Pitt’s Recent Winning Is Not Sustainable

Though the Pitt Panthers sit at 5-2 and are fresh off their fourth straight win, inconsistency may ultimately derail their success.

The Pitt Panthers have been a fun team to watch over the last month or so. After beating Syracuse 27-20 on Friday night, the Panthers are riding a four-game winning streak and sit in prime position to improve on last season’s 7-5 record. There have been some subtle improvements this season as well, particularly at quarterback, where Kenny Pickett has solidified himself as a productive thrower. Throw in a feisty defense and a running game that finally looked like it got something going in Week Eight, and it’s clear that Pitt has the potential to be an excellent team. Unfortunately, potential only goes so far, and though Pitt has been winning, their method is not sustainable.

In any close victory, there is an element of luck involved. Often, when a team wins several tight games, they end up crashing back down to Earth as their luck evens out. In winning their last four games by a combined 14 points, Pitt has done just enough to get by. There are flashes of outstanding play, but those are offset by long periods of stagnation and sloppiness. Pitt sometimes struggles to get out of their own way, and though they’ve overcome their inconsistency over the last few games, it won’t last forever. This week’s win was a slight improvement in the quality of play, but the fact is, Pitt would likely be viewed much differently if they hadn’t played tomato cans like Duke, Delaware and, to a lesser extent, Syracuse over the last three games.

At the end of the day, it’s nice to see Pitt as a successful program rattling off winning streaks. Unfortunately, as exciting as it’s been, this isn’t a formula that can work long-term. At some point, head coach Pat Narduzzi is going to need his guys to play a consistent, 60-minute game if this success is to continue. Sitting at 5-2 feels good right now, but Pitt must be careful. More consistency is needed, or else Pitt will learn quickly just how fast luck can run out in college football.