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Pitt runs ‘Philly Special’ on fourth down to beat Central Florida in upset victory

The Panthers resurrected the gutsiest play-call of Pederson’s coaching career Saturday, when they called the “Pitt Special” against No. 15 UCF with the game on the line.

Nick Foles runs untouched into the endzone on the "Philly Special" play during the Eagles' Super Bowl win over the Patriots.
Nick Foles runs untouched into the endzone on the "Philly Special" play during the Eagles' Super Bowl win over the Patriots.Read moreMichael Bryant / File Photograph
    by EJ Smith
    Published 

If Eagles coach Doug Pederson watched Pittsburgh take on Central Florida, there’s a good chance he got goosebumps.

The Panthers resurrected the gutsiest play call of Pederson’s coaching career Saturday when they called the “Pitt Special” against No. 15 UCF with the game on the line.

Facing fourth down at the UCF 4-yard line and down 6 points with less than a minute to go, Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi called the trick play. Wide receiver Aaron Matthews found quarterback Kenny Pickett in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown, and the Pitt defense iced the upset.

It’s not the first time the play has been used by other teams since the Eagles ran it against the Patriots, but it was the riskiest situation since Pederson dialed it up on fourth-and-goal in Super Bowl LII as the first half expired.

Pitt’s upset win over UCF was the Golden Knights’ first loss in 27 games. Their last loss came on Nov. 26, 2016.

The newest iteration of the Philly Special came one day after NFL Network ranked Trey Burton finding Nick Foles in the end zone as the 10th-best play in NFL history.

“Any time I get a chance to catch it on TV, I still get nervous when I watch the game itself, but when it gets to that play, the hair stands up on the back of my neck, and I get so nervous," Pederson told NFL Network.