Pitt entered Saturday’s Homecoming game at Heinz Field with all the momentum in the world, riding a four-game win streak and on the brink of breaking into the top-25 rankings. But when the stakes are highest, the Panthers have a fatal tendency to underachieve.

And underachieve they did, treating students and alumni alike a maddening combination of long, beautiful drives countered by red-zone inefficiency, and stout defensive play undone by crushing turnovers on offense.