Early miscues haunted Pitt from the opening whistle. Trey Butkowski’s 42-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left in the first quarter, and Eli Holstein forced an ill-advised pass into the end zone that was intercepted midway through the second. Those errors set a shaky tone for a Panthers offense that needed every bit of its best to compete on the road.
West Virginia failed to score in the first quarter but finally broke through midway through the second with a 12-yard touchdown run, taking a 7-0 edge. Pitt answered before halftime when Butkowski connected on a 23-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 7-3 as both defenses tightened up.
The Mountaineers extended their advantage to 14-3 early in the third quarter, despite never starting inside Pitt’s 30-yard line. It wasn’t until late in the period that Pitt countered, with Holstein powering in a 1-yard rushing touchdown and converting the two-point try to pull within four. A booming 46-yard field goal knotted the score at 14-14 as the crowd braced for the fourth-quarter fireworks.
Pitt appeared in command to open the fourth. Butkowski drilled a 36-yard field goal, then Holstein hit Raphael Williams Jr. on a 14-yard touchdown strike to put the Panthers up 24-14 with 9:23 remaining. Instead of closing things out, Pitt’s offense stalled and the defense yielded a 21-yard field goal and, with 11 seconds to play, a clutch 2-yard touchdown toss from Nicco Marchiol to Grayson Barnes to force overtime at 24-24.
In the extra session, West Virginia’s Tye Edwards delivered the knockout punch, powering in a 1-yard touchdown plunge. Pitt’s offense went silent on its ensuing possession, and the defense couldn’t muster the critical stop, cementing a dramatic Mountaineers comeback and flipping a 69.8% win probability into defeat.
This loss drops Pitt to 2-1 on the season and unfortunately extends a frustrating pattern for Pat Narduzzi’s squads. Time and again, his teams have failed to close out opponents despite holding late-game advantages, raising red flags about their ability to execute in clutch moments. As ACC play opens next week, the Panthers must find a way to put games away when they have the chance or risk repeating this all-too-familiar ending.
(photo courtesy of WVU Athletics)