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2016 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

2016 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pitt Panthers wordmark.svg
Pinstripe Bowl, L 31–24 vs. Northwestern
Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
Division Coastal Division
2016 record 8–5 (5–3 ACC)
Head coach Pat Narduzzi (2nd year)
Offensive coordinator Matt Canada (1st year)
Offensive scheme Pro-style
Defensive coordinator Josh Conklin (2nd year)
Base defense 4–3
Home stadium Heinz Field
(Capacity: 68,400)
Seasons
← 2015
2017 →
2016 ACC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Atlantic Division
No. 1 Clemson xy$#   7 – 1         14 – 1  
No. 21 Louisville x   7 – 1         9 – 4  
No. 8 Florida State   5 – 3         10 – 3  
NC State   3 – 5         7 – 6  
Wake Forest   3 – 5         7 – 6  
Boston College   2 – 6         7 – 6  
Syracuse   2 – 6         4 – 8  
Coastal Division
No. 16 Virginia Tech xy   6 – 2         10 – 4  
North Carolina   5 – 3         8 – 5  
No. 20 Miami   5 – 3         9 – 4  
Pittsburgh   5 – 3         8 – 5  
Georgia Tech   4 – 4         9 – 4  
Duke   1 – 7         4 – 8  
Virginia   1 – 7         2 – 10  
Championship: Clemson 42, Virginia Tech 35
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
As of February 26, 2017; Rankings from AP Poll
Villanova at Pittsburgh
1 2 3 4 Total
Wildcats 0 0 7 0 7
• Panthers 0 14 7 7 28
  • Date: September 3
  • Location:
    Heinz Field
    Pittsburgh, PA
  • Game start: 1:33 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:15
  • Game attendance: 50,149
  • Game weather: 76°F • NE 4 • Sunny
  • Referee: Duane Heydt
  • TV announcers (ACCN+):
    Play-by-Play: Dave Weekley
    Analyst: John Gregory
Penn State at Pittsburgh
1 2 3 4 Total
Nittany Lions 7 7 7 18 39
• Panthers 14 14 7 7 42
  • Date: September 10
  • Location:
    Heinz Field
    Pittsburgh, PA
  • Game start: 12:01 PM
  • Elapsed time: 3:15
  • Game attendance: 69,983
  • Game weather: 85°F • SW 7 • Partly cloudy
  • Referee: Jerry McGinn
  • TV announcers (ESPN):
    Play-by-Play: Bob Wischusen
    Analyst: Brock Huard
    Sideline: Allison Williams
Pittsburgh at Oklahoma State
1 2 3 4 Total
Panthers 10 14 14 0 38
• Cowboys 10 21 7 7 45
Pittsburgh at North Carolina
1 2 3 4 Total
Panthers 5 14 14 3 36
• Tar Heels 0 16 7 14 37

The 2016 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represents the University of Pittsburgh in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Panthers are led by second year head coach Pat Narduzzi and play their home games at Heinz Field. They are a member of the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This is Pitt's fourth season as a member of the ACC.

The Panthers schedule was released on January 26, 2016. The blue team defeated the gold team 19–17 in the spring game on Saturday April 16, 2016 at Heinz Field. On September 10, 2016 the Panthers played their in-state rivals Penn State for the first time since 2000, where they were victorious, 42–39.

After having served as the defensive coordinator at Michigan State for 8 seasons, Pat Narduzzi led the Panthers to 8 wins in his inaugural season as head coach, with Pitt finishing second in their division. They were invited to play in the Military Bowl, where they were defeated by Navy, 28-44. The Panthers saw success despite losing ACC Player of the Year James Conner early in the season to a torn MCL. Conner would later announce in December that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer. On May 23, Conner announced on Twitter that he had been declared cancer free. He had been participating in spring practices despite undergoing treatments for his condition.

Sources:

It was announced that several players would be missing for the upcoming season due to injury. Sophomore tight end Chris Clark underwent knee surgery, while redshirt Sophomore offensive lineman Mike Grimm underwent hip surgery; both will miss the entirety of the 2016 season. Junior defensive tackle Justin Moody was forced to retire due to a non-football related cervical spine condition; he will remain on the team as a student assistant. Additionally, incoming recruits Zack Gilbert and George Hill, both suffering from heart conditions, will also miss the 2016 season; Hill will no longer play football, but will remain on scholarship in order to pursue an education, and Gilbert's ability to participate with football activities will be re-evaluated after the season.


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