Pitt
11-3 , 8-1
Michigan State
11-2 , 7-2
No. 10 Michigan State Rallies to Beat No. 12 Pitt in Thrilling Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
12/30/2021 11:00:00 PM | Football
ATLANTA (AP) — Payton Thorne's 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 10 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 12 Pitt, 31-21, on Thursday night in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Linebacker Cal Haladay's 78-yard interception return for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining ended Pitt fill-in quarterback Davis Beville's bid for a last-minute comeback in the game the Panthers played without star QB Kenny Pickett.
Thorne threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as Michigan State (11-2) rallied after trailing 21-10.
Cam Bright returned a fumble recovery 26 yards for a touchdown only 20 seconds into the second half for the Panthers (11-3). Pitt lost its starting quarterback in the game, Nick Patti, to an injury in the first quarter.
Defensive end John Morgan III forced the fumble by Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne that was returned by Bright for a 21-10 lead.
It was the second big play by Pitt's defense. Brandon Hill's interception late in the first half set up an 87-yard touchdown drive culminated by a touchdown catch by Jared Wayne to give the Panthers the lead.
Thorne's 15-yard scoring pass to tight end Connor Heyward cut the Panthers' lead to 21-16 with 8:06 remaining. The Spartans were stopped on their 2-point play, with Heyward kept out of the end zone on another reception.
Thorne completed 29 of 50 passes for 354 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Thorne's scoring pass to Reed with 2:51 remaining gave the Spartans a 22-21 lead. A 2-point pass to Jalen Nailor pushed the lead to three points.
With Pickett, who opted out of the game after finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting, watching from a coach's box, the Panthers' transition at quarterback quickly took on added drama.
Making his first start since 2019, Patti was knocked out of the game in the first quarter.
On third down from the Michigan State 16 on the Panthers' second possession, Patti dropped back before taking off on a run and diving for the end zone, reaching out for the touchdown before landing hand on his left shoulder.
Patti grabbed his shoulder after rising to his feet and was escorted to the Pitt locker room. When he returned later in the first half, he was not wearing shoulder pads and his left arm was in a sling.
Beville, a sophomore with four career passes who played in only two games in the regular season, took over for Patti and completed 14 of 18 passes for 149 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He completed passes of 10 and 52 yards to Jordan Addison, the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top wide receiver, against Michigan State's pass defense, which ranked last in the nation.
Addison had seven catches for 114 yards. Beville's touchdown pass to Wayne was the first of his Pitt career.
THE TAKEAWAY
Pitt: The game was expected to be a chance for Patti to make his case for the starting job next season. Former Southern Cal starter Kedon Slovis has announced he is transferring to Pitt and also will be part of the competition. Beville may have shown enough to be another contender.
Michigan State: Thorne showed poise in regrouping from a slow start. His two turnovers — one on an interception and one on a fumble — were costly, leading to two touchdowns. Thorne took advantage of his experience to take over the game in the final quarter.
RAINY DAY
Due to rain throughout the morning and most of the afternoon, the annual Peach Bowl parade in downtown Atlanta was canceled. The rain stopped in time for the retractable roof at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to be open for the game.
With the roof open, fans would have been strongly encouraged to wear masks due to COVID-19, which remained mandatory in enclosed areas of the stadium.
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Team Stats
PITT 0, MSU 7
MSU - Reed,Jayden 28 yd pass from Thorne,Payton (Coghlin,Matt kick) 3 plays, 29 yards, TOP 0:45
PITT 7, MSU 7
PITT - Patti, Nick 16 yd run (Scarton, Sam kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:14
PITT 7, MSU 10
MSU - Coghlin,Matt 36 yd field goal 11 plays, 57 yards, TOP 5:18
PITT 14, MSU 10
PITT - Wayne, Jared 4 yd pass from Beville, Davis (Scarton, Sam kick) 6 plays, 87 yards, TOP 1:01
PITT 21, MSU 10
PITT - Bright, Cam 26 yd fumble recovery (Scarton, Sam kick)
PITT 21, MSU 16
MSU - Heyward,Connor 15 yd pass from Thorne,Payton (Thorne,Payton passfailed) 13 plays, 70 yards, TOP 6:47
PITT 21, MSU 24
MSU - Reed,Jayden 22 yd pass from Thorne,Payton (Nailor,Jalen pass) 11 plays, 71 yards, TOP 2:46
PITT 21, MSU 31
MSU - Haladay,Cal 78 yd interception (Coghlin,Matt kick)
