Pitt Football Will Decline to Participate in Postseason
PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh football program will not participate in a bowl game this season, Director of Athletics Heather Lykeand Head Coach Pat Narduzzi announced on Friday.
The decision to decline a bowl invitation was made by the team and fully supported by the university. The Panthers won three of their final four contests to finish 6-5 and were projected as a participant in one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s affiliated bowls.
Game Highlights 🎥
Pitt 34, Georgia Tech 20#H2P pic.twitter.com/qN6Pza8qD1
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) December 11, 2020
“Our football student-athletes’ sacrifice and commitment have been extraordinary,” Lyke said. “This season has been an especially taxing experience, physically and mentally, on and off the field. Despite this unprecedented environment, our team finished strong concluding with last night’s win at Georgia Tech. We are thankful and proud of how they handled the past six months and want them to have a well-deserved restful holiday season with their families and loved ones.”
“In my three decades as a coach, I’ve never been around a group of players who have faced greater challenges beyond the field than our team this year,” Narduzzi said. “And yet, from the time they arrived back on campus in early June, these young men never wavered—not in the face of rigorous health protocols, multiple rounds of COVID testing each week or while handling the mental and physical challenges of playing 11 games in a pandemic.
“I’ve always been proud to be Pitt’s head football coach,” Narduzzi concluded. “That pride was especially great in working with this 2020 team. They have my eternal gratitude and respect.”
(This Story and Information Courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh Athletics)