Pitt Holds Off Rally, Tops Marshall 43-27
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Nate Peterman threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, including a 54-yard lob to Jester Weah with 1:04 to go as Pittsburgh avoided a second-half meltdown by outlasting Marshall 43-27 on Saturday night.
The Panthers (3-2) let a 27-point halftime lead get narrowed to just 30-27 and faced third-and-3 from the Pitt 46 when Peterman found a streaking Weah down the left sideline. Weah outjumped a Marshall defender for the ball and strolled the final 30 yards into the end zone. Avonte Maddox returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown on the game's final play to make the final score more comfortable after a series of anxious moments in the second half.
Weah finished with seven receptions for 176 yards. Freshman Chawntez Moss ran for 97 yards as the Panthers rolled up 532 yards of total offense.
Marshall quarterback Chase Litton returned after missing a loss to Louisville last week and threw for 240 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Michael Clark caught four passes for 147 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown as part of Marshall's methodical rally, one that hardly seemed possible after an opening 30 minutes in which Pitt did whatever it wanted.
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THE TAKEAWAY
Marshall: Litton appears to be just fine and may have one of Conference USA's better wide receivers in Clark. The 6-foot-7 sophomore will be a matchup nightmare down the road.
Pitt: The kids are starting to deliver. Narduzzi gave considerable playing time to a handful of freshman, including Moss and freshman wide receivers Tre Tipton and Maurice Ffrench, with promising results. The trio combined for 156 yards of total offense and a pair of touchdowns.
UP NEXT
Marshall: Opens Conference USA play on the road at North Texas next Saturday. The Thundering Herd beat the Mean Green 30-13 last year.
Pitt: Gets back into ACC action when it hosts Georgia Tech next Saturday. The Panthers edged the Yellow Jackets 31-28 in 2015 on Chris Blewitt's 56-yard field goal with 1:11 to go.
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