Pitt Panthers Defense Dominates in Win Over UCF

The Pitt Panthers move to 2-0.

Sep 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; UCF Knights wide receiver Ric'darious Farmer (6) makes a catch as Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Braylan Lovelace (0) tackles during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are 2-0, defeating the University of Central Florida 12-7 at Acrisure Stadium.

With the rain coming down, this Week 2 battle was a defensive showdown right from the start. The Panthers held the Golden Knights scoreless until just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Then, when the offense stalled with 2:24 left on the clock, the Pitt defense needed to hold off one more time - and they did.

The one touchdown of the day for the Panthers came from running back Damon Ferguson Jr., who finished the afternoon with 20 rushes for 59 yards. Pitt rushed for 103 yards, but averaged just 2.4 yards per rush.

Mason Heintschel, who tied the school record with seven touchdowns against Miami (OH), completed 18 of 29 passes for 212 yards. Cataurus Hicks led the Panthers with three receptions for 64 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, Pitt held UCF to 186 passing yards and just 20 rushing yards on the day. The Golden Knights ran the ball 22 times, averaging just 0.9 yards per carry. Alonza Barnett's longest rush of the afternoon was 18 yards and finished the game with 13 rushes for 13 yards.

The group recorded three sacks and eight tackles for loss.

What's Next for Pitt

Pitt is coming off a Week 1 win over Miami (OH), 59-14.

The Panthers will host Syracuse for their first ACC conference game of the season. From there, they take on Bucknell at Acrisure Stadium before traveling to Virginia to play Virginia Tech, beginning the rest of their ACC slate.

The rest of their schedule is as follows:

• Home against North Carolina
• At Boston College
• At Miami
• Home against Georgia Tech
• Home against Florida State
• At Louisville
• At Cal

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