DETROIT– Chad Voytik came on in relief and helped lead Pittsburgh to a 30-27 victory as Chris Blewitt kicked a 39-yard field goal with 1:17 remaining. The dramatic kick gave the Panthers an emphatic win over Bowling Green State in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field.
The score was tied 20-20 coming into the fourth quarter but Pitt dominated most of the statistics.
Voytik, a redshirt freshman, ran for a key touchdown after relieving injured starting quarterback Tom Savage in the second half and played mistake-free ball as James Conner and Tyler Boyd carried Pitt (7-6) to its first bowl victory and winning season since 2010. Conner set the Panthers’ bowl rushing record with 229 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, while Boyd returned a punt for a score and caught eight passes for a 173 yards.
The MAC- champion Falcons (10-4) rallied from an early 14-point deficit before falling just short of tying a program record for wins in a season. Matt Johnson threw for 272 yards with two touchdowns, but took two costly sacks on Bowling Green’s final possession.