CHARLOTTE – Wake Forest’s offense lost its rhythm, and then the ACC championship game became Sam Hartman’s nightmare.

Hartman was picked off four times in Pittsburgh’s 45-21 win on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium.

No. 17 Pitt scored 31 unanswered points after Wake Forest led 21-14 in the first quarter. It marked the third loss in the last five games for the 18th-ranked Deacons.

Pitt (11-2) is likely headed to the Peach Bowl, while Wake Forest (10-3) could be bound for the Holiday Bowl, the Cheez-It Bowl or the Gator Bowl.

Hartman threw the same number of interceptions that he threw in last year’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl, held in this same stadium. One of them came in the first half, and at that point it was first drive of the game that Wake Forest didn’t score a touchdown.

The other three interceptions came in succession in the second half – the first leading to Pitt’s touchdown that turned this into a two-score lead, the second was returned to Wake’s 3-yard line and was turned into a touchdown, and the final came on the next play and was a pick-6 by Erick Hallett II.

The first quarter wound up being misleading for what the rest of the game would look like for Wake Forest.

The Deacons marched down the field for drives of 75, 75 and 69 yards – and then were shut out for the rest of the game, Pitt’s high-pressure defense getting to Hartman and Wake’s offense sticking to a game plan that didn’t involve much deviation from the original designs.

For the first quarter, this was the offensive explosion that we were promised. Both teams scored touchdowns on each of their first two possessions, with Pitt going first and Wake Forest answering – all four scoring drives covering 75 yards.

Pitt’s first two drives only took nine plays. Wake’s first scores were more deliberate, taking 11 and 12 plays, respectively. Hartman threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open A.T. Perry in the back corner of the end zone for the first score, and then it was Hartman on an 11-yard draw for the second score.

Pitt’s touchdowns came on Kenny Pickett’s 58-yard scramble, on which he faked that he was going to slide and cut down the sideline, and then on a 22-yard pass to running back Rodney Hammond, who could’ve done cartwheels to the end zone before a Deacon got to him.

Wake Forest got separation when Pitt’s Sam Scarton missed a 49-yard field goal, and Hartman threw a 26-yard touchdown to Taylor Morin five plays later.

Pitt scored the last 10 points of the first half to hold a 24-21 halftime lead.