Pitt hadn’t gone an entire season without a noon kickoff in decades, and while it came down to the wire in 2023, Pitt will finally play a noon game this season.
After a six-day embargo, it’s been announced that Pitt and Duke will kick off at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. at noon on Nov. 25 — the first noon kickoff in over a year.
An ACC Network crew will be announced early this week for what will be the final game of the 2023 season.
Duke is coming off back-to-back heartbreaking losses over the last two weekends (in overtime against North Carolina two weeks ago and a failed comeback against Virginia over the weekend, and the Blue Devils will close the regular season against Pitt.
Despite missing star quarterback Riley Leonard, Duke has won the games it needed to this season in order to qualify for bowl eligibility, taking down Clemson, Lafayette, Northwestern, UConn, North Carolina State and Wake Forest to sit at 6-5 (3-4 ACC) this season.
It remains uncertain whether Leonard will be able to go against Pitt next weekend, and Grayson Loftis (583 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions in six games this season) appears to be the likely starter in his stead.
The Blue Devils have gotten by because of a strong run game, averaging just about 180 yards per game on the ground with a duo of Jordan Waters and Jaquez Moore.
Pitt and Duke have met 26 times, dating all the way back to a 52-7 win in Durham in 1929, and the Panthers largely have had the upper hand. Aside from a five-game losing streak in the 1940s, Pitt is 17-4 all-time.
The Panthers have won seven in a row — including a 28-26 win at Acrisure Stadium last season — and 11 of the last 12 games dating back to 1969. With the exception of 2020, Pitt and Duke have played every season since 2013.
Pitt has the chance to end the 2023 season with its first win — and only — win streak of the season.
