Pitt Wins 55-0

Final Score from Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: Pitt 55, Austin Peay 0.

Fourth Quarter Scoring: Sibley blocked punt and scored, 48-0. Extra point failed.

Davis 1 yard touchdown run. Sauls PAT , 55-0.

Pitt to rely on dominant defense to gain traction in ACC

Pitt to rely on dominant defense to gain traction in ACC
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Panthers are still eyeing respect coming off their third eight-win season of head coach Pat Narduzzi’s five-year tenure. Even though Pitt returns most of the starters on a defense that was among the best in the country last season, the Panthers failed to receive a single vote in the preseason poll. Narduzzi says he hopes the lack of recognition puts a chip on his players’ shoulders. If Pitt wants to take another step toward the top of the ACC, the offense will need to make significant progress after finishing near the bottom of the country in scoring in 2019.

Collisions…or COVID-19? Pitt Relieved After Scare

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pitt football program is breathing a sigh of relief after dealing with a COVID-19 scare. Several players reported symptoms consistent with the novel coronavirus after the first day of padded practice. Head coach Pat Narduzzi ordered the affected players to contact the team’s trainer and canceled practice. The symptoms turned out to be a false alarm. The issues were the result of practicing, not COVID-19, and the Panthers returned to practice the following day after everyone involved tested negative. Narduzzi says he’s concerned about what happens when the university begins holding in-person classes later this month.

Big Ten pulls plug on fall football amid COVID-19 concerns

Big Ten pulls plug on fall football amid COVID-19 concerns
By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer
The Big Ten Conference won’t be playing football this fall because of concerns about COVID-19. The move comes six day after the conference that includes historic programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State had released a revised conference-only schedule that it hoped would help it navigate a fall season with potential COVID-19 disruptions.

Burrow throws 7 TDs, LSU routs Oklahoma 63-28

Breathtaking: Burrow throws 7 TDs, LSU routs Oklahoma 63-28
By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer
Joe Burrow turned in the greatest performance yet in his Heisman Trophy season, throwing for seven touchdowns and 493 yards as No. 1 LSU romped to a breathtaking 63-28 victory over No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl semifinal. The unbeaten Tigers now head to the national football championship game against either No. 3 Clemson. They are certainly clicking on all cylinders, having dismantled the Sooners with a first half for the ages. Burrow tied the record for any college bowl game with his seven TDs — all before halftime. Justin Jefferson had four TD catches.

Clutch Clemson: No. 3 Tigers beat No. 2 Ohio State 29-23

Clutch Clemson: No. 3 Tigers beat No. 2 Ohio State 29-23
By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer
Trevor Lawrence connected with Travis Etienne on a 34-yard touchdown with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter and No. 3 Clemson beat No. 2 Ohio State 29-23 Saturday night at the Fiesta Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff championship game. The Tigers went 94 yards on four plays in 1:18, with Lawrence completing all three of his passes and mixing in an 11-yard run. The sophomore quarterback who has never lost a college start passed for 259 yards and two scores and ran for a career-high 107 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown late in the first half. Clemson sealed it by intercepting Justin Fields’ pass into the end one with 37 seconds left.

Dillion, Boston College chug past Pitt 26-19

Dillion, Boston College chug past Pitt 26-19
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Steve Addazio turned the corner and saw his players waiting for him. With a shove from freshman defensive tackle Kyiev Bennermon, the Boston College head coach made his way into the middle of what quickly became a giddy mosh pit.
For the next 30 seconds, all the angst over Addazio’s future with the program vanished, replaced by a mixture of relief and joy.
If his team’s 26-19 over Pittsburgh on Saturday was his last stand, so be it. Addazio would prefer to think of it as the launching point for something even more meaningful. The win assured Boston College (6-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) of a bowl bid for fourth straight year and sixth in Addazio’s seven seasons on the job.
“All I cared about was getting this team to six wins and getting another month with them,” Addazio said. “And then watching what I watched. That was the greatest gift that I got. You want to talk about me? That was a great gift.”
One the Eagles gave him behind another punishing performance by running back AJ Dillon, who racked up 178 yards rushing, 47 of them coming on Boston College’s final drive that drained the final 5:26 off the clock after the Panthers had pulled within a touchdown.
“I went into a different zone,” Dillon said. “I don’t know how to describe that.”
Neither, really, could the Panthers (7-5, 4-4). Pitt entered with the sixth-best rush defense in the country and left shaken after the Eagles ran up 264 yards on the ground, the most the Panthers have allowed since the 2018 ACC championship game.
Dillon is a big back,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “He fought for yards. We didn’t tackle 250 pounds very well. He’s a hefty guy.”
A fast one too. Dillon’s 61-yard sprint to the end zone in the third quarter swung momentum back to the Eagles after Pitt had taken the lead on a 39-yard touchdown run by Vincent Davis. Boston College’s defense, which came in next to last in the ACC in points allowed and last in yards allowed, made sure the advantage held up. The Eagles forced four turnovers, produced four sacks and let the Panthers reach the end zone just once.
It also gave Addazio — now 44-44 at Boston College — a chance to stump for an eighth season. The Eagles have 62 players who are redshirt sophomores or younger and managed to reach the postseason despite losing quarterback Anthony Brown to a knee injury in mid-October.
“I’ve got a really good football team,” he said. “We’ve got most everybody coming back. This is going to be one hell of a football team moving forward. And we’ve got another month to tweak it and turn it and coach it and develop it. That is so exciting. I think this can be something special.”
SAME OLD PANTHERS?
Pitt entered the final two weeks of the regular season with a chance to repeat as Coastal Division champions. Instead, the Panthers ended up getting shut out on the road against Virginia Tech then getting pushed around at home by a program that hadn’t won in Pittsburgh since 1998.
Kenny Pickett threw for 323 yards for Pitt and Alex Kessman hit four field goals but the offense’s inability to finish drives remains an issue. The Panthers averaged just 20.2 points this season, taking some of the shine off a year that included a stirring upset over Central Florida and the emergence of a defense that ranked among the best in the ACC.
“I feel like we underachieved this season, tremendously,” senior linebacker Saleem Brightwell said. “I feel like especially with the players we have and the staff, to be 7-5 this year, it’s a fall-off from what we should have been. We’ve just got to come back strong in the bowl game and try to get eight wins this year.”
BIG PICTURE
Boston College: The Eagles need to figure out if a change is in order. Addazio has kept the Eagles competitive but they’re stuck in neutral in the ACC. Boston College has never finished better than .500 in conference play under Addazio’s watch. Yet his slam dance in the mosh pit hinted at how badly he’d like an opportunity to stick around.
“He’s a pretty reserved and tame guy most of the time,” quarterback Dennis Grosel said. “I know he wanted this one badly. We wanted this one for him also. It was nice to see him let some emotion out.”
Pitt: Given a chance to reach the eight-win plateau for the first time since 2016, the Panthers sputtered. The offense having trouble punching it in was hardly surprising. But the way the defense couldn’t get stops even though it knew what was coming was a stunner.
UP NEXT
Boston College: A lower-tier bowl game. Hopefully the Eagles can get it in. Their appearance in last year’s First Responder Bowl against Boise State was cancelled in the first half due to inclement weather.
Pitt: Heading to a bowl game for the 11th time in 12 seasons, though the last two losses sent the Panthers dropping precipitously down the pecking order in the ACC.
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