Pitt jumps out to 28-0 lead, beats No. 16 Georgia Tech 42-28

“They came out and gave it to us, for sure. We didn’t play well enough to win and that’s what happens when you spot a team 28 points,” Tech coach Brent Key said. “We were not executing on offense by any means. I thought we started getting some positive momentum on the defensive side. We were able to come back, but it to two scores before halftime after being down 28 which is an insurmountable deficit.”

There were plenty of deathly blows from the visiting Panthers (8-3, 6-1 ACC), a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter may have been the most grotesque. That was one of two interceptions for quarterback Haynes King, who likely saw his Heisman Trophy hopes die on this night.

Tech’s defense was sieve-like again, giving up 390 yards and at least 34 points for the third game in a row. Quarterback Mason Heintschel threw for 226 and two scores and running back Ja’Kyrian Turner ran for 186 on 20 carries as Pitt kept its own ACC title game hopes intact.

The Panthers had 397 yards and averaged six yards per play.

“They (Tech fans) should be pissed. They should be mad,” Key said. “That’s why you love the fans. When fans are mad about games – what is it, fan is short for fanatical? That’s what you want. I hope they are, cuz I sure as hell am.”

King threw for 257 and rushed for another 76. But his first multi-interception game since Nov. 11, 2023, at Clemson (4) was part of Tech’s fatality.

The Jackets next face No. 4 Georgia (10-1) at 3:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“We got six days to turn around and play another one,” Key said. “I won’t sit there and say you wash it out of your mind, because you’re not going to. You don’t just forget about a loss, but we have to have the mindset where we come back in and work (Sunday) and take the good and continue to work on ourselves and become a better version.”

Tech began the evening with consecutive three-and-outs (and also took a sack on its second possession). Pitt took advantage of the slow start with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Heintschel to wide receiver Kenny Johnson, giving the Panthers the lead a little more than eight minutes into the game.

Heintschel’s second touchdown pass came 4:36 later when the freshman QB found his tight end down the right seam from 19 yards out. That put the Panthers ahead 14-0 and the Jackets were officially in trouble early.

Bad went to worse on the ensuing possession when King was intercepted by Kavir Bains-Marquez at Tech’s own 28. It was King’s first interception in 180 pass attempts inside Bobby Dodd Stadium. Three plays later Juelz Goff punched in a 1-yard run to put Putt up 21-0 through one quarter.

The Panthers opened the second quarter with a 54-yard drive that ended with Heintschel’s 3-yard option keeper into the right side of the end zone, making it 28-0.

“It was coming to down to it was senior night, everybody all up in their feelings, everybody wanna be the top dog, the top person,” Tech linebacker Cayman Spaulding said. “Everybody just had to click together. We had to allow our coach to do the coaching and take coaching as well, we just had to go out there and execute.”

Tech finally got on the board with 4:45 left in the half. It had initially lined up to attempt a 30-yard field goal on fourth-and-4, but Tech coach Brent Key called timeout instead and the Jackets picked up the first down with King’s 8-yard swing pass to running back Jamal Haynes.

King scored on a keeper over left guard on the next play, making it 28-7.

The Jackets then finally got a stop on defense, a fortuitous backward bounce on a Pitt punt and a facemask penalty on the Panthers to move the ball to the 30. King threw a third-down, 5-yard touchdown pass to Isiah Canion with 68 seconds on the clock, making it 28-14.

Pitt kicker Sam Carpenter missed a 35-yard field to end the half, allowing the Jackets to be down just two touchdowns.

“We didn’t execute. We didn’t protect up front. We didn’t move a man from Point A to Point B,” Tech guard Keylan Rutledge said about the Tech offense in the first half. “We just didn’t execute. We just gotta do our job and if we do that (moving forward) we’ll be alright.”

Tech had all the momentum and carried it over into the third quarter with a defensive stop and what appeared to be another scoring drive. But on third down at the Pitt 5, King back-peddled and threw off his back foot right to Pitt linebacker Braylan Lovelace, who was waiting at the goal line.

Lovelace was off to the races in the other direction for a 99-yard pick-6.

King was not available to the media after the game because he was getting medical treatment.

On the next offensive series, the Jackets went for it on fourth down from their own 40 and King’s pass was broken up by Atlanta native Rashad Battle.

Tech went into the final period down 35-14. It got a 4-yard touchdown run from Jamal Haynes, then an inexcusable mistake from the Panthers.

On fourth-and-9 from its own 41, Pitt called a fake punt with a direct snap to wide receiver Cataurus Hicks. Hicks slipped and fell at his own 39.

It was the glimmer of hope the Jackets needed, and King’s second TD of the night to Canion made it 35-28 with 4:51 remaining.

Tech’s defense couldn’t get one more stop.

Turner quickly put the comeback fire out with a 56-yard touchdown run to stun the home fans, many of whom headed for the exits after Turner had crossed the goal line.

“We’re obviously trying to get the ball back so you’re playing low safeties and something pops in the middle and that’s the nature of it,” Key said. “When you got 11 guys on the line of scrimmage, 9-11 guys at the line of scrimmage, you don’t anticipate those things popping. You can’t let ‘em pop like that.”

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