Unranked Pitt ends No. 2 Miami’s hopes
Perfect season gone, national title hopes take hit
for an undefeated season as the Panthers shock the visiting ’Canes 24-14.
Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH — After their previous 15 games, the Hurricanes had celebrated.
They danced and jumped and reveled in their locker room, rejoicing as the Miami program hit milestone after milestone after so many years of mediocrity.
Last December, they celebrated their first bowl win in a decade. In October, it was the snapping of a seven-game losing streak to rival Florida State. Earlier this month, they clinched their first Coastal Division crown. Last week, they secured their first 10-win season since 2003.
But after a nightmarish afternoon in Pittsburgh, the postgame dancing stopped. There was no laughing, no celebratory Gatorade bath for their coach.
Instead, for Miami’s players there was the sober realization that now the Hurricanes may no longer control their own destiny in the quest to win Miami’s sixth national championship.
Pittsburgh, which last November upset eventual ACC and national champion Clemson, notched another stunner on Friday, handing the second-ranked Hurricanes a 24-14 loss and snapping Miami’s 15-game win streak.
For the Hurricanes, there will be no unbeaten regular season. And now Miami will have to hope it can bounce back the way Clemson did last year.
The Hurricanes (10-1, 7-1) will most assuredly need to beat the Tigers next Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game to even have a chance of securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. A win Friday may not have put them in that pressure-packed of a position considering Miami had moved to No. 2 in the CFP rankings this week.
“Everything was out in front of us. Everything was in our own control and we gave that up,” Hurricanes receiver Braxton Berrios said. “That, among a lot of other things, is terrible. It’s a terrible way to end the regular season.”
It was also about as ugly a performance as the Hurricanes have put together in more than a year.
Quarterback Malik Rosier struggled so badly he was pulled in the fourth quarter in favor of backup Evan Shirreffs. And Miami’s defense, which entered the game allowing an average of 4.6 yards per play, was unable to stop the Panthers and freshman quarterback Kenny Pickett, who on Friday made the first start of his young career.
The Panthers came out strong from the start, with Pickett a force. The quarterback completed some tough passes against Miami’s secondary on some plays and ran straight at some of the Hurricanes’ biggest defensive hitters on others.
And the Pittsburgh (5-7, 3-5) defense kept Miami from ever finding any kind of consistency, with Rosier struggling to hit his targets for much of the afternoon.
The Hurricanes’ offensive woes were clear early, with Miami punting on its first three possessions. On their fourth, the Hurricanes got a 23-yard touchdown pass from Rosier to Ahmmon Richards that put Miami ahead 7-3, but that was the lone offensive highlight of the day until a late score by Berrios.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, outgained Miami 345-232, held the Hurricanes to a season-low 45 rushing yards and limited Miami to 4-of-15 on third-down conversions.