The 2011 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

in the

2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on September 1, 2011, and ended on ...

. The Panthers were led through the regular season by first-year head coach

Todd Graham Michael Todd Graham (born December 5, 1964) is an American college football coach and former player who serves as an offensive analyst for TCU. He was most recently the head football coach at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Playing car ...

and played eight home games at

Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium, formerly (and still colloquially) known as Heinz Field, is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Foot ...

. Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson was named interim coach for the season-ending bowl game after Graham resigned in favor of a head coaching position at

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

Previous season

In 2010, the Panthers finished 8–5 overall and 5–2 in the Big East to win a share of the Big East Championship with

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

and

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

and won the BBVA Compass Bowl against the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...

. After the December 5 game against Cincinnati, head coach Dave Wannstedt resigned under pressure. On December 16, the University of Pittsburgh hired then Miami (Ohio) head coach Michael Haywood. Just 16 days later, on January 1, Haywood was fired by Pittsburgh after being charged with felony domestic violence. On January 10, Pitt hired Tulsa head coach

Spring game

Pitt concluded its spring practices under new coach Todd Graham and showcased its new offensive and defensive schemes to the public for the first time in its annual Blue-Gold game on April 16, 2011 at Heinz Field. Despite cold and rainy weather, the offense completed 81 passes and threw for 498 yards. The Blue team, which was composed of first-team players, ran 100 plays in two hours en route to a 48–13 victory over the Gold team which was composed of reserve players. The opening kickoff was returned 87 yard for a touchdown by defensive back Buddy Jackson. Quarterback Tino Sunseri completed 35 of 55 passes for 416 yards and two scores while having one interception and a fumble. Linebacker Carl Fleming had a game-high 12 tackles and two sacks and the defense forced five total turnovers. Kevin Harper completed a 52-yard field goal. The Ed Conway Award, which is give to the most improved players of the spring, went to Buddy Jackson, Anthony Gonzalez, and Tyrone Ezell.

Schedule

Roster

Coaching staff

Following the conclusion of the regular season, coaches Tony Dews, Tony Gibson, and Calvin Magee left to take positions with

Rich Rodriguez Richard Alan Rodriguez (; born May 24, 1963), also known as Rich Rod, is an American college football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at West Virginia Mountaineers football, West Virginia University, his second sti ...

's staff at

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and did not coach in the BBVA Compass Bowl.

Team players drafted into the NFL

Post-season

Less than one year from his hiring, on the evening of December 13, Graham informed Athletic Director Steve Pederson that he had discussed coaching opportunity at Arizona State. After being informed he did not have permission to talk to the school about the job and refusing conversations with Pederson and another administrator, Graham resigned the next morning to accept the head coaching job at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. Graham informed his Pitt players of his departure by having text message forwarded to the team by director of football operations Blair Philbrick. Keith Patterson was named as the interim head coach for the BBVA Compass Bowl. On December 22, 2011, Wisconsin offensive coordinator

Paul Chryst Paul Joseph Chryst (born November 17, 1965) is an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 2012 to 2014 and the University of Wisconsin—Madison from 2015 to 2022. Chryst had previously ...

was introduced as the next permanent head coach to take over the Panthers following the BBVA Compass Bowl.

Awards

*Sophomore defensive lineman Aaron Donald was named a second team All-American by FoxSportsNext.com. * Ray Graham, despite missing the final four games of the season with an injury, and Jarred Holley received first-team All-Big East recognition. Chas Alecxih, Aaron Donald, Max Gruder, and Antwuan Reed received second team honors.

References

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Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pittsburgh Panthers football seasons Panthers football