NCAAF

Pittsburgh Panthers at Cincinnati Bearcats

· NCAA - Football
2-0, 1-0 Away
Final
28 - 27
1-1, 1-1 Home

Pitt roars back from 21-point deficit for 28-27 win over Cincinnati and 2-0 start

Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats: Full Highlights

Holstein, making just his second career college start, rallied Pittsburgh to its largest comeback win since 1971.

“First half I was thinking too much, trying to do too much," Holstein said. "(The Bearcats) were dropping eight pretty much every play. Towards the end of that last drive (of the first half), I was doing what the coaches were telling me to do. That’s how I started playing the second half.”

After throwing for just 66 yards in the first half, where Holstein threw an interception in the end zone on Pittsburgh's first drive, he finished 305 yards and three touchdowns.

“It was a gutsy win for our guys. I couldn’t be prouder of the effort they gave," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “We came out in the fourth quarter and said ‘We’re going to win this thing.’ Our guys believed, coming back from 21 down.”

Through three quarters, it looked like the Bearcats (1-1) were going to run the Panthers (2-0) out of Nippert Stadium, dominating Pitt on both sides of the ball and leading 27-6. Running back Corey Kiner gashed Pittsburgh for 140 yards on 20 carries.

Pittsburgh faced a third-and-4 deep in their own territory on the game-winning drive, but a delay of game on the Bearcats defense gave the Panthers a first down. A 34-yard completion to wide receiver Konata Mumpfield three plays later moved the Panthers into the red zone and into position for Sauls' winning field goal.

“(The officials) called a penalty on one of our defensive linemen saying he was acting like calling the cadence or something or whatever they call that,” Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said. “You can't hear anything because (Nippert) Stadium is extremely loud. So there's a couple things like that happened that were extremely disappointing.”

Cincinnati got off to a quick start with Brendan Sorsby throwing for two touchdowns and 139 yards in the first quarter. Sorsby threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns.

Another disappointing part of the game for the Bearcats was on special teams, and it led to a pivotal six-point swing at the end of the first half.

Bearcats kicker Carter Brown missed a chip-shot, 25-yard field-goal attempt with 23 seconds to go in the first half. Pitt, starting at its own 20-yard line, moved to Cincinnati's 35-yard line to set up Sauls for a 53-yard field-goal attempt that he would convert.

“(On) the short field goal, the snap was a little bit off,” Satterfield said. “And the hold was off, and the laces were right where he was kicking it. So it's not just (on) the kicker. We got to clean that up because we missed two in the first two games.”

The two field goals that Brown has missed have both been from less than 35 yards. It didn't cost the Bearcats in Week 1, but it did in a major way on Saturday.

EXTRACURRICULARS

Postgame several Pitt players ran over to the Cincinnati student section to taunt them after apparently enduring chants from the students during the game. One of the players, Javon McIntyre, who recovered a fumble on the final play as Cincinnati desperately lateraled the ball around, was then pursued across the field by a member of the Bearcats equipment staff to retrieve the ball. Finally, a Bearcats player batted the ball out and the staffer left with it.

UP NEXT

Pitt: Hosts West Virginia next Saturday.

Cincinnati: At Miami (Ohio) next Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats?
  • TV Channel: Panthers at Bearcats 2021 College Football, week 2, is broadcasted on ESPN2.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Bearcats: 42.7%
Panthers: 57.3%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

CIN TD 1st Period 7:47 Jamoi Mayes 52 Yd pass from Brendan Sorsby (Carter Brown Kick)
PITT FG 1st Period 3:52 Ben Sauls 47 Yd Field Goal
CIN TD 1st Period 1:11 Tony Johnson 5 Yd pass from Brendan Sorsby (Carter Brown Kick)
CIN FG 2nd Period 8:11 Carter Brown 49 Yd Field Goal
PITT FG 2nd Period 0:00 Ben Sauls 53 Yd Field Goal
CIN TD 3rd Period 7:25 Joe Royer 16 Yd pass from Brendan Sorsby (Carter Brown Kick)
CIN FG 3rd Period 4:50 Carter Brown 26 Yd Field Goal
PITT TD 3rd Period 0:46 Konata Mumpfield 11 Yd pass from Eli Holstein (Ben Sauls Kick)
PITT TD 4th Period 10:41 Konata Mumpfield 38 Yd pass from Eli Holstein (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)
PITT TD 4th Period 5:40 Desmond Reid 56 Yd pass from Eli Holstein (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)
PITT FG 4th Period 0:17 Ben Sauls 35 Yd Field Goal

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/221.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originPITT https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2132.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCIN
24 1st Downs 21
4-11 3rd down efficiency 7-16
1-2 4th down efficiency 1-1
498 Total Yards 449
302 Passing 298
20/35 Comp/Att 22/38
8.6 Yards per pass 7.8
196 Rushing 151
33 Rushing Attempts 37
5.9 Yards per rush 4.1
5-50 Penalties 6-59
1 Turnovers 1
0 Fumbles lost 1
1 Interceptions thrown 0
23:35 Possession 36:25

Game Information

Nippert Stadium

Location: Cincinnati, OH
Attendance: 37,992 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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