Heinz Field (68,400/Natural Grass) ∙ Pittsburgh, Pa.
ACC Network ∙ Pitt Panthers Radio Network
PittsburghPanthers.com ∙ @Pitt_FB
LINK (PDF): Pitt Game Notes (vs. UMass)
GAME STORYLINES
√ Pitt opens its 132nd season of intercollegiate football when the Panthers host the Massachusetts Minutemen at Heinz Field.
√ This is the first meeting between the Panthers and UMass, which plays as an independent at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level.
√ Pitt is 85-44-2 (.657) all-time in openers. Since the 2000 season, Pitt is 15-6 (.714) in its initial game, including 5-1 (.833) under Pat Narduzzi.
√ Pitt offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple served two tenures as head coach at UMass (1998-2003 and 2014-18).
√ Whipple led UMass to the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) national championship, winning a school-record 12 games, including a 55-43 victory over Georgia Southern in the final.
√ Since 2015, Pat Narduzzi has directed Pitt to 29 victories in ACC play, the third-highest win total during that span (tied with Virginia Tech). The Panthers trail only Clemson (46) and Miami (32).
√ The Panthers’ 2021 roster has 13 players designated as “super seniors.” Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA did not count the 2020 season against a student-athlete’s eligibility clock.
√ Quarterback Kenny Pickett enters his fourth season as the Panthers’ starter. Pickett has played in 39 career games, making 36 starts.
√ The Pitt pass rush perennially ranks among the nation’s best. The Panthers compiled 97 sacks over the 2019-20 seasons, the highest total in the country over those two years. It is Pitt’s highest two-year total since 1986-87.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television ∙ ACC Network
Wes Durham (play-by-play)
Roddy Jones (analyst)
Lericia Harris (reporter)
Pitt Radio ∙ 93.7 The Fan & Pitt Panthers Radio Network
Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play)
Pat Bostick (analyst)
Larry Richert (reporter)
SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Sirius Channel 132, XM Channel 194, SXM App Channel 970
WPTS Radio (Pitt Student Station) ∙ 92.1 FM
Online Audio
pittpov.com 