Pitt didn’t receive the most luxurious bowl game, but it’s still one last chance to play a game with this season’s team. And Pat Narduzzi is thankful for the opportunity.
Pitt will spend Christmas in Detroit, Mich. this season as the Panthers prepare for the GameAbove Sports Bowl against Toledo on Dec. 26 at 2 p.m.
“On behalf of our entire football program, I want to thank the Detroit Lions organization and GameAbove Sports Bowl for the opportunity to play one more time in 2024,” Pat Narduzzi said in the Pitt release. “I have great respect for Coach Jason Candle and his Toledo program. They are an incredibly consistent winner. They won 11 games a year ago, and this season defeated an SEC team in Mississippi State and beat the same Northern Illinois team that gave Notre Dame its only loss. We look forward to the challenge.”
Toledo had a down season by its recent lofty standards, going 7-5 (4-4 MAC) and not making the conference championship game. The Rockets went 11-3 last season with a win against Miami (Oh.) in the title game.
The Rockets are led by quarterback Tucker Gleason, who has thrown 22 touchdowns this season, and the defense is holding opponents to just 21.3 points per game.
Pitt hasn’t met Toledo in a game since 2006, a 45-3 win for the Panthers at what was then Heinz Field. Pitt and Toledo have met three times in the series history, with each team winning games played at their home stadium — Pitt at home in 2002 and Toledo at home in 2003. They’ve never met in a neutral site matchup.
A bowl win at this point doesn’t do too much for the overall state of the season, considering the fall from 7-0 to 7-5 over the last month and a half of the season, but it’s a good way for the Panthers to still finish the season strong. 8-5 looks a good deal better than 7-6.
And Narduzzi is confident that his team will be ready to go for the bowl game.
“Hell yeah,” Narduzzi said last week at his weekly presser. “Better be. I don’t talk about a bowl game. I’m not worried about a bowl game. Four weeks ago we were worried about something more important than that. You’re talking about like a nine-win season, a 10-win season, whatever it may be. So, you’re looking at eight-win seasons, what your goal is, then move on from that.
“Play the cards. Our guys would be excited about a bowl game. But where is it going to be? I’m not worried about that. That’s the last thing on my mind. We want to finish this season, the regular season at least, off with a win.”
Pitt has not had a bowl appearance since 2022, which was a last-second win against UCLA in the Sun Bowl.
