The Pitt Panthers enter Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium coming off of a 59-21 thrashing at the hands of Oklahoma State.

It was ugly from the beginning, with the Cowboys taking a 35-0 lead less than four minutes into the second quarter.

The Panthers responded by pulling their starting quarterback, graduate transfer Max Browne, and replacing him with sophomore Ben DiNucci. That worked for a while. DiNucci’s first two drives ended in touchdowns, but that was the end of the offense’s scoring for the day.

Pitt tacked on a score with a fumble recovery in the end zone in the third quarter.

The stats heavily favored the Cowboys because of the passing game. Oklahoma State passed for 572 yards (26-of-37) with five touchdown passes and one interception. Pitt passed for 288 yards (20-of-35) with one touchdown and two interceptions.

The ground game was basically even. Oklahoma State gaining 104 yards to Pitt’s 103. OSU attempted one more rush than Pitt did. The Cowboys ran for two touchdowns, and Pitt ran for one.

Pitt had an edge of three minutes in time of possession, but trailed considerably in third-down conversions: 5-of-15 to 10-of-14.

Oklahoma State ran 72 plays to Pitt’s 69, and because of its success through the air, OSU had a better average per play, 9.4 to 5.7.

Game time for Saturday is 12:20 p.m., and WUPA (Channel 69) will televise it.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Jackson State marching band will perform this Saturday when the Tigers play Prairie View for the SWAC championship. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2023)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Featured

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS