Pitt completes 2020 schedule with addition of Austin Peay

Pitt’s attempts to schedule a non-conference opponent turned into quite a saga, as the program lost Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Notre Dame and Richmond as non-ACC foes. But that issue was put to rest on Tuesday, as Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke announced the addition of Austin Peay to the schedule.

The FCS program went 11-4 and made its first playoff appearance in 2019. However, the Governors notably abstained from scheduling big-name opponents early in the season as they often have in the past. Austin Peay’s most recent contests with FBS teams include a 45-0 shutout at the hands of Georgia on Sept. 1, 2018, and a 73-33 rout by UCF on Oct. 28, 2017. The Governors also opened up the 2017 season with closer losses to Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) after going 0-11 in 2016.

Pitt was faced with dwindling options before the addition, and it was unclear even hours before Lyke’s announcement which team Narduzzi and his staff would settle on, as the coach said Pitt was “dancing around with a few folks right now” in a Tuesday media session. Temple and Cincinnati were both available on Pitt’s desired date of Sept. 12, and both are much closer than Austin Peay, which is located in Clarksburg, Tennessee. But both would have been far more challenging for a team already saddled with a difficult ACC schedule.

With Pitt now set to host Austin Peay at Heinz Field on Sept. 12, the team’s 2020 schedule is complete, barring any additional team or conference cancelations. Pitt’s full schedule for the 2020 season can be seen below.

Sept. 12: Austin Peay

Sept. 19: Syracuse

Sept. 26: Louisville

Oct. 3: NC State

Oct. 10: at Boston College

Oct. 17: at Miami

Oct. 24: Notre Dame

Oct. 31: Open

Nov. 7: at Florida State

Nov. 14: at Georgia Tech

Nov. 21: Virginia Tech

Nov. 28: at Clemson