It’s safe to say that Panther fans are tired of watching their beloved sports teams blow games. There is a term coined by people within the Pitt social media spaces called “Pitting.” Pitting is the concept that refers to times when Pitt sports teams will look good at the beginning of a game or even take the lead late in a game before inevitably blowing it. Like many college students, Pitt athletics has failed to wrap it up on many occasions, leading to unfortunate consequences.
Pitt loses to Clemson on Klubnik scramble
This past season, Pitt football was in the midst of a two-game losing streak when the team took on No. 17 Clemson, looking to address its woes after losing to SMU and Virginia.
The Panthers held their own for much of the game, with redshirt sophomore quarterback Nate Yarnell throwing for 350 yards in the absence of starting redshirt first-year quarterback Eli Holstein.
Pitt’s defense played alright, holding Clemson’s senior quarterback Cade Klubnik to 288 yards and two passing touchdowns. The defense showed better play in the run game, holding senior running back Phil Mafah to 17 yards in 17 attempts — a stifling 1 yard per carry.
The run defense held up until late in the fourth quarter, when Pitt had a three-point lead following a 47-yard kick by senior kicker Ben Sauls. When Clemson took the field, Klubnik completed an 18-yard pass and a seven-yard pass in succession, setting up second-and-three on the 50-yard line.
Pitt’s defense had yet to allow a run by Mafah of more than six yards at this point, but Klubnik found space on a scramble and ran it 50 yards to the end zone to take a four-point lead with 1:16 remaining. Yarnell’s magic ran out for the ensuing drive, and Pitt lost a winnable game to a ranked opponent, a sure season turnaround turned big mistake.
Pitt loses Elite Eight game due to Reynold’s run
The 2009 Pitt men’s basketball team was one of the best basketball teams in the country and one of the best teams in the history of the school’s basketball program. With a chance at the first Final Four berth for Pitt since 1941, it took on fellow Big East foe Villanova at TD Garden in Boston in the 2009 Elite Eight.
The game went back and forth the entire way through, with 13 lead changes and the largest lead by either team only 10 points. It seemed like Villanova was coming away with the win before Wildcat sophomore guard Corey Fisher fouled Pitt senior guard Levance Fields with six seconds remaining. Fields made both free throws, and all Pitt had to do was stop Villanova from scoring on the last possession to push the game to overtime.
It was then that Villanova junior guard Scottie Reynolds took the inbound, dribbled all the way down the court and scored over junior forward Gilbert Brown to take a two-point lead with mere seconds remaining. A last heave by Fields for three would have won the game for Pitt, but Fields shot bounced off the backboard, and the Panthers squandered their best shot at the National Championship in the modern era.
Pitt loses to N.C. State on last-second touchdown
The 2020 Pitt football team came off of an 8-5 2019 season with high hopes and the emergence of then-junior quarterback Kenny Pickett. In Pickett’s senior year, Pitt was ranked No. 24 at 3-1 when it was set to take on 2-1 NC State.
Pickett threw for 411 yards on 22 completions and one passing touchdown. He also led the team in rushing, scoring two touchdowns on the ground with 40 yards rushing. The score went back and forth throughout the game before Pickett ran a one-yard touchdown but overthrew senior receiver Taysir Mack deep in the end zone on a two-point conversion try. Pitt took a 29-24 lead.
Pitt’s defense would proceed to fall apart completely, allowing an eight-play, 79-yard drive in 1:21, letting NC State take a quick 30-29 lead. The ensuing drive by Pickett resulted in an incompletion, and the last heave fell well short of the end zone.
Pitt would lose its next three games, effectively ending any hopes of a postseason before winning three of its last four to end the 2020 campaign at 6-5.