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Pitt wide receiver Maurice Ffrench has had a career game in the Quick Lane Bowl, as he set a record for longest reception in Pitt history and then broke a record set by former Pitt wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald for most receptions in a single season.
The longstanding record of 92 receptions was set by the current Arizona Cardinals pass-catcher in 2003, which was the same season in which he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting before moving onto the NFL as a first-round draft pick. The record was almost toppled by Pitt alum and eventual NFL receiver Tyler Boyd, who came up with 91 catches in 2015. However, it would stand for four more years, as it would be Ffrench who bested it in the Panthers’ 2019 bowl game in Detroit.
Ffrench came up with the record-breaking catch in the fourth quarter of a calamitous game that saw Pitt fall behind Eastern Michigan early and then battle its way back into contention. Ffrench’s historic catch was his ninth of the game, and it boosted his total receiving yards up to 149. He would finish with a career-high 165 yards, and with his big game in the Quick Lane Bowl, Ffrench would pass Taysir Mack as Pitt's most productive receiver of 2019, as he increased his season total to 850 yards on a record 96 receptions.