Pitt entered a tough weeknight matchup at Connecticut and came up short, losing 30-28.
You can never point to any one thing as the reason for losing a game. But, special teams, yeah, I’m looking at you…
Truth is special teams might not have been the only reason for Pitt losing this game, but it was, shall we say, a really big factor. Pitt had clawed its way back to take an eight-point lead in the third quarter, then promptly gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown. Ray Graham then came in the fourth quarter and fumbled a kickoff deep in Pitt’s own territory. UConn went in for a touchdown and the rest was history.
The normally reliable punter Dan Hutchins also had a shaky night with three punts 35 yards or fewer, including a 15-yard shank. And of course, there was the mysterious Jabaal Sheard non-punt block attempt I mentioned in the halftime update.
Tino Sunseri’s two interceptions (both in Connecticut territory) and the defense’s inability to stop Jordan Todman from doing his best Jim Brown impersonation also helped contribute to the loss.
Pitt now moves to 0-4 in prime time TV matchups this season and the bottom line is that the team should really be embarrassed by this loss. This was a game they clearly coulda shoulda won, but you can’t make those kinds of mistakes against any team and expect to win.
Pitt may still be the best team in the Big East, but we know one thing after tonight – the team really isn’t very good.
Check out the post-game analysis over at Pitt blog Cardiac Hill.