ACC Network coming to town
Pitt next stop on college campus list
Those looking for extended television coverage for Pitt’s matchup Saturday evening against No. 17 North Carolina are in luck. This weekend, the ACC Network will host multiple programs live from the North Shore leading up to the Panthers first contest in conference play.
In late July, the ACC Network announced it would travel to college campuses each week throughout the regular season, a first in the network’s history. After making stops at Virginia Tech, Florida State and Clemson, Pitt is next on the list.
“It’s been a lot of fun so far,” ACC Network host Kelsey Riggs said. “We’re all very excited to head to Pittsburgh this weekend.”
The network’s first live show will be ACC PM, hosted within Acrisure Stadium on Friday evening from 4-6 p.m. Show hosts Mark Packer and Taylor Tannebaum will discuss not only Pitt’s upcoming game but every other contest on this week’s ACC slate.
Things will then ramp up Saturday, as “ACC Huddle” will go live at 11 a.m. for the first of three broadcasts throughout the day. After airing Syracuse’s noon contest against Army and then Louisville’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff against Boston College, the live coverage from Pittsburgh will resume at 6:30 p.m. as the pregame lead-in for Pitt-North Carolina.
Following the game’s conclusion, the network’s panel of Riggs, EJ Manuel, Eric Mac Lain, Eddie Royal, and Mark Richt will then provide postgame analysis before signing off.
“The late night show is
always my favorite,” Riggs said. “Although you get a little tired and loopy, it’s kinda where I think most of the fun happens, when we can react to what we’ve seen.”
Like many Panther fans, the ACC Network’s analysts will have their eyes on the Pitt offense following poor showings in their back-toback losses against Cincinnati and West Virginia. Multiple network analysts who spoke with the Post-Gazette expressed that they were surprised with Pitt’s slow start to the season, claiming they believed the team would be in a much better spot entering the season’s fourth week. And they believe it will take more from starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec to turn things around.
“I’m kinda shocked honestly,” Manuel, a former standout quarterback at Florida State, said. “I expected him to play better.”
With Jurkovec in the midst of a rut, Manuel said he feels it will be on the Panther defense to step up and keep things close.
“If they can’t put points up consistently, then they’re going to have to come up with big plays in other areas,” Manuel said. “The defense is going to have to force turnovers, or they’ll need a touchdown on special teams.”