And just like that, it’s all over.
Squaring up against the East Carolina Pirates in the Military Bowl, Pitt’s season came to an unceremonious end with a 23-17 loss. Pitt’s performance was uncharacteristic, as it struggled to push the ball forward for large chunks of the game and to contain East Carolina’s diminished offense.
Pitt committed five backbreaking turnovers in the loss, putting a chance at victory further and further out of reach as the minutes ticked away.
For Pitt, the loss down in Annapolis, Maryland is one more blow to a season that spun out of control. Including this Bowl loss, the Panthers lost three of their final four games to end the year, creating a similar feeling to the collapse of 2024.
Game-changing plays
The first half of the Military Bowl was a complete snoozefest. Pitt and East Carolina combined for just 267 total yards in the first half, the lowest total in the history of the Military Bowl. The first half also saw more combined tackles for loss than total points scored.
But both teams did their best to try and make up for it with a supercharged second half, including one of the most chaotic sequences you will see in college football.
On a fourth-and-short near midfield midway through the third quarter, East Carolina opted to go for it and handed the ball off to redshirt senior running back Marlon Gunn Jr. The rusher powered his way through the Pitt defense and eventually broke free, going all 68 yards for the touchdown.
However, as the Pirates were celebrating, the officials determined that an “inadvertent whistle” had been blown during the play, bringing the ball back almost 50 yards and erasing a touchdown from the board. Boos rained down from the crowd as East Carolina was called for holding on the next play.
One play later, Pitt’s junior linebacker Rasheem Biles came charging in and stripped the ball free from the quarterback, picking up the loose change for a defensive touchdown. It was a 14-point swing in a matter of three plays, but it only took the Pirates 35 seconds to set up a touchdown of their own, re-taking the lead.
That drive — two plays long and ending with a 72-yard catch by redshirt senior Anthony Smith — put East Carolina back in the driver’s seat and gave them enough momentum to carry for the rest of the game.
Pitt’s bright spot on defense
Pitt junior linebacker Rasheem Biles was shot out of a cannon today in this game.
Biles finished with a team-leading 16 total tackles, the only player on Pitt’s defense to have double digits in that category. He put up a collegiate career high five tackles for loss, terrorizing the East Carolina running game and true first-year quarterback Chason Ditta.
In addition to that, he also recorded a pass break up, two sacks, and had that aforementioned strip sack of Ditta midway through the third quarter that he scooped up and ran 23 yards for a Pitt touchdown. That play was Pitt’s only trip to the endzone in the second half, and their only points after the break until 1:23 left in the fourth quarter.
While Pitt’s defense struggled overall to stop an East Carolina offense that was missing their top quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and right end, Biles did his part.
Surprising stat of the game
Despite only completing eight passes in this game, East Carolina’s quarterback threw for 177 yards, two touchdowns and a 173.3 passer rating.
Ditta, who was making his first career start at the college level and had just seven pass attempts to his name, wasn’t the most crisp in guiding a weakened Eastern Carolina offense. But he was able to take advantage of the downfield opportunities he had and cashed in.
Aside from the strip sack, Ditta also took care of the ball and managed the Pirates to a win. That was the difference between him and Pitt’s true first-year quarterback, Mason Heintschel, who accounted for a fumble and an interception on the Pitt side.
What now?
Pitt was 7-2 when it hosted Notre Dame about a month and a half ago, with the pomp and circumstance of ESPN’s College GameDay behind them. From that game onward, the Panthers went 1-3, their only win coming against Georgia Tech on the road.
With the team’s performance crumbling when the games mattered most, the program will face a lot of harsh questions as it tries to rebound. With several of the team’s best weapons, like senior running back Desmond Reid and junior linebacker Kyle Louis, declaring for the NFL Draft, the Panthers will have to recoup that talent loss and assess how to move forward.
They’ll also face speculation about their returning players. Heintschel, after a roller coaster rookie season, is now tasked with showing he and his team can truly compete with the big dogs of college football.
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