Pitt pulled off a huge upset victory over UCF this weekend, handing the Knights their first regular-season loss since 2016 season. Photo from The Associated Press
In week three, the common theme was that all the games were blowouts. That was no longer the case this weekend as there were a lot of close games, with the only exception being Indiana’s blowout win over UConn. UCF suffered its first loss of the year to Pitt in a back and forth thriller. SMU and TCU lit up the scoreboard Saturday night, with the teams scoring a combined 79 points, but SMU was able to pull away with the win.
Pitt: 35 UCF: 34
One of the best matchups of the weekend did not disappoint at all, and Pitt’s upset win over UCF has major ramifications for the Knights playoff chances. Pitt got off to a great start, finding themselves in great position at halftime with a 21-10 lead. That changed in the third quarter when the Knights offense caught fire and gave UCF a 31-28 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. UCF would kick a field that gave them a 34-28 lead, but the Panthers would win the game scoring a touchdown with less than a minute remaining.
UCF struggled on offense against Pitt, racking up three turnovers and losing to a last-minute touchdown from the Panthers. Photo from The Associated Press.
The Knights offense had an average game. While UCF had a total of 423 yards on the game, UCF also had three turnovers. The Knights were not able to gain much yardage on the ground, rushing for 85 yards for the game, with running back Adrian Killins scoring their only rushing touchdown. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel had an okay performance, completing 25 of 42 passes for 338 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Gabriel Davis had a monster game, catching 10 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
Pitt had a great game coming off a loss last week. The Panthers gained a total of 439 yards on offense. Pitt’s ground game was great all day long, gaining a total of 196 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Kenny Pickett completed 25 of 47 attempts for 224 yards and one touchdown. The Panthers defense had an outstanding day against one of the better offenses in college football, recording six sacks and coming away with three turnovers.
UCF will look to get back in the win column next weekend with a matchup against UConn
SMU: 41 TCU: 38
SMU and TCU met this weekend and ended up in a classic wild west shootout. SMU started off strong and refused to let up offensively the entire game. By halftime the Mustangs had a 31-17 lead over the Horned Frogs. TCU caught fire in the second half of the game and left themselves with a chance to possibly win the game, but they were unable to convert a fourth down at the Mustangs 34-yard line.
SMU’s offense was in full swing against TCU this weekend, totaling 118 yards on the ground and 288 through the air en route to a 41-38 victory. Photo from The Associated Press.
The Mustangs offense gained a total of 406 yards on the game and only turned the ball over twice. SMU gained 118 yards running the ball and scored three touchdowns. Quarterback Shane Buechele had a tremendous performance, completing 23 of 34 passes for 288 yards with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown and threw one interception.
TCU had quite an interesting day offensively. While the Horned Frogs gained a total of 424 yards, the offense was plagued mistakes that made their chances of winning this shootout even slimmer. TCU gained 236 yards running the football, with running back Darius Anderson gaining 161 of those yards on 19 carries, and he found the endzone twice. Quarterback Max Duggan had a decent performance, only completing 15 of 36 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns.
Up next for SMU is a matchup on the road against USF.
Tulsa: 24 Wyoming: 21
Tulsa and Wyoming provided us with another close game where a couple of key plays made the difference and allowed Tulsa to get back in the win column. Tulsa dominated the game for the first three quarters and went into the fourth quarter with a 17-7 lead. The Cowboys’ offense was finally to break out, scoring two touchdowns that gave the Wyoming a 21-17 lead. Tulsa responded by scoring a touchdown with a little over three minutes remaining to take a 24-21 lead, which was enough to secure the win for the Golden Hurricanes.
Tulsa had the better offensive performance of the two teams gaining 437 yards total for the game. Quarterback Zach Smith completed 25 of 50 pass attempts for 354 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys offense was at best mediocre in this game, gaining 357 yards total on offense, with running back Sean Chambers accounting for two of Wyoming’s three touchdowns.
Tulsa does not have a game next weekend.
Joshua Gorman is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via joshua.gorman@uconn.edu
