Pitt football loses 6OT bowl-game thriller, retains crucial players over the holiday break

Pitt football closed out its 2024 season over the holiday break with a 46-48 loss to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit. 

The loss dropped the Panthers to 7-6 and completed their six-game losing streak after starting the season with a promising 7-0. Despite a disappointing second half of the season, Pitt improved from its 3-9 campaign last year, leaving hope for further improvement next fall.

Longest bowl in college history

The GameAbove Sports Bowl kicked off at 2 p.m. on Dec. 26, right in the midst of holiday celebration and cheer for Panthers fans. 

The Panthers headed into the bowl game without redshirt first-year quarterback Eli Holstein, who was rehabbing a lower leg injury, turning to another redshirt first-year arm in David Lynch for the start. 

NCAA statistics estimate that college football games lasted approximately three hours and 22 minutes during the 2023 season, but Ford Field’s game far surpassed the average in a four hour and 38 minute six-overtime bowl game. The game broke the previous record, set just two days before in a five-overtime victory for South Florida in the Hawaii Bowl. 

Second-half comeback falls short

After ending the first half with three punts and a pick-six, the Panthers entered the locker rooms down 20-12.

They received the ball to open the second half, but Lynch threw an interception under pressure — his second of the day. Pitt’s defense held strong, creating a turnover on downs, a fumble and an interception while the offense tacked on 18 points to take the lead. 

The exciting momentum ended abruptly with another pick-six, this one thrown by first-year quarterback Julian Duggar. Following the turnover, a Toledo field goal tied up the game and sent the teams to overtime.

Young Pitt stars give promising performances

Despite three tough interceptions for the young Panther quarterbacks, both Lynch and Duggar showed promise in moments of the game. Lynch, a spring 2023 walk-on, kept the Panthers in the game throughout the first half, while Duggar entered as a red zone dual-threat option. 

After Lynch’s second interception, Pitt turned to Duggar for the second half where he orchestrated a huge comeback and kept the Panthers neck and neck with Toledo for five overtimes. The Pittsburgh native ended the day with three total touchdowns and 88 rushing yards, including his crucial two-point conversion run in the fourth overtime to keep the game alive. 

In his first college snaps, Duggar showed promise in big moments, giving hope for his potential role as a red zone option for Pitt next season. 

Pitt found another young star in first-year running back Juelz Goff. With seven carries, Goff ran for 31 yards, including a 13-yard run on third down in the second overtime to tie the game back up. The Pennsylvania native showed both speed and strength, hinting towards his potential role in the offense next season behind star running back Desmond Reid. 

Panther fans question coaching decisions in big moments

Pitt had various opportunities to put the game away, leaving fans frustrated with the decisions of head coach Pat Narduzzi and offensive coordinator Kade Bell at the end of the game. 

The first overtime passed quickly, with the teams exchanging touchdowns with relative ease. Pitt’s defense held the Rockets to a field goal in the second overtime, meaning a Panther touchdown would put it away. 

On third and goal from the one-yard line, the Panthers lined up senior tight end Gavin Bartholomew to take the snap, where he took a few steps to the right before throwing the ball just out of reach for redshirt freshman defensive end Isaiah Neal. 

The announcers and fans couldn’t help but wonder why Bartholomew chose to pass over taking the open opportunity to run the ball in for a touchdown, as well as question the decision to pass to a defensive tackle rather than running the ball with Reid or Duggar. 

On the following play, Narduzzi opted to send out redshirt senior Ben Sauls for the kick, despite being on the one-yard line, to tie the game and send it to the next overtime. Although Sauls has been nearly automatic this season, especially from just 19 yards, it felt as though the Panthers should have gambled the win there, running the ball or even trying another trick play to put the game away.   

Crucial players announce return for next season

Hours after the Panthers closed out the 2024 season, excitement for the fall began to build with some of Pitt’s biggest stars announcing their return across social media. 

Perhaps the most exciting was Holstein, who announced his return with an “I’m back” video. The transfer from Alabama led the Panthers to a 7-0 record before suffering a concussion and lower leg injury. His return is huge for Pitt, and young quarterbacks Duggar, Lynch and incoming first-year Mason Heintschel will sit behind him. 

Holstein is joined in the backfield by returning junior running back Desmond Reid. Reid, honored as second-team All-American this season, announced his return prior to the game and put on a show with a touchdown and 165 yards on 32 running attempts, along with five receptions for 15 yards. It seemed the Panthers put the ball in Reid’s hands in all the big moments, including a drive in the first half where Reid had three carries in a row. With more than 1,500 all-purpose yards this season, his return is huge for the Panthers’ offense next fall. 

On the other side of the ball, redshirt senior defensive back Rashad Battle announced he would be returning for his final season, along with redshirt sophomore linebacker Kyle Louis and sophomore linebackers Rasheem Biles and Braylan Lovelace. The trio of linebackers combined for 236 tackles, 17 sacks and six interceptions, including 11 total tackles in their final game of the season. 

Despite the frustrating loss and end-of-season disappointment, the return of key players offers hope as the Panthers begin their quest to further improve in the fall.