Pittsburgh routs Bucknell 59-0
Team pages: Bucknell · Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh routed Bucknell 59-0. Share this game
We had Pittsburgh favored. It won.
How it swung
Before kickoff, our ratings gave Pittsburgh a 99% chance, and the closing betting line (Pittsburgh was a 54.5-point favorite) put it above 99%.
Pittsburgh led by 14 after the first quarter and by 35 at the half.
Pittsburgh 59-0 Bucknell
Pittsburgh wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.Bucknell 0-59 PittsburghBucknell lostMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
How to read this chart
Starts from the pregame line (Pittsburgh -54.5), at 100% for Pittsburgh (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores.Watch the plays
The bar and the arrow show Pittsburgh’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.
- Q1, 2:52Heintschel 3-yd TD pass to KentPittsburgh leads 14-0Q1, 2:52 · Pittsburgh 14, Bucknell 014-0score after the play14-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q2, 10:01Heintschel 8-yd TD pass to McCrayPittsburgh leads 21-0Q2, 10:01 · Pittsburgh 21, Bucknell 021-0score after the play21-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q2, 2:02Heintschel 10-yd TD pass to LeePittsburgh leads 28-0Q2, 2:02 · Pittsburgh 28, Bucknell 028-0score after the play28-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q2, 0:52Heintschel 48-yd TD pass to McCrayPittsburgh leads 35-0Q2, 0:52 · Pittsburgh 35, Bucknell 035-0score after the play35-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q3, 13:35Heintschel 26-yd pass to HicksfumbledQ3, 13:35 · Pittsburgh 35, Bucknell 035-0score after the play35-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q4, 9:04Geriner 36-yd TD pass to HamiltonPittsburgh leads 52-0Q4, 9:04 · Pittsburgh 52, Bucknell 052-0score after the play52-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
- Q4, 0:25Dailey 18-yd TD pass to RobinsonPittsburgh leads 59-0Q4, 0:25 · Pittsburgh 59, Bucknell 059-0score after the play59-0score after the play▶Watch from this playESPN College Football
Every drive
Pittsburgh scored on 9 of its 12 drives; Bucknell on 0 of its 13.
Pittsburgh’s drives are teal, Bucknell’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.
Never in doubt.
Box score
Pittsburgh 59, Bucknell 0
Pittsburgh covered −54.5 by 4.5. The total, 59, stayed under 63.5.
| Team totals | Bucknell | Pittsburgh |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 136 | 766 |
| Passing | 14 of 28, 105 yds | 40 of 53, 574 yds |
| Rushing | 24 for 31 yds | 30 for 192 yds |
| First downs | 10 | 35 |
| Third down | 2 of 13 | 9 of 14 |
| Fourth down | 0 of 0 | 2 of 2 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 6 for 48 yds | 16 for 165 yds |
| Time of possession | 27:26 | 32:34 |
Bucknell leaders
- Passing Chris Dietrich 4 of 7, 56 yds
- Rushing Jack Sullivan 10 for 31 yds; Michael Cadden 4 for 12 yds
- Receiving TJ Cadden 4 for 33 yds; Matthew Giannantonio 1 for 31 yds
Pittsburgh leaders
- Passing Mason Heintschel 29 of 37, 403 yds, 6 TD
- Rushing Damon Ferguson Jr. 9 for 56 yds; Synkwan Smith 10 for 47 yds
- Receiving Tyreek Robinson 5 for 78 yds, 1 TD; Bryce Yates 4 for 77 yds
No rain through the game
64° at kickoff · no rain recorded
September game-day temperatures at Acrisure Stadium
Drag along the chart, or step through the game.
Where this weather comes from
Measured at Pittsburgh/alleghen airport, 8.1 miles away, and Pittsburgh International airport, 12 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.Before kickoff
Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.
Recent games
Last 4 games
Bucknell · 1-3
Rated 236th in our preseason ratings, 235th now.
1-3 in its last 4 — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.
Last three games
Pittsburgh · 3-0
Rated 47th in our preseason ratings, 51st now.
Three straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.
W 12-7 vs UCF #93 of 668
won by 5 as a 7.5-point favorite
Week by week
Pittsburgh
- Wk 1Wvs Miami (OH)59-14
- Wk 2Wvs UCF12-7
- Wk 3Wvs Syracuse27-13
Bucknell
- Wk 1Lat Richmond14-35
- Wk 1Lvs Villanova16-17
- Wk 2Wat VMI14-3
- Wk 3Lvs Pennsylvania7-20
Power rating by week
Pittsburgh is rated 13.1 points ahead as of week 3. Our power rating by week; higher is better.
The series
Pittsburgh leads the series 7-2
9 meetings since 1902 · Pittsburgh has won the last 3
- 1945Pittsburgh 38-0
- 1923Pittsburgh 21-0
- 1922Pittsburgh 7-0
- 1913Bucknell 9-0
- 1912Bucknell 6-0
Line, fans and home field
The betting line, and the fans
Our model and the betting line agree on Pittsburgh’s chances here.
Pittsburgh favored by 54.5 · Total 63.5
How games like this usually go
Pittsburgh by 54.5, and it went to form
Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game
The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 411 games since 2025 with a favorite of 21.5 points or more.
The market
The spread moved 1 point toward Pittsburgh.
The total rose 2 points.
Spread: −53.5 → −54.5 · Total: 61.5 → 63.5
Weather at kickoff
Mild and dry. Feels like 67° at kickoff.
Bucknell at Pittsburgh · Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 · Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
- 67°feels like at kickoff
- Dryno rain at kickoff
- 100weather score, Ideal
At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026.
Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.
Kickoff times that Saturday
Games in this time zone used 8 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game is ringed. At Acrisure Stadium that day, a 2 pm, 3:30 pm, 4 pm or 5 pm kickoff would have scored 99, against 100 at noon.
- noon: 100, Ideal (this game)
- 12:45 pm: 100, Ideal
- 2 pm: 99, Comfortable
- 3:30 pm: 99, Comfortable
- 4 pm: 99, Comfortable
- 5 pm: 99, Comfortable
- 6 pm: 100, Ideal
- 7 pm: 100, Ideal
Weather score at each kickoff time.
Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.
At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.
Home field
Pittsburgh is worth +2.4 points (±3.8) more at home than on the road since 2018 — bottom third of FBS, 20th percentile.
62% at home, 51% on the road against FBS opponents (31-19 home, 22-21 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +1.3 at home vs. away over 101 games — inside the ±6.0 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.
The visitors travel about 168 miles to get here.