On Saturday, November 22, 2014, the University of Pittsburgh Panthers played against the Syracuse Orange and won 30-7. At first, Pitt wasn’t playing well.
Pitt was being called for penalty after penalty after penalty. They were giving up yardage like my church gave away free turkeys on Sunday. It was ridiculous. Then they settled down a bit. And started playing much better football.
Of course, it helped that Syracuse was incapable of capitalizing on any of Pitt’s blunders. Pitt was getting penalties, missing field goals, and Syracuse was giving the ball right back with penalties and poor play of their own. It was the battle of the ACC’s inadequate teams. But, Pitt pulled themselves together late in the first quarter and started playing well. Pitt outgained Syracuse 445-255, held the ball for nearly 39 minutes and played solid football throughout the game.
Currently, Pitt’s record is 5-6, 3-4 ACC which means they are one game away from becoming bowl eligible.
It’s no secret that once the college football season nears completion, college teams are always playing for bowl eligibility. Granted, some elite college football teams are playing for the playoffs, but Pitt simply wants to become bowl eligible.
Although Pitt won their Syracuse game by 21 points, Pitt has a knack for losing close games. During the season, Pitt has lost four games by five points or less. It’s a shame because the record doesn’t tell the full story of the close calls or the heartbreaking losses. If Pitt had scored one more touchdown in each game, their record could easily be 10-1.
“The last couple of weeks have not been easy,” Panthers head Coach Paul Chryst said. “The players have remained strong and kept their focus.”
It doesn’t sound like the Panthers are ready for their season to be over quite yet. According to senior safety Ray Vinopal “We still want a bowl game.”
Pitt must beat the University of Miami (6-5, 3-4 ACC) this weekend in Miami to secure their bowl eligibility.
For seven years, Pitt has qualified for the postseason. My prediction? This will be the first time in 7 years that Pitt doesn’t make the postseason. Why? Because I have no faith that Pitt will be able to beat University of Miami in a close game. I also have no faith that Pitt will win in Miami by multiple touchdowns.
I want my prediction to be wrong so the University of Pittsburgh players can experience the postseason, especially the seniors. However, Pitt has not won the ugly or winnable games this season and the Miami game will not change that trend.
Pitt’s postseason dreams are on life support and Miami is going to pull the plug.
Alexis Sara Cobb may be reached at: alexiscobb@ascexec.com or (724) 561-8082 Follow her on Twitter: @alexissara
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