Panthers lose regular-season finale to Miami

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Before the Panthers could say “Hurricane”, Miami bolted to a two-score lead courtesy of Pitt miscues and controlled the action at Heinz Field for the entirety of Friday afternoon’s season finale. As a result, the Panthers finished 6-6 for the third consecutive season after a 41-31 loss to Miami.

Lafayette Pitts fumbled the game’s opening kickoff at the Pitt 32, and the Hurricanes scored on a touchdown pass from Stephen Morris to Stacy Coley on a flag pattern–the first of three touchdowns for Coley Friday.

Pitt’s first offensive drive resulted in a three-and-out, and Matt Yoklic’s punt traveled just nine yards after it was partially blocked. Miami started its second drive at the Pitt 45, and scored on a screen pass that Coley took to the end zone for 34 yards and six points.

Only three-plus minutes had ticked off the game clock at that point, and Pitt already faced a 14-0 deficit.

“We did too many things to hurt ourselves,” head coach Paul Chryst said. “We didn’t play smart.”

From that point, the Panthers (6-6, 3-5 ACC) held tight with the Hurricanes (9-3, 5-3 ACC) but their efforts were not enough to overcome the early deficit. The loss in Pitt’s final game concluded a losing season in the program’s first as a member of the ACC, a season in which Pitt started conference play 2-0 but lost five of its last six conference games.

A bright spot from Pitt’s loss was the way the Panthers responded: the offense scored a touchdown after Coley’s second of the first quarter and racked up over 400 yards, while the defense played well enough over the game’s final 55-plus minutes for the Panthers to outscore Miami 31-27 in that timeframe.

Tom Savage, playing in his final game as a Panther at Heinz Field, threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-43 passing. Savage also scored one on the ground, when he spun away from a sack and dove into the end zone after a seven-yard scramble.

Isaac Bennett also delivered a quality performance on the ground, as he ran for 145 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Bennett set personal-best for his longest rushing attempt when he sliced through the left side of Pitt’s line for a 44-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

But the game’s first five minutes were the difference, one that consisted of Pitt’s mistakes and Miami’s big-play ability.

Miami effectively put the game out of reach near the end of the first half, as the Panthers trailed 24-10 with two minutes left in the half. On an end-around hand-off, Coley scored his third touchdown of the day by weaving through Pitt’s defense for a 73-yard score that gave Miami a 31-10 halftime lead.

Pitt allowed 476 total yards of offense to the Hurricanes, who were led by 173 receiving yards from Allen Hurns and Coley’s 146 combined yards receiving and rushing. Morris completed 17-of-28 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns.

Morris found Hurns nine times, including a 66-yard gain that moved the Hurricanes from their own 20 to the Pitt 14 in one single play.

“We were giving them yards on the play-action plays,” Chryst said. “Our guys have to respect their speed but you also can’t respect them too much.”

Pitt’s own performance in the passing game resulted in a record-breaking game for Tyler Boyd, who set the mark for receptions in a single season by a freshman. Boyd’s 70th reception moved him past Larry Fitzgerald’s previous record of 69.

“That right there means a lot to me,” Boyd said. “I really didn’t expect that coming in my freshman year.”

Boyd finished with nine receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown that came off a 12-yard pass from quarterback Tom Savage.

“I think you never quite know how good someone is until you are with them,” Chryst said. “I truly am excited because I know he can be a lot better.”

Ultimately, like the course of Pitt’s total season which saw the program finish at even-.500 once again, the Panthers hurt themselves too many times and didn’t have enough to compensate for that.

“There is never a game that’s going to go all your way,” Chryst said. “In the end, we didn’t make enough plays.”

Savage, one of 18 seniors playing in their final game as Panthers, summed it best for the way the team felt.

“It just stinks,” Savage said. “Last game at Heinz for the seniors, so it sucks.”