take a complete team effort to knock off No. 14 Louisville Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium, and that’s exactly what Pitt did for the first time this season. In Christian Veilleux’s first career start, he didn’t just do enough to not lose the game but played solid football all night long. And the defense completely shut down a powerful Louisville offense in the second half.

When Pitt walked off the field late Saturday night, the Panthers walked off with their highest-ranked win since knocking off No. 2 Miami during the 2017 season — with another Pitt quarterback making his first career start.

“I don’t know where to start,” Pat Narduzzi said Saturday after the win. “We talk about team, that was a team win. I told our guys all week we were going to win this football game, period. Our guys were going to just find a way to get it done. Doesn’t matter what it was. Each one of our kids had a little blue vase, as well. They each had a blue vase in their pocket. As a matter of fact, Branson Taylor comes up to me on the field and goes, I had it in my socks.

“We were going to find a way to get it done. I’m just happy as heck for our football team. We needed that in a bad way.”

Pitt did need a win over Louisville in the worst way. At 1-4, staring down the worst start since the 2000s, Pitt needed to show that it wasn’t just giving in. There was a change at quarterback, and while it came too late, it was what the Panthers needed to compete the rest of the way.

Veilleux wasn’t perfect, he made some mistakes, he took some time to settle into the game, but he made plays when he needed to. And he gave Pitt the chance to win — taking the win himself.

“Christian played really well,” Narduzzi said. “Defense was outstanding. They bent but didn’t break. Three turnovers plus four 4th down stops, that’s like seven turnovers in my opinion. The 4th down stops were big time against an explosive offense. They’re good, but our guys made plays all day, and we’ll go back and watch the tape and see what we’ve got to clean up, but just a big-time team win.”

Veilleux completed 12-of-26 pass attempts for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, and they’re not all that great at first glance, but the offense felt — and looked — different with him under center.

Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Konata Mumpfield (9) October 5, 2023 David Hague/PSN

In fact, when Veilleux was on, the offense even looked good with Veilleux under center. And the defense, despite giving up some explosives against a good Louisville offense, put on a clinic in the second half.

In the second half, Louisville’s drive chart looks like this: turnover on downs, punt, interception, interception, missed field goal, turnover on downs, turnover on downs, turnover on downs. 0 points. 227 yards. Two turnovers.

M.J. Devonshire returned a pick 87 yards for a touchdown, a huge touchdown in front of the Panther Pitt, and A.J. Woods picked off another pass. Pitt racked up four sacks and seven tackles for loss.

It was the kind of performance that Narduzzi said says a lot about this team.

“Like I told you, we talk about playing together and staying together,” Narduzzi said. “That’s who our guys are. They’re going to continue to play. Gave us a little fuel for the second half of the season. Just tells you what we have in that locker room.”

Pitt has Wake Forest up next, and a stretch of Notre Dame, Florida State and Duke ahead, but if Pitt showed anything Saturday night, it’s that the Panthers aren’t done fighting.