The Sports Xchange
Oct 1, 2016

Pittsburgh held off visiting Marshall 43-27 on Saturday after nearly blowing a 27-0 halftime lead.

On third-and-3 at its own 46, Panthers quarterback Nathan Peterman clinched the victory with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Jester Weah with 1:04 remaining to make it 37-27. Weah finished with seven catches for 176 yards, the first career 100-yard game for the junior.

The game ended with a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown by Pitt cornerback Avonte Maddox off a pass from Marshall quarterback Chase Litton.

After Pittsburgh (3-2) engineered three touchdown drives of at least 75 yards on its first three possessions, the Panthers looked like they would cruise to victory with a 20-0 lead after the first quarter.

The Panthers increased the lead to 27-0 with 53 seconds left in the first half after receiver Tre Tripton caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Peterman.

Marshall (1-3) immediately rallied in the second half, scoring on its first two possessions. The Panthers appeared to still be in control, leading 30-14 after kicker Chris Blewitt made a 20-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in the third quarter.

Litton engineered two scoring drives in the fourth quarter, the last one culminating with a 1-yard scoring run by running back Keion Davis with 4:01 remaining to cut the lead to 30-27.

Peterman finished 17 of 23 for 280 yards with two touchdowns. Pitt running back Chawntez Moss recorded 97 yards on 12 carries.