Pitt Receives Votes in Coaches/AP Polls

The Pitt Panthers received votes in the latest Coaches/AP polls following win vs. WVU.

Sep 14, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis celebrates after intercepting West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Greene (6) in the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Image Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers made a late comeback to take down their rival in the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Backyard Brawl at Acrisure Stadium, leading to votes in the latest Coaches and AP polls.

The Panthers had 17 points in the US LBM Coaches Poll ahead of Week 4, one of 23 teams to receive votes outside of the top 25. This is a 15 point improvement from Week 3, with just two points awarded to them. They also received one single vote in the AP poll.

The Coaches Poll has a voting process system that gives 25 points to the team in first place and then a point less for each spot through No. 25. This could mean, technically, 17 coaches had Pitt at No. 25, or that one coach had them at No. 9 and so on.

Pitt ranked tied for the seventh most votes outside of the top 25, along with Iowa and Boise State who also had 17 points themselves.

Pitt is one of eight ACC schools to receive votes. No. 11 Miami is the highest ACC ranked team, and two others in No. 19 Clemson and No. 20 Louisville also made the top 25, with all three teams moving up one place.

Five other ACC teams including Pitt received votes with Syracuse at 32 points, North Carolina at 14 points, NC State at 12 points, Cal at 10 points and Boston College with six points.

Six teams had more points ahead of Pitt, but missed out on the top 25, including Illinois with 75, Washington State with 38, Arizona with 37, Northern Illinois with 34, Syracuse with 32 and UCF with 27.

Pitt took an early 17-14 lead, but a poor last drive in the first half allowed WVU to tie it up at halftime, 17-17 on a field goal.

The Panthers retook the lead with a blocked punt for a touchdown, but the offesne continued to struggle, with three drives for a total of four yards, while the Mountaineers scored two touchdowns and a field goal to lead by 10 points with less than five minutes remaining.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein helped lead the comeback, using his legs to move down the field and after two holding penalties, threw a beautiful pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Daejon Reynolds for a 40-yard touchdown to cut the lead to just three at 34-31.

The Pitt defense stood strong and forced a quick three-and-out, allowing the offense one more chance to win it. Holstein completed two passes and ran three times to get to the one-yard line, along with a pass interference call on WVU.

Redshirt junior running back Derrick Davis Jr. finished off the drive with a late touchdown and then redshirt sophomore linebacker Kyle Louis would cap off the comeback with an interception.

Pitt will face FCS opponent Youngstown State on Sept. 21 at Acrisure Stadium and with a win, will acheive their first ever season with no losses in the non-conference portion of their schedule.

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• Eli Holstein Leads Pitt with Maturity, Confidence
• Pitt Football: The Art of the Comeback
• Pitt HC Calls Out Refs After Win
• Twitter Reaction to Pitt Win vs. West Virginia
• Pitt Stuns West Virginia in Backyard Brawl

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