PITTSBURGH — On a historic night for Pittsburgh sports, it was the hometown kid who sent a record-setting crowd of 70,622 home with smiles from ear to ear.
Tied 31-31 with just over three minutes remaining and rivalry game pride on the line, redshirt junior cornerback M.J. Devonshire came up with the play of the night, intercepting a JT Daniels pass and returning it 56 yards for the game-winning score, lifting No. 17 Pitt to a 38-31 victory over West Virginia on Thursday evening at Acrisure Stadium.
After being the victim of opportunistic plays all evening long, Devonshire’s pick was the break the Panthers (1-0) needed.
From start to finish, the game was a true back-and-forth battle that featured six lead changes. Pitt received a big night from sophomore running back Rodney Hammond Jr., who rushed for 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 16 carries. Senior quarterback Kedon Slovis was up and down in his first start as a Panther but did enough to get the job done, throwing for 308 yards and a score while completing 16 of his 24 pass attempts.
The Mountaineers (0-1) received big days from redshirt junior Bryce Ford-Wheaton and true freshman CJ Donaldson, who were responsible for the lion’s share of the team’s marquee plays. Donaldson, in his first college game, rushed for 125 yards on seven carries and a score while also blocking a punt. Ford-Wheaton, meanwhile, had nine catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
Key stat: 173 of Slovis’ 308 yards passing came after the catch. Big runs after the reception from numerous receivers played an instrumental role in Pitt’s victory.
Jared Wayne had the longest play of the evening for the Panthers, taking a short crossing route 64 yards to set up a score for Daniel Carter. Later on, Hammond set up his second score of the evening with a long catch and run of 49 yards.
Finally, it was Hammond’s counterpart in the backfield, Israel Abanikanda, who had the last big reception of the night for Pitt, taking a short pass from Slovis 24 yards to tie the game 31-31 with 3:41 remaining — setting the stage for Devonshire to play hero.
Up next: The Panthers will look to keep the good times rolling as they shift their focus toward Tennessee. The Volunteers took care of business on Thursday, defeating Ball State in dominant fashion by a final of 59-10.
Last fall, the Panthers overcame a 10-0 first-quarter deficit to defeat Tennessee on the road by a final of 41-34. The Week 2 matchup will have a bit of historical significance, as it marks the first time Pitt will host an SEC opponent on its home field.
