One month to go in the college football regular season, and Pitt finds itself in the middle of the ACC Coastal’s cluttered mess.

Pitt remains in the hunt to repeat as Coastal champion, but the Panthers could have been leaders of the pack.

One stop on defense, more care when throwing the football, a willingness by coach Pat Narduzzi to take a chance from the 1-yard line and, perhaps, Pitt defeats offensively challenged Miami on Saturday.

Here are five thoughts about the Panthers as they prepare for a trip to play Georgia Tech (2-5, 1-3). For the record, Georgia Tech is last in the Coastal in points scored (127) and pointed allowed (213), but it did beat Miami.

1. Hope is alive

Thanks to Virginia’s 28-21 loss at Louisville and North Carolina’s 20-17 victory against Duke, Virginia, Pitt, Virginia Tech and North Carolina are tied in the loss column (two), with Duke, Miami and Georgia Tech a game behind.

If Pitt (5-3, 2-2) wins its four remaining games (and, yeah, that’s a massive leap after what happened Saturday), it will win the Coastal if Virginia loses one because the rest of the division will have at least three losses.

Who can beat Virginia? The Cavaliers travel to North Carolina and play their annual game with Virgnia Tech. The Hokies own a 15-game winning streak against Virginia.

2. Taking care of business

If you present the preceding scenario to Pitt’s coach, Narduzzi would shrug his shoulders or look at you like you lost your mind. He knows his team’s fate rests with the players in the locker room not with something that happens on someone else’s field.

After Georgia Tech, Pitt plays North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Boston College. Pitt never has defeated North Carolina in six tries as an ACC member. It must play the Hokies in Blacksburg, Va., and BC has the second-best ground game in the conference.

3. Offense needs rhythm

Quarterback Kenny Pickett has shown signs of growth, but he’s thrown two interceptions in a game three times, including twice since he returned from injury. Plus, he’s been sacked 10 times in the past three games, and his receivers are gaining a reputation for drops.

Then, there’s this statement from Miami coach Manny Diaz: “I thought we did a good job in the first half of eliminating the run and harassing the quarterback into making mistakes.”

Some of it is poor decision-making, some is bad luck, but it must disappear for Pitt to win the Coastal. Pitt has not scored a touchdown against Miami since Pickett’s run as a freshman in 2017.

Pickett already has matched his interception total from last season (six).

4. Run game lacking

Todd Sibley was Pitt’s best back against Miami, gaining 54 yards on four wildcat plays, but he was helped off the field with a leg injury in the fourth quarter and was not around for the final cracks at the end zone.

It’s alarming to see Pitt go from two 1,000-yard rushers last season to ranking 109th in the nation (127.5).

5. Not enough turnovers

Pitt’s defense, at times, was dominant against Miami, which was missing its best running back DeeJay Dallas (injury) and top deep threat Jeff Thomas (suspension).

In any case, Pitt held the Hurricanes to 208 yards and chased starting quarterback N’Kosi Perry to the bench.

But Pitt gained only one turnover. For the season, Pitt has forced nine in eight games while giving up 13.

The turnover hoop is still there and players have a lot of fun with it when they take the ball from the offense. Yet, it’s odd a team that likes to talk about getting turnovers — and makes a show if it when they occur — doesn’t get enough.

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