#Top15of15: No. 12 -- Two Minute Drill at Akron
12/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
PITTSBURGH – Checking in at No. 12 on the #Top15of15, an underrated yet critical drive in the pouring rain at Akron right before halftime.
With 2:35 remaining in the opening half and the Panthers trailing the Zips 7-3, quarterback Nate Peterman and the offense started a drive at their own 31.
Peterman was 4-of-6 on the drive, including a conversion on 3rd-and-six to Zach Challingsworth, and a 17-yard scramble which moved the Panthers into the red zone.
Peterman capped off the drive with his first career touchdown pass as a Panther, connecting on an 18-yard strike to J.P. Holtz down the middle of the field.
That touchdown resulted in a 10-7 lead for the Panthers with 44 seconds remaining before halftime, and Pitt carried that momentum into the second half en route to a 24-7 victory.
The Panthers blanked the Zips in the second half thanks in part to a Pitt defense that held Akron to just 24 yards of total offense in the final two quarters.
Akron would go on to finish the season at 7-5 and will play Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The Panthers (8-4) will play No. 21 Navy (10-2) in the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman on December 28, at 2:30 p.m. in Annapolis.
#Top15of15:
No. 12 - Two minute drill at Akron
No. 13 - Ollison's record setting debut
No. 14 - Caprara's safety vs. UVA on Homecoming
No. 15 - Narduzzi's first career victory