Pitt Accepts Postseason Bid to Quick Lane Bowl
PITTSBURGH—Pitt has been selected to represent the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2019 Quick Lane Bowl, played on Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. The Panthers’ opponent will be Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference.
The game will be a national ESPN telecast and have an 8 p.m. kickoff.
The 2019 Quick Lane Bowl marks Pitt’s 35th all-time bowl appearance and fourth under the direction of Coach Pat Narduzzi. The Panthers enter the postseason with a 7-5 overall record and can win eight games for the third time under Narduzzi.
This will also be Pitt’s second all-time postseason trip to Detroit. The Panthers last played a bowl game in Ford Field in 2013, when the Panthers defeated Bowling Green, 30-27, behind James Conner’s 229 rushing yards.
Eastern Michigan, under Coach Chris Creighton, went 6-6 this season, including a 34-31 win over bowl-bound Illinois of the Big Ten.
Pitt and Eastern Michigan have played twice before, most recently in 2007, a 27-3 Pitt victory at Heinz Field. The initial meeting was in 1995, when the Panthers defeated the Eagles, 66-30, in Pitt Stadium.
“On behalf of the University of Pittsburgh, I want to thank Executive Director Brad Michaels and the Detroit Lions organization for the opportunity to play in this year’s Quick Lane Bowl,” Pitt Director of Athletics Heather Lyke said. “Under the Lions’ watch, the Quick Lane Bowl has placed a high priority on the student-athlete experience well beyond game day. We look forward to our visit and hope our fans make the trip to Detroit on the 26th to support our Panthers in their final game of the season.”
“You’re only guaranteed 12 games in college football, so the opportunity to play one more time in 2019 is something our team is not going to take for granted,” Narduzzi said. “Coach Creighton has done an impressive job at Eastern Michigan. They had a great road win over a Big Ten bowl team in Illinois this season. We look forward to the challenge.”
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