No. 17 Pittsburgh and No. 24 Tennessee played another thriller on Saturday as the Volunteers escaped with a 34-27 overtime win over the Panthers to avenge a 41-34 defeat in the nonconference series from a year ago. Facing a second-and-13 from the Pitt 28-yard line on the first possession of overtime, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker found Cedric Tillman for the game-winning score. The Vols defense then held off Pitt to seal the victory.
The Panthers were playing with backup quarterback Nick Patti after starter Kedon Slovis left the game at halftime with an injury. Patti also appeared hobbled throughout the second half but managed to lead the Panthers on a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter after a muffed Tennessee punt gave Pitt fresh life with 7:28 remaining.
Pittsburgh led 10-0 early and surged ahead 17-7 in the second quarter while Tennessee’s offense was slow to get going. But the Volunteers scored 17 unanswered to close the second quarter and take a 24-17 lead into halftime. Neither team looked sharp offensively in the second half; the Panthers’ game-tying score with 2:23 left marked the only non-overtime touchdown of the final 30 minutes.
OVERTIME FINAL IN PITTSBURGH: Tennessee 34, Pitt 27
It wasn’t pretty, but the No. 24 #Vols outlasted the No. 17 Panthers and beat a ranked team on the road.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) September 10, 2022
