Pitt came into its season opener Saturday needing to show it could dominate a program like UMass at home that went 0-4 last season. The defense definitely did that, allowing only a single score once the Panthers' replacements were on the field in the fourth quarter in the Panthers' 51-7 win.
The final box score showed the overall dominance Pitt had on the game as UMass only gained 42 rushing yards to Pitt's 222, a difference of 1.6 yards per carry to 5.4. The Panthers also gained 29 first downs to the Minutemen's total of four.
The Panthers' defense lived up to the billing of an aggressive Pitt defense that Pat Narduzzi's teams have shown in recent seasons with five sacks on UMass quarterback Tyler Lytle, as well as six tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits and a fumble recovery.