Four Takeaways From Pitt's Uninspiring Loss to No. 12 Miami

PITTSBURGH — Well, the Pitt Panthers' 2025 regular season has come to an end.

It was an exciting final stretch of the season until Miami rolled into town. The Panthers were in the thick of the ACC Championship race after taking down No. 16 Georgia Tech on the road the week before.

Pitt got a look at what a top team in the country looks like when it got whooped by No. 9 Notre Dame earlier this month in a seemingly low-stakes game. But the Panthers didn't seem to learn anything from the loss, based on the product they put on the field against the Hurricanes.

Dead on Arrival

This game felt over from the very first play of the game. Right guard BJ Williams was bulldozed on the first snap, and Mason Heintschel was sacked for a loss of 10. Pitt did hold a 7-3 lead at the start of the second quarter when the offense went 75 yards in 13 plays, but that was it.

The Panthers had 113 yards of offense in the first three drives and 149 yards across the next seven drives. That touchdown at the beginning of the second quarter was the only score for Pitt as Miami scored 35 unanswered.

Believe it or not, Pitt could be in the ACC Championship this week, with SMU's loss to Cal, but the Panthers were clearly not ready to play and did not perform like they were a game away from the conference title.

Returning Key Players Did Not Help

Desmond Reid, Francis Brewu, Ryan Carretta and Trey Butkowksi were all removed from the injury report before the game, but they did not make an impact in this one. Sean FitzSimmons was also a game-time decision, but did not dress.

Reid and Carretta did not play a snap of offense, and Butkowski missed his only field goal attempt of the game. Brewu did play well, with three tackles and a one for a loss.

It was expected pregame that the Panthers would be the healthiest they've been in quite some time by returning four starters, but just one made any sort of impact.

Pitt Still Chained to Narduzzi

Earlier this year, I wrote about how Narduzzi is good, but not good enough, after the embarrassing loss in the Backyard Brawl. I cited how under Narduzzi, Pitt has struggled to compete atop the ACC, against the nation's top teams and against rivals. All of that happened this season.

Pitt lost to West Virginia and No. 9 Notre Dame—the only two rivals on this season's schedule—it lost to Louisville and No. 12 Miami to finish sixth in conference play—based on the standings after tiebreakers—and was outscored 75-22 against top-15 opponents.

The Panthers were good enough to win six ACC games this season, four of which came against teams that finished with a losing record, but were not good enough to make the conference title. Even though they had a chance heading into the Miami game, the Panthers still needed help from other teams in the league.

But, alas, Narduzzi is under contract until 2030, and his buyout would very likely be too large for Pitt to do anything this offseason.

Hope For Good Bowl Game Draw

We won't know what bowl game Pitt draws until Dec. 7, when the College Football Playoff bracket is decided. What we do know, though, is what bowl game the Panthers are likely to land. Last week, the top pick was playing Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Pitt needs a good bowl game win to hang its hat on after a disappointing end to the regular season. And a bowl against a bitter in-state rival would be exactly that, especially with the Nittany Lions having a down year.

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