Pitt's Road Only Gets Harder From Here

After a deflating loss, life only gets harder for the Pitt Panthers.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers' first drive was a precursor for the rest of the night. Three incomplete passes and a punt were followed by a four-play scoring drive from Cincinnati and the visitors were off to the races. 

This Pitt team entered 2023 as a volatile commodity. There was enough talent to warrant optimism but enough moving parts to make one wary. The first two weeks of the season have yielded two vastly different results and right now, the negatives are glaring as the schedule gets increasingly more difficult. 

There is still lots of ball left to play and Pitt still has an ACC schedule left to play, but it's nearly impossible to leave the stadium following a loss like that and feeling optimistic about the direction they're headed in. 

As a touchdown favorite at home, Pitt was punched in the mouth early and unable to recover until it was too late. They were truly challenged for the first time this season and subsequently overwhelmed. 

Despite their poor play, the Panthers still had chances to steal a win but could not get out of their own way long enough to grab an opportunity that was right in front of their faces. 

The quarterback play was poor. The big play threat failed to convert on any of his 11 targets. The starting tight end made two clutch receptions in the fourth quarter and was non-existent for the other 59 minutes. The shuffled offensive line did their struggling quarterback few favors. The run defense was gashed. The new safety tandem is still growing into their starting roles. 

And the worst part of it all is that nothing gets any easier. A road trip to hostile Milan Puskar Stadium to face a desperate West Virginia squad looms next week. The start of ACC play and a red-hot North Carolina team follow. Louisville, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest will provide only limited respite before it's College Football Playoff hopefuls Notre Dame and Florida State's turn. Even Duke, whom the Panthers have not lost to under head coach Pat Narduzzi's leadership, is a legitimate conference title contender. 

Pitt could have lost in a way that sustained some momentum going into Backyard Brawl week and instead, fell flat on its face. Valiant comeback effort and all, the Panthers looked a step slow and overmatched for the vast majority of the game. 

They've pulled themselves out of low places before, but this kind of deflating performance exacts a psychological toll and Pitt doesn't have room for error remaining on its schedule. Week 2 was a nightmare and it might only be the beginning.  

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