Pitt Outmuscled In Loss To Cincinnati
PITTSBURGH -- With touches of fall in the air, the first iteration of the River City Rivalry between the Pitt Panthers and Cincinnati Bearcats since 2012 resulted in a game to remember. Cincinnati outclassed Pitt in nearly every phase of the game and led 27-7 at the end of the third quarter, but a comeback effort by the Panthers in the fourth provided intrigue. The deficit was ultimately too much to overcome, however, as the Bearcats walked away with a 27-21 win.
The Panthers opened the game with possession and went three-and-out after failing to complete any of their three past attempts. Cincinnati wasted no time getting the ball rolling on the following drive, engineering a four-play, 64-yard series that capped off with a 12-yard touchdown reception thrown by Emory Jones to Payten Singletary that made it 7-0.
The Bearcats' defensive line fed off the momentum their offense established and forced another three and out on Pitt's next possession. The Panthers made something out of nothing though, as a 59-yard punt from Caleb Junko pinned Cincinnati at their own 21-yard line. The Bearcats' domination in the trenches came into play once again, however, as Corey Kiner gashed Pitt's defense for a 68-yard run that set up a field goal to give Cincinnati an early 10-0 lead.
The Panthers were in danger of another scoreless possession before Phil Jurkovec connected with Konata Mumpfield on a 30-yard completion with a roughing the passer penalty as the cherry on top to set up Pitt at the Bearcats' 44-yard line. Those two would link up once again for a five-yard touchdown to finish off a 10-play, 75-yard drive that made it 10-7 with 4:17 left in the first quarter.
Cincinnati couldn't drum up anything on the ensuing drive, resulting in their first punt of the contest that placed the Panthers at their own 39-yard line. C'Bo Flemister came out firing with a 38-yard run on the first play of the series, but an errant 42-yard field goal attempt by Ben Sauls rendered the possession fruitless for Pitt.
The Bearcats responded with a 7-play, 76-yard drive that Kiner finished off with a seven-yard touchdown run to make it 17-7. The series was headlined by a trick play that saw wide receiver Braden Smith hit Dee Wiggins with a 30-yard throw on the money to set them up at Pitt's seven-yard line. The Panthers didn't come away with points on their next possession, but another strong punt by Junko pinned Cincinnati at their own one-yard line.
The Bearcats led a methodical 17-play, 69-yard drive that chewed the last 8:11 of the second quarter and culminated in a 47-yard field goal that sent Cincinnati into halftime with a 20-7 lead.
Cincinnati was forced to punt after an unsuccessful drive at the start of the second half, granting Pitt the ball at their own 30-yard line. The Panthers gave it away as quickly as got it though, as the Bearcats recovered a Jurkovec fumble at Pitt's 36-yard line.
A heroic throw and catch from Jones to Smith for a 21-yard touchdown on Cincinnati's next possession grew the lead to 27-7. The Panthers' issues containing the Bearcats' pass rush persisted on the ensuing drive while Jurkovec's troubles also continued, resulting in Pitt's fourth punt of the game.
The Panthers pieced together a defensive stand and forced a punt on Cincinnati's following series, which AJ Woods got his hands on as Pitt took over in Bearcat territory. A pair of defensive pass interferences aided the Panthers and pushed them inside the 10-yard line, setting the table for Mumpfield's second touchdown of the day on a nine-yard catch to make it 27-14 with 14:48 left in the game.
A momentous third-down stand by Pitt's defense at midfield led to a punt and possession for the Panthers at their own 14-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Gavin Bartholomew came free down the sideline and carried Pitt into the redzone on a 60-yard catch. Four plays later, Jurkovec found Bartholomew again for a 16-yard touchdown to cut Cincinnati's lead to 27-21.
With newfound energy on their side, the Panthers stood tall and thwarted the Bearcats' offense on the next drive. They started their next series at their own 16-yard drive but ultimately couldn't take advantage of a golden opportunity and had to settle for a punt.
Cincinnati took over at their own 22-yard line with 6:09 left and remained stagnant on offense as Jones was picked off by Marquis Williams at the Bearcats' 44-yard line. Outside of a 14-yard run by Jurkovec, though, the Panthers couldn't find a way to crack Cincinnati's defense and turned the ball over on downs with 4:10 left in the game.
Pitt had opportunities to get the ball back with a chance to win, but Cincinnati converted several third down chances and ran the clock out to clinch the victory.
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