Late comeback not enough as Pitt ends season in 29-24 loss to Miami

With 2:34 remaining, Pitt quarterback Nathan Peterman scampered five yards and found the endzone to bring the score to 29-24. But his run, and Pitt’s run of success this season, proved to be too little, too late on Saturday.

A failed two-point conversion attempt and onside kick gave Miami the ball, which was enough for the visitors to waste away all but 11 seconds of the game, enough for one final Pitt play. Several laterals later, Pitt fell by the same score in their final regular season game on Saturday at Heinz Field to finish with an 8-4 record, its best since 2010.

Slow starts have become a trend for the Panthers, much to the disappointment of head coach Pat Narduzzi.

“We started slow again,” Narduzzi said. “We’ve got to find a way to jumpstart. I might have to bring my jumper cables out or something.”

Miami had no problem cutting through Pitt’s defense early, as quarterback Brad Kaaya sneaked a carry in from one to finish off a 75-yard opening drive. The Hurricanes leaned on running back Joseph Yearby on the drive, running him eight times for 57 yards.

Kaaya completed 21-35 passes on the game for 261 yards and a touchdown. Though Pitt would slow the Hurricanes offense at times, Kaaya always seemed to make a play when his team needed it.

Linebacker Mike Caprara lauded Kaaya’s performance, specifically on the sophomore’s mental toughness.

“He did a lot of good checks. Anything we had schemed up or any calls. He was real patient,” Caprara said.

Hoping to answer, the Panthers quickly gave the ball back, as Miami cornerback Artie Burns intercepted a poorly thrown Peterman pass. The interception was Peterman’s first in ACC play, as the junior quarterback has usually been apt at protecting the ball all season.

“It was a huge momentum swing in the wrong way,” Peterman said. “We wanted to come out there and answer that score, and I throw an interception on the second play.”

Though Peterman wouldn’t turn it over again, the interception was a sign of how the game would play out, with the signal caller struggling to find any rhythm all game. Peterman completed 13 of 27 passes for 142 yards.

Narduzzi will hold off on any steadfast judgments of his quarterback until watching tape, though he made sure to mention that the blame can’t be just put on Peterman, but all 11 players in the game at a time.

“It was okay. We’ll look at it on tape,” Narduzzi said. “Everybody has bad days, and everybody has good days.”

Miami capped the drive off with a 33-yard field goal by Michael Badgley.

Pitt would try to answer back on its next drive, going 45 yards down the field to lead to a field goal try from Chris Blewitt. Blewitt failed to convert, hitting the right upright from 48 yards out.

Kaaya came back on the field and quickly continued his offensive productivity, finding Stacy Coley 48 yards downfield, and then Rashawn Scott in the corner of the end zone from 22 yards out to give the Hurricanes a 17-0 lead.

Narduzzi commended Miami’s ability to start quickly, while also indicting his team of not being about to do the same.

“They came ready to play. They made the plays in the first half, and we didn’t,” Narduzzi said.

After a three-and-out from the Panthers’ offense, Miami again ended its drive with points, driving 28 yards to lead to a 48-yard field goal.

After previously showing minimal signs of life, Pitt reached Miami territory off a 30-yard run by junior receiver Tyler Boyd. A few runs and an unnecessary roughness penalty brought Pitt to Miami’s eight-yard line. The drive, though, stalled out, leading to a 25-yard Blewitt field goal to bring the score to 20-3.

Similar to how the half began, Miami would finish the first half with a scoring drive, this time a 23-yard field goal as time expired, after the Hurricanes marched 72 yards on 17 plays. Miami outgained Pitt 248-102 at the half. For Boyd, he attributed the slow start to simply not executing.

“I can’t really pinpoint or point a finger on anybody,” Boyd said. “A lot of guys, including me, we just weren’t out there doing our job, we weren’t executing our plays.”

Pitt did find some rhythm following halftime, outscoring Miami 21-6 in the second half, though by then the deficit was too deep. Still, Narduzzi was proud of his team’s performance in the half.

The first score came after the teams traded scoreless drives to start off the second half, when Pitt turned to running back Darrin Hall. Hall rushed five times for 61 yards on the drive, with the last one going 35 yards for a touchdown after a broken tackle. Hall said he was happy with his carries, and added that his powerful style worked well on Saturday.

“I like it. We were just pounding it, our line was pounding them. We just keep pounding them until you you break them,” Hall said.

Hall was one of Pitt’s few offensive standouts, rushing for 103 yards and a score on 12 carries. Immediately, It was evident to Narduzzi that Hall was on the way to a strong game.

“On his first carry, it looked like he was shot out of a cannon,” Narduzzi said.

Pitt scored again off a two yard pass to tight end Scott Orndoff after an 89-yard kickoff return by Quadree Henderson. A two-point conversion off a run by Peterman brought the score to 29-18.

Though the 2015 season broke some trends for the Pitt football team, Saturday’s finale against the Hurricanes was reminiscent of recent years. The loss was Pitt’s fifth straight to Miami at home. Pitt last beat Miami in Pittsburgh in 1997 and has now lost 17 of the last 19 in the series.

Narduzzi said despite the final result, he was proud of his team’s performance in the second half, and all season in general.

“One of the reasons I love this football team is they have no quit in them,” Narduzzi said. “They will never quit. They continue to fight and fight and fight.”