On Saturday, October 14th, the Pittsburgh Panthers pulled off a shocking upset win against undefeated ACC opponent Louisville. Coming into the matchup at Acrisure Stadium Heinz Field, Pitt had struggled badly due to trademark Narduzzi stubbornness. The Panthers were 7.5-point underdogs against a Louisville Cardinals team ranked #14 in the nation, but Pitt came alive and stunned the football world with a 38-21 win. In the aftermath, we all continue to wonder how stupid the coaches must be for not benching Phil Jurkovec four weeks ago.
This game may have been Pitt football’s biggest win since the ACC Championship in 2021. However, the excitement among Pitt fans turned very ugly. As Pitt prepared to run out the clock and seal the win, members of the The Panther Pitt student section rushed to the front row, preparing to jump the fence and storm the field once the clock hit zeros. As the students prepared their assault on the poor, innocent grass playing surface, stadium security and Pitt Police quickly mobilized to counter the swarm of fans.
In front of the wall separating The Panther Pitt from the field, security guards and police officers armed with tasers, pepper spray, batons, and pistols formed a human shield, ready to lay down their lives to protect Pitt from the worst possible outcome: a fine from the conference. checks notes Wait, the ACC doesn’t fine schools for rushing the field?
In the end, the field was protected from the attempted ransacking by the students. 57 students were left dead, 193 more were sent to the hospital, and all Pitt students are now banned from attending football games for the foreseeable future. 2 officers were treated at the scene for mild cuts and bruises.
“We all could have died,” said Pitt Police Chief Jim “Sam the Eagle” Loftus. “I’m just glad we were able to stop students from having any fun, because that’s what we here at the Pitt Police care about most. Protecting administrators from criticism is a close second.”