Well I made it to my seat a few minutes before kickoff. Was a hell of a game. I’ll be looking at comments, box score and media stuff later. This is just a bit of a recap from my memory — rendered a bit spotty by the post-game.
Manic in what happened. Pitt’s offense missed some big opportunities early as TD passes dropped, mis-timing, and just out of reach. And then the interceptions. The offense was withering late in the first half and uninspired for a good portion of the 3d quarter.
The defense was purely bend-but-don’t-break for 2.5 quarters. Very frustrating as the UConn running game was able to break off chunks. I know the numbers look better with the running because of sacks, but it sure was disappointing to see the D-line get pushed by UConn’s O-line. The secondary, was what you expect.
Then there was the final 22 minutes or so. The offense came up with an actual touchdown. That fired up the crowd, and the defense showed signs of life. At the end of the 3d quarter, I looked at the stats to that point, and the thing I remember best was that Pitt had about a 2 minute advantage in time of possession. It was 23:xx to 21:xx.
As much as I hate “Sweet Caroline,” I will concede it got the crowd, especially the student section excited. We were actually standing for most of the 4th quarter. Pitt, especially the defense, just seemed stronger through the 4th quarter. Pitt’s conditioning looked superior and was grinding down the Huskies.
Both sides of the ball executed and came together to play a flawless 4th.
Breaking UConn’s spirit. This was the second game where UConn appeared to have the game in hand, but could not match-up in the 4th quarter. So, from the UConn perspective it was a lot like the UNC choke. Of course, from the Pitt perspective, it was a stirring comeback and a second straight game where the team finished strong.
The Pitt coaching and clock management in the 4th was fantastic. Forcing UConn to burn all their timeouts but not able to stop Pitt. Instead, Pitt drove all the way to the half-yard line before kicking the game-winning FG as the clock expired.
All told, a solid win. The kind of game Pitt could have lost. They didn’t. They made plenty of mistakes. Lots of concerns that can’t be dismissed — and I’m sure they are already in the comments — but it still goes in as a win.
