Pitt Survives Duke While UVA Looms

Neither team wanted to tackle. It was rainy and a bit cold. Neither team cared to play defense. The outcome was yet another footrace between Pitt and Duke in which the Panthers prevailed in miraculous fashion, 54-45 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

Both teams came out swinging as the offenses looked nearly unstoppable.

On Pitt’s first possession, senior tailback superstar Qadree Ollison took the opening carry 5 yards to the Pitt 37 yard line.

Pitt sophomore QB Kenny Pickett then tossed a nice screen pass for 9 more yards to Ollison to the Pitt 46.

Ollison and Pickett then traded runs of 3 and 7 yards respectively to then give way to a new, never seen before, emerging superstar in Pitt freshman V’Lique Carter who ran the jet sweep for 11 yards to the Duke 33. On the play, Carter fumbled, which was forced by Duke’s Leonard Johnson, but it went out of bounds.

Carter, a back up defensive back, looked like a natural on offense and finally got the opportunity to shine.

Unsung hero Pitt senior tailback Darrin Hall then ran for 3 yards before Pickett, who missed a wide open pass on 2nd and 7 to Tre Tipton, ran the Option Read to pay dirt for 30 yards. Pitt 7 Duke 0.

After Duke tied the game, Pitt punted.

The Blue Devils then drove 9 plays to the Pitt 24 yard line and decided to go for it on 4th and 7. Duke’s redshirt junior QB Daniel Jones’ pass fell incomplete. Pitt would punt though after another 3 and out series.

Duke then seized the lead with a 12 play, 72 yard drive in which Jones found T.J. Rahming for a nifty 3 yard TD pass on a curl route. Duke 14 Pitt 7.

Pitt would tack on 3 more points when unsung hero PK Alex Kessman connected on a 27 yard field goal. The drive was aided by Carter’s amazing jet sweep run for 62 yards to the Duke 7. The Panthers, though, had to settle for the field goal. Duke 14 Pitt 10

Jones would counter with yet another T.J Rahming 3 yard slant TD pass for the Blue Devils. Duke 21 Pitt 10

Pitt answered right back in 3 plays After Pickett threw a screen pass to Ollison for 13 yards, Ollison took the ensuing handoff for a punishing 18 yards to the 50 yard line.

That set up the post route 50 yard TD bomb from Pickett to Pitt junior WR Maurice Ffrench, who went untouched to pay dirt. Duke 21 Pitt 17 at half.

Duke opened up the second half with a quick score that looked incredibly easy. Jones threw a simple shallow cross to Deon Jackson, who then trotted 74 yards practically untouched to score. Duke 28 Pitt 17

In the midst of a shootout, Pitt had an answer of course.

First, Ffrench took a jet sweeps for 28 and 11 yards to the Duke 36 yard line. Ollison added 2 more tough yards.

After missing on a pass to Ollison, Pickett then ran 24 yards to the Duke 10 for. Hall added a run of 6 yards to the Duke 4 before Ollison finished the drive off with an 4 yard TD scamper untouched. Pickett then completed a nice flag route pass to Pitt senior WR Rafael Araujo-Lopes for the 2 point conversion. Duke 28 Pitt 25.

Duke wasted no time responding. After a 6 play, 65 yard drive, the Blue Devils again scored easily when Quentin Harris punched it in from a yard out. Duke 35 Pitt 25.

Pitt went right back to the ground.

Ollison ran for 2 yards before Carter burst for 11 yards to the Pitt 38 yard line. After Duke’s Axel Nyembwe was called for an off-sides penalty, Ollison ran for 2 and 24 yards to the Blue Devils 31 yard line.

Thats when Carter salted the drive with a spectacular 31 yard dash, leaping into the endzone in dramatic fashion TD. Carter, by the way, would finish the day carrying the rock 7 times for 137 yards and 2 scores. Duke 35 Pitt 32

Duke went right back to the air when Jones found Johnathan Lloyd on a simple curl route for a 68 yard TD. Duke 42 Pitt 32

Pitt would tack on a 54 yard field goal by Kessman to pull within a TD, Duke 42-35.

That’s when Pitt finally stopped Duke on its ensuing series. The Pitt defense forced its first and only 3 and out in the game then took over on offense.

After Pickett’s pass fell incomplete on first down, Ollison ran for 13 yards to the Duke 46 for a first down. Carter added 2 yards, Hall added runs of 6 and 3 yards before Pickett missed again on a pass to Araujo-Lopes. The play was called back anyway on a 10 yard holding call on Alex Bookser.

That set up Pitt’s amazing run game. Ollison burst for 25 yards to the Duke 20, followed by Hall’s 4 yard run to the Blue Devils 16.

From there it was Carter’s showtime heroics. He took yet another jet sweep this time 16 yards to paydirt. Game tied at 42.

The teams would trade field goals before Pitt sealed the victory in dramatic fashion.

First, Pickett hit Hall on a beautifully designed screen pass for 24 yards to the Pitt 42 yard line.

Pickett, though, was sacked by Duke’s Ben Frye for a 1 yard loss before completing another curl route to Araujo-Lopes for 17 yards to the Duke 42.

Pickett seized control of the game when he found junior WR Tre Tipton for 6 yards on a crossing pattern and then Pickett ran for 11 yards to the Duke 25.

Instead of settling for a field goal, Pickett went for all the marbles and found Ffrench on a post route that somehow didn’t touch the ground with 5 seconds left in the game. Pitt 52 Duke 45

Duke attempted to lateral back on the final kick off the game but the ball rolled out of bounds in the end zone. Pitt 54 Duke 45 Final.

Notes:

Pitt upped its all-time record against Duke to 14-9 including 5-1 in ACC play.

Next up: Pitt at Virginia, Fri 11/2 – 7:30pm ESPN2

Pitt is 7-3 all-time vs Virginia but 0-2 in night games at Virginia

Pitt dropped 44-14 game in 2007 under Dave Wannstedt and then most recently dropped 24-19 game in 2014 under Paul Chryst under the lights.