PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A couple of huge plays when it seemed like the Panthers would blow a 28-point lead at Georgia Tech and cost themselves an opportunity at an ACC championship game as Pitt hangs on for a 42-28 win in Atlanta Saturday night.
The first was by a former WPIAL star. Seconds away from a one-score game in the third quarter until Leechburg High School linebacker Braylan Lovelace stepped in front of the big Georgia Tech tight end Brett Seither, grabbed the pass from Haynes King and went 100 yards to get the Panthers back up 21.
Then after a pair of Yellow Jackets fourth quarter touchdowns that included a botched Pitt fake punt to give GT great field position, the Panthers were only up seven. Facing a third-and-four, Mason Heintschel hit Blue Hicks for 13 yards and then on the next play, filling the role of injured starter Desmond Reid, true freshman Ja’Kyrian Turner burst through the middle, outran the defense for a 56-yard touchdown to put the Panthers up a pair of scores with 2:41 to play.
The win keeps the Panthers eligible for the ACC championship game with one more game, hosting Miami next Saturday.
How it happened
Pitt got a pair of defensive stops and on Pitt’s second possession, Ja’Kyrian Turner busted a 33-yard run and on the next play, freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel stepped up in the pocket and found Kenny Johnson for a 31-yard touchdown, 7-0.
A fourth-down stop gave Pitt the ball at its 45, Heintschel to Johnson for 15 yards on a third-and-eight. A penalty wiped out a touchdown to Justin Holmes and on the next play, Heintschel found Holmes again for a 19-yard score, no flags, 14-0.
Pressure by Kyle Louis on third down forced a rushed pass by King, Kavir Baines-Marquez intercepts the pass and returned it 10 yards to the Georgia Tech 38. Heintschel with another clutch throw to Johnson, this on third-and-one for 18 yards to the one-yard line. Jules Goff punched it in, 21-0.
Early in the second quarter, a leaping grab by Malachi Thomas went for 17 yards. Heintschel scrambled and hit Deuce Spann for 10 yards on third-and-five, followed by a Turner 18-yard run and Heintschel executing a run-pass option perfectly carrying it into the end zone for a three-yard TD and 28-0 lead.
Haynes King would finish a 15-play, 75-yard drive with a five-yard run. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Rasheem Biles gave GT a first down after a third-down stop. King would also convert a fourth-and-four before the TD, 28-7.
Pitt would be forced to punt, one of only 18 yards and a Pitt facemask penalty made it a change of three yards and GT took the ball at the Pitt 30. King found Seither for 21 yards and finished it with a five-yard TD to Isiah Canion, 28-14.
Sam Carpenter missed a 40-yard field goal at the end of the first half, after a Yellow Jackets penalty gave him another 35-yarder, he missed that left as well.
Lovelace’s 100-yard interception return for a TD was the only scoring of the third quarter.
King with a four-yard TD to jamal Haynes and five-yard TD to Canion to cut the lead to seven and Bobby Dodd Stadium was rocking. Turner’s touchdown silenced the crowd and moved Pitt to 8-3, 6-1 in the ACC.
How reach title game
The Panthers will need a win hosting Miami next Saturday (game time TBA) and either a Virginia Tech win over Virginia or a Cal win over SMU. The Panthers didn’t play the Cavaliers or Mustangs and both win tiebreakers against Pitt with common opponents.
Sharks in the water
The Pitt linebacker corps calls itself ‘The Sharks’, they hunted on Saturday as Rasheem Biles led all tacklers with 15 (9 solo), Kyle Louis 11 (8 solo, a sack, 2 tackles for loss and Lovelace had four tackles and the game-altering interception.
Notes
· Pitt held Georgia Tech 118 yards under its total yards average
· Pitt held Georgia Tech 103 yards under its rushing yds average
· Pitt picked off Haynes King twice, he had two interceptions all year prior
· Turner rushed for a career-high 186 yards, while Pitt only totaled 171 yards rushing
· Heintschel was 20-27 for 226 yards, 2 TD
· Kenny Johnson had 6 catches for 91 yards