Preview Pitt vs UNC
Image Courtesy of: Justin Berl Getty Images
On Saturday, the Pitt Panthers visit Chapel Hill in search of a win to face number 21 UNC in an ACC Coastal Division clash.
The Panthers have lost two out of their last three games and desperately need to get back in the win column. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are riding a three-game winning streak and have a dark horse for the Heisman in quarterback Drake Maye.
The Panthers are coming off a rough 24-10 loss to Louisville last Saturday. Kedon Slovis had his worst performance as a Panther with 158-yards, 2 interceptions, and 0 touchdowns. Izzy Abanikanda had a relatively quiet game by his standards, with 28 carries for 129-yards, and only one touchdown, after he had six against Virginia Tech. The offense has a whole created four turnovers in the loss. With about three-minutes to go in the game, a 59-yard touchdown fumble recovery all but sealed the win for the Cardinals as Pitt was driving trying to tie the game.
Meanwhile, Maye went off against the Duke Blue Devils. He completed 28-38 pass attempts for 330-yards and 3 touchdowns. He was also UNC’s leading rusher with 18 carries for 70 yards.
The offense as a whole generated 536 total yards in the victory. However, the defense surrendered 542-yards and 35 points. In the dying seconds, Maye was able to find Antoine Green for an eight-yard game-winning score.
Both teams are coming in looking for wins. For the Tar Heels’ sake, they need the win to stay atop the Coastal Division and have a chance to compete for an ACC Championship. For the Panthers’ sake, they need the win to try to keep up with the teams ahead of them. Unfortunately for Pitt, the loss to Georgia Tech has hurt them, and the recent loss to Louisville didn’t do them any favors either.
While the Panthers aren’t mathematically eliminated from Championship contention it will be a steep hill to climb and they’ll need help from other teams if they want a shot at repeating as ACC Champions.
The game will come down to two factors. One is if the Tar Heels can stop Izzy Abanikanda. If he is able to find gaps then it will be a long day for the Heels. Two is if Maye will find open spaces that the Panthers might give him.
If both teams are able to handle the other then it could be a low-scoring affair. If not then it could go back and forth like it did last week for UNC. But if one team is able to handle the others player, then that team may have a shot to win.
