2019 Pittsburgh
8–5 (4–4 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Pat Narduzzi. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 15 UCF 35–34Sep 21
UCF was ranked No. 15 and favored to win.
- Most excitingBeat North Carolina 34–27Nov 14
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs Virginia | L 14–30 | 58% |
| Sep 7 | vs Ohio | W 20–10 | 47% |
| Sep 14 | at 13Penn State | L 10–17 | 27% |
| Sep 21 | vs 15UCF | W 35–34 | 33% |
| Sep 28 | vs Delaware | W 17–14 | 79% |
| Oct 5 | at Duke | W 33–30 | 32% |
| Oct 18 | at Syracuse | W 27–20 | 43% |
| Oct 26 | vs Miami | L 12–16 | 68% |
| Nov 2 | at Georgia Tech | W 20–10 | 56% |
| Nov 14 | vs North Carolina | W 34–27 | 73% |
| Nov 23 | at 25Virginia Tech | L 0–28 | 43% |
| Nov 30 | vs Boston College | L 19–26 | 64% |
| Dec 26Bowls & playoff | vs Eastern MichiganQuick Lane Bowl | W 34–30 | 64% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Eastern Michigan 34–30 in the Quick Lane Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In program history: The 63rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 128 on file).
- Record
- 8–5
- Conference
- 4–4 tied for 6th in Atlantic Coast Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 275–292
- Coach
- Pat Narduzzi
- Elo
- 1555 +3 this season
- SP+ rating
- 4.1 No. 48 of 130; offense No. 109, defense No. 11, special teams No. 73
- SRS
- −2.0 No. 73 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 51% of last season’s EPA, No. 90 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 58 roster talent No. 42 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Mark Whipple
- Defensive coordinator
- Randy Bates
- Offense
- Pro-style
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.00 | 41% | 1.02 | 106th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.01 | 37% | 1.15 | 21st of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.01 off 0.01 def | 42% off 37% def | — | 118th off 15th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 2.6 | own 28 | 20% allowed |
| Defense | 3.5 | own 29 | 28% caused |
CORE rating 3.0, 45th of 130 (offense -9.7, defense -12.7).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Kenny Pickett QB | 3,098 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Kenny Pickett QB | 13 TD |
| Rushing yards | A.J. Davis RB | 530 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Vincent Davis RB | 5 TD |
| Receiving yards | Maurice Ffrench WR | 850 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Maurice Ffrench WR | 4 TD |
| Tackles | Paris Ford DB | 97 tkl |
| Sacks | Jaylen Twyman DL | 10.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Paris Ford DB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2019 class
| Davis Beville PRO | ★★★ | No. 554 |
| Daniel Carter RB | ★★★ | No. 611 |
| Brandon Hill S | ★★★ | No. 635 |
| Matt Goncalves OT | ★★★ | No. 679 |
| Brandon George OLB | ★★★ | No. 776 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2019 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.881 |
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.871 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Offensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.860 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.856 |
| Linebackers | 4 | 2.8 | 0.835 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.875 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 3.0 | 0.849 |
| Whole class | 20 | 3.0 | 0.853 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2020
The 2020 draft| Rd 7 | Dane Jackson CB | Buffalo Bills |
Roster 114
The 2019 roster114 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2019 line; 59 have a stat line. See the roster
2019 Atlantic Coast Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Clemson | 8–0 | 14–1 | 2 |
| Virginia | 6–2 | 9–5 | |
 Louisville | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| Virginia Tech | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
 Wake Forest | 5–4 | 8–5 | |
 Pittsburgh | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
| Boston College | 4–4 | 6–7 | |
| Miami | 4–4 | 6–7 | |
 Florida State | 4–4 | 6–7 | |
| North Carolina | 4–5 | 7–6 | |
| Duke | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Syracuse | 2–6 | 5–7 | |
| Georgia Tech | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 NC State | 1–7 | 4–8 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.