UNC Football early opponent preview: Pittsburgh Panthers
Keeping It Heel takes a look at each of the UNC Tar Heels football opponents in reverse order. This week we take a look at Pittsburgh.
Previous Team Previews:
Last season it took a Mitch Trubisky last second touchdown pass to Bug Howard to complete a 1-point comeback.
The season before that, the game decided the ACC Coastal Division.
With both teams starting new quarterbacks this year, will this game have the same intensity and meaning that it has had the last few seasons?
Head Coach: Pat Narduzzi. Career Record 16-10. This will be his third season at Pittsburgh which is his only head coaching stop.
Narduzzi was previously the defensive coordinator at Michigan State, where he helped create one of the best defensives in the FBS. Narduzzi also has the rare honor of his first victory coming against his Alma Mater, Youngstown State.
Best Former Player: QB Dan Marino. Hall of Famer, nine-time Pro Bowler, and seven-time All-Pro. Marino also is a former MVP, rookie of the year, offensive player of the year, five-time passing yards champion, three-time passing touchdowns champion, and a Super Bowl participant.
Career has 4967 completions for 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns.
Marino holds 12 NFL records and is tied with other players for nine more. Additionally, after his retirement in 1999, he has seen 26 of his records broken by other players.
Marino ranks third all-time in passing yards, fifth all-time in touchdowns, fourth all-time in completions, and fifth all-time in wins. If he had won a couple of Super Bowls he would be in the discussion for greatest QB ever.
Second Best Former Player: WR Larry Fitzgerald. 10 Time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and one time Super Bowl Participant. Career has 1,125 receptions for 14,389 yards and 104 touchdowns.
Fitzgerald holds 17 NFL records and an additional 10 franchise records. He is also the Cardinals all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He ranks third all-time in receptions, ninth all-time in receiving yards, and eighth all-time in receiving touchdowns.
As an active player, Fitzgerald can still improve on these numbers. He also ranks top two in all three categories among active players, including first in receptions and yards. Additionally, this past season he was named the Walter Payton Man of the year.
Hall of Famers Tony Dorsett and Mike Ditka also went to Pitt.
Last Season: Went 8-5 (5-3 in ACC play). Finished tied for second in the Coastal Division. Season highlights include beating Penn State by three and costing them a chance at the College Football Playoff. They also were the only team to beat the National Champion Clemson Tigers.
Pittsburgh was up and down last year. They would lose two and then win three, lose two and then win three. Their season ended with a seven-point loss to Northwestern in the Pinstripe Bowl.
This Season: Eight of their opponents finished last season with a winning record and seven made a bowl game.
Like so many other teams in the Coastal Division, Pitt is also replacing a quarterback this season. The advantage is this one has starting experience in former USC quarterback Max Browne.
An 8-4 season, another shot at the Coastal, and a bowl game, don’t seem unreasonable at all for Pittsburgh again this season.
Best Current Player: WR Quadree Henderson. Last season, he rushed the ball 60 times for 631 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught the ball 26 times for a additional 286 yards and another score.
Henderson was also the team’s leading kick and punt returner. Henderson returned 31 kicks last year for 914 yards and three more touchdowns. He also returned 16 punts for 252 yards and another score.
Henderson finished last season with 2083 all-purpose yards. That was good enough for second-best in the ACC and 11th best in the nation.
In the game last season, Henderson finished with 249 all-purpose yards, zero touchdowns, and a fumble. The Tar Heels were aware and should be aware again this year.
Match-up: Saturday, November 9th in Pittsburgh.
Prediction: North Carolina is the only ACC Coastal school Pittsburgh has failed to beat. Last year they thought they had done it in Chapel Hill and came up short. This will also be the Tar Heels fourth consecutive game against a Coastal opponent.
Final score: Pittsburgh 23, UNC 19.
The game is in Pittsburgh and will be the Tar Heel’s last road game of the season. Under Narduzzi, Pitt has been a tough out for most teams due to a strong defense against the run.
With questions at quarterback, UNC may be in trouble if the run game can’t go anywhere. Pitt ends the streak as the Tar Heels don’t come up with another big comeback.