So soon after a deflating defeat to Miami that torched Pitt’s aspirations of an ACC title game appearance, it’s difficult to imagine what a morale-restoring message would be for the players.
Coach Pat Narduzzi likely already has delivered some remarks akin to that in the immediate aftermath of his team’s 38-7 loss to No. 13 Miami on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.
For Pitt (8-4, 6-2 ACC), the regular season is over. But Narduzzi now must rally his troops as the Panthers await an invitation to a postseason bowl game.
“We’re moving on,” quarterback Mason Heintschel said. “Wish we could be playing for a championship, but we didn’t do what we needed to do to get that done. We’ve just got to get back to what we’ve been doing, keep putting in more work to be better and attack the bowl game.”
While it will come as little consolation to the Panthers, they performed well enough over the course of the season to have all their goals still within reach during the season’s final week.
Zooming out, Pitt has an opportunity to win nine games in a season for just the sixth time (2022, 2021, 2009, 2008, 2022) since 1983.
Despite a conclusion that left all involved wanting more, Narduzzi took time to recognize his outgoing seniors, many of whom wanted desperately to erase the bad taste from an 0-6 finish a year ago.
“Our seniors were great,” Narduzzi said. “Love those guys and appreciate everything they’ve done here for this football team. We get one more opportunity to go out as a football team.”
At a bare minimum, the Panthers improved from 2024, doing so in an unorthodox manner that ran contrary to how the team was expected to flourish.
Instead of riding contributions from quarterback Eli Holstein and running back Desmond Reid, Narduzzi gambled with an early-season quarterback change, while Pitt navigated Reid’sinjuries that cost the All-American nearly half the season.
Defensively, the Panthers also absorbed a litany of injuries, with standouts Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles, Cruce Brookins, Tamon Lynum, Rashad Battle and many defensive linemen missing time.
In their places, younger players stepped up, with Pitt showcasing solid depth.
Sitting at 2-2 to begin October, Pitt bounced back under Heintschel, winning five straight games before a ranked-on-ranked showdown with No. 9 Notre Dame two weeks ago at home.
That contest, a 37-15 defeat, ultimately proved to be a reality check for Pitt, which dispatched middling ACC foes effectively but couldn’t keep pace with a national contender.
Granted, a week later, the Panthers throttled ranked Georgia Tech, 42-28, on the road.
All of that led into Saturday’s affair with the Hurricanes, which, like two weeks prior, resulted in a dose of reality for the Panthers as to how they stacked up against elite competition.
Over the next few weeks, Narduzzi will announce Pitt’s 2026 recruiting class while trying to keep his current players focused as bowl matchups are revealed.
From there, Pitt will have one more opportunity to conclude the season on a high note, even if it won’t match the thrill of chasing conference championship.
“(Our) potential was a championship, and we came up one game short,” safety Javon McIntyre said. “It definitely was an up-and-down season. We understood it was a one-week season every time, trying to go 1-0. We just fell short, but we’ll be back.
“Just understand what happened (vs. Miami) and learn from it. We’ll watch film and come together as a brotherhood and as a family. It’s just us. We know that. No matter what happens on Saturday, win or lose, it’s just us every time. We’re going to come back as a family and just play for each other.”
