Controversial officiating decisions might not have cost No. 18 Pitt the game in its 24-19 loss to Virginia Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, but they certainly left plenty of fans – and Panthers’ coach Pat Narduzzi — shaking their heads.
The first decision came late in the game after Pitt had marched 86 yards and scored on backup quarterback Nate Yarnell’s 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gavin Bartholomew, pulling the Panthers to within 21-19.
Pitt made good on the two-point conversion attempt when Yarnell again connected with Bartholomew, but the play was nullified due to a holding call on the Panthers’ Ryan Baer.
“He did a technique we called trap his arm, and he knocked his arm down,” Narduzzi said of Baer. “That’s all it was. The guy wasn’t even close to the quarterback. You talk about non-factors. But players play, coaches coach and officials officiate.”
Then, with about 6 minutes remaining, Panthers forced a turnover on downs on fourth-and-1 – or at least it appeared that was the case. But the officials claimed they weren’t ready when the ball was snapped, giving the Cavaliers a “fifth down.”
Virginia took advantage of the extra play and converted the first down. Eventually, the Cavaliers tacked on a Will Bettridge field goal that increased their lead to 24-19, and they picked off a Yarnell pass to seal the win.
“At the end they got five downs,” Narduzzi said of the call that gave Virginia an extra play. “And I haven’t seen that many times in my career. And, again, we held them to a field goal there at the end, but it ate up more time on the clock, which would have given us more time at the end.”
Narduzzi said after the game that he had no idea why the Cavaliers were given an extra play in that instance.
“It’s a great question,” he said. “I’m sure (the ACC) will answer that for us on Monday or Tuesday.
“But it’s our job to get lined up and get in position. And it’s their job to get lined up and get in position as well. We had a stop on fourth-and-1. And no explanation.”
The Panthers’ sloppy play also contributed mightily to the loss, which puts them in a tough spot to reach the ACC title game, as they fell to 7-2 overall and 3-2 in the conference with games against Clemon, Louisville and Boston College remaining.
Pitt totaled 292 yards of offense and completed 14 of 35 passes in the game. But the Panthers were whistled for 11 penalties on the night.
Starting quarterback Eli Holstein exited the game after a vicious late hit by Trey McDonald. McDonald was ejected for targeting. Holstein joined his top target Konata Mumpfield as they both left the game early.
Pitt’s quarterback play was less than stellar, although the Panthers’ line didn’t do Yarnell or Holstein any favors with Branson Taylor out. Holstein finished 10 of 23 for 121 yards, and Yarnell completed only 4 of 12 passes for 44 yards and two interceptions to go with his touchdown pass to Bartholomew.
Pitt trailed 7-0 after Xavier Brown punched one in from a yard out for Virginia at the end of the first quarter.
Daniel Carter notched Pitt’s first points on a 1-yard run with a little under five minutes left in the second quarter. The score was set up by a pass from Holstein to Mumpfield for 12 yards, getting them to the 1-yard line before the game-tying score.
The Panthers capitalized on Kyle Louis’s interception of an Anthony Colandrea pass as Ben Sauls converted 44-yard field goal.
Sauls drilled a 48-yard field goal before the end of the half, giving Pitt a 13-7 lead going into halftime.
The Panthers drove into Cavalier territory for a potential score, but a blocked field goal shifted the momentum. The Cavaliers went right down on a 73-yard drive that was capped by Colandrea’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Brown, retaking the lead 14-13.
Jonas Sanker picked off a Yarnell pass, enabling the Cavaliers to extend their lead with a Kobe Pace 3-yard touchdown run.
That was followed by the Panthers’ 86-yard scoring drive that culminated in Yarnell’s scoring pass to Bartholomew.
Although the officials didn’t help matters, Pitt came out flat and couldn’t get much going at all.
Desmond Reid led the team in total yardage with 80 rushing yards on 16 carries, and two receptions for 43 yards.
Numerous pre-snap penalties, two interceptions, and a rough night on special teams led to the loss. Pitt committed 11 penalties for 75 yards.
Virginia tallied 340 total yards. The Cavaliers notched 170 rushing yards and 170 passing yards.
“It wasn’t good enough and it’s not just the quarterback, it’s everybody involved,” Narduzzi said. “We had way too many dropped passes out there today, so it’s hard to get in rhythm when you’re not catching the ball like you had all year. … We’ve got to do a better job in ball drills and catching the ball and making plays.”
Photos by Mike Longo Jr.
Be First to Comment