Pitt football is a rollercoaster. If you’ve spent any time at Acrisure Stadium lately, you know exactly what I mean. One week we’re toppling a ranked Florida State team on the road, and the next, we’re scratching our heads over a cold afternoon in Annapolis. Honestly, the score of the Pittsburgh Panthers football game against East Carolina—a 23-17 loss in the Go Bowling Military Bowl—is a tough pill to swallow because it felt like a game the Panthers had every right to win.
But they didn't.
Football is funny that way. You can outgain an opponent, you can have the "better" roster on paper, but five turnovers will kill you every single time.
What happened in the Military Bowl?
The final score of 23-17 doesn't quite capture how frustrating this matchup was for Pat Narduzzi's squad. This wasn't a blowout. It wasn't a case of being outclassed. It was a case of beating ourselves.
Pitt finished the 2025 season with an 8-5 record. That’s solid, sure, but after starting the year with so much momentum, finishing with a bowl loss to a Group of Five opponent like ECU feels like a missed opportunity. Mason Heintschel, who’s shown flashes of being "the guy," had a rough outing. He threw a 22-yard touchdown to Raphael Williams Jr. right before halftime that made us all think, "Okay, here we go. Pitt’s taking over."
It didn't happen.
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The third quarter was basically a comedy of errors. Rasheem Biles actually gave us a lead with a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown. For a second there, the momentum was completely on our side. But then Chaston Ditta—who was starting for ECU because their main QB jumped into the portal—hit a 72-yard bomb to Anthony Smith. Just like that, the lead was gone.
The turnover bug
You can't talk about the score of the Pittsburgh Panthers football game without talking about the five turnovers. Five. It’s nearly impossible to win a college football game when you give the ball away that many times.
- Fumbles: Pitt lost four fumbles. In the rain and wind of Annapolis, the ball was like a bar of soap.
- Interceptions: A late-game pick by Kevon Merrell essentially iced it.
- Penalties: A back-breaking offensive pass interference call on the final drive killed the last-ditch effort.
It was messy.
A season of "What Ifs"
Looking back at the full 2025 slate, Pitt was actually a really good team for a huge chunk of the year. They went 6-2 in the ACC. That’s nothing to sneeze at. They beat Boston College 48-7. They took down NC State 53-34 in a high-scoring shootout that felt like the old Big East days.
The highlight? Definitely that 34-31 win at Florida State in October. That was the moment we all thought this team might actually crack the Top 15 and stay there.
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But then the Notre Dame game happened. A 37-15 loss at home. Then the Miami game—a 38-7 drubbing that frankly sucked the air out of the stadium. It’s like the team that played in October and the team that played in late November were two completely different groups.
The 2025 Pittsburgh Panthers results
If you're looking for the full picture of how they got to that final bowl score, here's how the back half of the season shook out:
- vs. NC State: Win (53-34). Pure offensive dominance.
- at Stanford: Win (35-20). A nice West Coast trip for the boys.
- vs. Notre Dame: Loss (15-37). The Irish defense was just too much.
- at Georgia Tech: Win (42-28). A gutsy road win that secured a decent bowl.
- vs. Miami: Loss (7-38). A total letdown in the regular-season finale.
- Military Bowl vs. ECU: Loss (17-23). The final score that ended the year on a low note.
Looking ahead to 2026
So, what now? The 2025 season is in the books, and the focus has already shifted to the 2026 schedule. Things are changing. Fast.
The ACC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule, which means Pitt is losing some of those non-conference matchups we’re used to seeing. One major update: the 2026 game against Wisconsin has been canceled. Both schools "mutually agreed" to scrap it, which is a bummer for fans who wanted to see a Big Ten powerhouse come to town. Instead, they'll open the 2027 season against each other in Dublin, Ireland.
For 2026, the Panthers' non-conference schedule looks a bit different:
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- Miami (Ohio) – Sept 5
- UCF – Sept 12
- Bucknell – Sept 26
The UCF game is going to be huge. We all remember the "Pitt Special" from a few years back, and having the Knights back at Acrisure Stadium is going to be electric.
Practical steps for Pitt fans
If you're still stinging from that 23-17 Military Bowl score, the best thing to do is start looking at the roster for next year. The transfer portal is currently a madhouse.
- Watch the Portal: Pat Narduzzi has already been active. With several key seniors leaving, including some defensive stalwarts, Pitt needs to hit the portal for offensive line depth and perhaps another playmaker at wideout.
- Check your tickets: If you're a season ticket holder, keep an eye on the schedule changes. The addition of California as a road game in 2026 means another long trip, but it also shakes up the home schedule.
- Support the other sports: Honestly, the basketball team just went into Atlanta and blew out Georgia Tech 89-66. If the football loss has you down, Jeff Capel’s crew is looking pretty sharp right now.
The score of the Pittsburgh Panthers football game might not have been what we wanted to end the season, but 8-5 with a winning record in the ACC is a foundation you can build on. It wasn't the "ultimate" season, but it had its moments. Now, we wait for spring ball and see if Heintschel can cut down on those turnovers.
H2P.
Next Steps for You:
If you want to track how the roster is changing before the 2026 kickoff, you should check the official Pitt Football transfer portal tracker. I can also help you compare Pitt's 2025 defensive stats against the rest of the ACC if you want to see where the real gaps were.