It wasn’t the prettiest game from start to finish for Pitt football, but it is now one step closer to an ACC Championship appearance as it defeated Georgia Tech 42-28.
Players of the game
First-year running back Ja’Kyrian ‘Boosie’ Turner and first-year quarterback Mason Heintschel were the stars of the Panthers’ offense against the Yellow Jackets.
Turner rushed for 201 yards on 21 carries and scored a crucial touchdown for the Panthers. And Heintschel threw for 226 yards and scored three touchdowns — two passing and one rushing.
Every time Pitt needed a crucial play made, Heintschel or Turner made the play for the Panthers.
Pitt’s first-quarter domination:
After the first quarter, it looked like Pitt would run away with the win against Georgia Tech. Pitt dominated Georgia Tech in practically every facet of the game, especially in what the Yellow Jackets are best at.
Before this weekend’s action, Georgia Tech led the FBS in yards per game with 496.7. After the first quarter, it had produced 21 yards, and Pitt had more than 10 times the amount of yards that the Yellow Jackets had, with 230.
Pitt outscored Georgia Tech 21-0 in the first quarter, with Heintschel tossing two touchdowns and redshirt first-year running back Juelz Goff rushing for one. Simply put, it was utter domination, and it looked as if head coach Pat Narduzzi had his team ready for the most important conference game of the season so far.
A win for Pitt should have felt certain when:
Junior linebacker Braylan Lovelace picked off Georgia Tech redshirt senior quarterback Haynes King on the goal line and ran it back for a touchdown. With Lovelace’s pick-six, the Panthers led by 21 with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Georgia Tech seemed as if it was on its way to having a historic comeback against the Panthers, but Lovelace’s interception halted all of that momentum that was on the Georgia Tech sideline.
The Yellow Jackets, however, regained their momentum in the fourth quarter, scoring multiple touchdowns and cutting Pitt’s lead to 35-28.
But the win was an actual certainty when Turner ran for a 56-yard touchdown through the middle of the Yellow Jacket’s defense. Pitt led 42-28 with 2:41 remaining, and the game was all but over.
What about the other side?
For Georgia Tech, this game was a win-and-in the ACC Championship game, but now with a loss, Georgia Tech needs a lot of things to go its way next week for it to even have a shot at making the ACC Championship game.
The Yellow Jackets now fall to 9-2 on the season and have lost two of their last three contests. They finish their regular season on the road at Georgia in Athens.
What’s next for the Panthers?
The Panthers head home for their last game of the regular season to face off against Miami, another team hoping to claim a spot in the ACC Championship game. The game time and TV channel are still not known.
This story will be updated.
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