We have reached the halfway point of the college football season, and the 2024 Pitt Panthers have not lost a game yet. Pitt is off to its best start since 1982 and have climbed to No. 20 in both sets of rankings this past week.

In this today’s 3-2-1 Column, we discuss all the storylines of what has happened in this season thus far, and look ahead to the second half of the year for Pat Narduzzi’s team.

THREE THINGS WE KNOW

Lessons to be learned for Kade Bell and Eli Holstein

Before we start to talk big picture stuff, it is certainly worth looking back on what transpired last weekend. Pitt defeated Cal 17-15 at Acrisure Stadium, and it was a game that proved to be much more of a defensive struggle than many expected.

Pitt’s high-powered offense was stuck in neutral, while the Panthers’ defense rose to the occasion to help the team win a game in a different manner. The biggest notable from that game was that Cal became the first team to really, truly shut down this new-look Pitt offense.

There have been sequences where Pitt’s offense has run in circles this season, but never for all four quarters. Aside from a long Desmond Reid run on a fourth down attempt, the Panthers only had one sustained touchdown drive. Pitt posted its lowest point total and also had the fewest yards it has had all season.

First thing is first, Cal did a really nice job defensively. The Golden Bears simply have a good defensive football team, so it was not anything too specific, other than they were a good, veteran group doing its thing. Cal is tied for the national lead in interceptions with 13, the team has a strong pass rush with talented outside linebackers, and head coach Justin Wilcox is a defense-first coach by nature.

What Cal did, however, was make Pitt freshman sensation quarterback Eli Holstein look pedestrian. He was held to a season-low 133 yards passing on 14-of-28 attempts. Holstein threw two picks, and a lot of it was because Cal kept giving him different looks. The Bears baited him into some bad throws by showing man, and then dropping into zone. Again, nothing exotic by nature, but also the type of things good teams typically try to do to confuse a young quarterback.

The big takeaway from that game was that Pitt can lean on its defense more to win games. The team has arguably the best kicker in college football too, and of course, Desmond Reid is capable of taking any play the distance. So even if you’re freshman quarterback is making mistakes, there is still a path to victory.

The lessons learned from this game, however, are what will help shape the second half of the season.

From Holstein’s perspective, and even Kade Bell’s, there has to be more of an initiative to find the easy plays. Bell is usually good at scheming up simple plays and creating mismatches, and Holstein has been able to follow, and that’s been a big part of the undefeated start, but there weren’t a lot of those against Cal.

After winning ACC Wide Receiver of the Week against North Carolina, Reid only had target in the passing game, a 19-yard gain against a linebacker. That’s the thing, there were more of those opportunities for Reid, and Gavin Bartholomew, or other receivers breaking across the middle, but there was a penchant to try to get the ‘big’ play.

Dink, dunk, and get in a rhythm, then the big plays will follow once the defense starts to cheat. Pitt’s been really good at that all season, but the team can’t let the way Cal dictated the game to be a trend in the second half of the season.

Winning in multiple ways

Good football teams can typically rely on their best strength to win games, but really good teams can find a multitude of methods to bring home a victory. In Pitt’s 6-0 start, the Panthers have used big offensive displays and valiant comeback efforts, both mostly fueled by the offense, but last Saturday, the Panthers got back to their roots under tenth-year head coach Pat Narduzzi.

The Panthers won a knock ‘em out, fist fight of a game. The old defensive coordinator got to have his day in the sun for at least one afternoon this season.

OK, maybe that’s a little bit of an over exaggeration.

The national perception of Narduzzi is usually unfair, or way too over the top. He’s often painted as a coach who hates offense, or something along those lines, but if things continue the way they are this season, then this will be the third time Pitt will have broken its best offensive season under his watch, with a different coordinator each time.

That doesn’t sound like a guy who hates offense, but I digress. Not everything is ever perfect under any head coaching regime, but if everything is equal, defense is still going to be his calling card specifically. Last week, the Panthers got to show off they’ve still got it there.

Pitt’s defense entered the season with question marks, to be sure. The unit featured a revamped defensive line, a new set of starters at linebackers, and two brand new starting cornerbacks. All of that factors raised some doubts.

The Pitt defense has had some blown plays and sustained some tough sequences this year, nobody is stating otherwise, but I think the more you peel back, this defense is generating the same, if not better production than some of Narduzzi’s better defenses in his tenure at Pitt.

The Panthers have arguably the best defensive player in the ACC in Kyle Louis, a rock-solid tackling machine of a safety in Donovan McMillon, and also a pass rush that is seemingly getting better each week.

Pitt generated six sacks in the win over Cal. It marked the 30th time during Narduzzi’s tenure Pitt has had five-or-more sacks in a game, and the Panthers are 28-2 such contests.

So yes, Pitt won a game this season with its defense. It has also won plenty of contests with the offense as well. The point is, as mentioned above, good teams can strike you in different ways, and that’s quite a benefit heading into the back half of the season for the 2024 Pitt Panthers.

Taking an early look at Syracuse

Pitt and Syracuse have played in tons of big basketball games through the years, but how many big-time football matchups have there truly been in recent memory?

Yea, I can’t think of many either.

Pitt and Syracuse have played every season since 1955, and while it is a quasi-rivalry historically, it has faded through the years. Pitt has won 18 of the past 22 matchups, but Syracuse dominated the series in the 1990s. It’s a rarity when both teams have this much to play for this late in the season.

Pitt will enter the game 6-0, of course, while Syracuse will bring a 5-1 record to Acrisure Stadium next Thursday. The Panthers should hold their spot in the top 25, and the Orange will likely be just outside the rankings. But to put things into perspective, the last time both teams were ranked when they met on the field was back in 1991.

The 2024 matchup should prove to be the most exciting and most anticipated game in the series in a long time. The Orange are going through a much-needed revival. First year head coach Fran Brown has breathed life into the program, and Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord seemingly has found a home in a less pressure-packed environment.

While it’s not entirely the same, Pitt is also being fueled by a transfer quarterback from an elite program, and is also enjoying a rebirth, at least on the offensive side of the ball with a new coaching staff bringing more energy to the program.

Is this thing heading towards a 76-61 finish like what happened in 2016? I doubt it will get that high scoring, but this game does have a chance to become a bit of a track meet with a lot of offense and big play potential on each side.

Like usual, Syracuse did not play an overly daring non-conference schedule to date, which has aided the 5-1 start. The Orange racked up easy wins over Ohio and Holy Cross, and had a solid road win over UNLV. In league play, they have played three one-score games with victories over Georgia Tech and NC State, and a stunning loss to a bad Stanford team at home.

McCord has been brilliant after getting away from the pressure cooker of Columbus. He has 19 touchdowns this season, not too far off from the 24 he had all of last season with Ohio State. The former Philadelphia Catholic League star is currently third nationally in passing 2,160 yards on the season.

Syracuse currently features three pass catchers with over 30 receptions, 400 yards, and three touchdowns this season. The most dangerous is seemingly Oronde Gadsden II, a 6-foot-5 matchup nightmare at tight end who was a first team All-ACC player in 2022 before missing most of last year with an injury.

The previous Syracuse regime under Dino Babers was built on the run and some of those elements are still around and have meshed into the current attack. LeQuint Allen has over 700 yards of all-purpose and seven touchdowns, and is one of the team’s top overall players.

The Orange went into the transfer portal to help with the defense. Fadil Diggs, a Texas A&M transfer, has brought some pedigree to the defensive line with eight TFLs and four sacks to date. Syracuse has plenty of veterans on that side of the ball with familiar names like Justin Barron and Duce Chestnut still anchoring the defense.

All in all, it has a potential to be a wildly entertaining game for a primetime nationally televised spot next Thursday. There are two transfer quarterbacks having monster seasons, two teams very much alive to make the ACC title game, and a new kind of buzz engulfing each program.

It’s been a while since the Pitt/Syracuse ‘rivalry’ has felt this way, but if they are going to play every season for the rest of time, then it would be a welcomed change for these games to start to mean something.

TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE

Who has a case at making an all-conference team?

Pitt is at the midway point of its 2024 season, and so is the rest of college football. Because of that, many national publications started releasing mid-year all-conference and all-American teams. It’s a content filler, and nothing is really binding at this point, but it’s a good time to stop and evaluate where things are and where they are trending.

Pitt’s 6-0 start has been fueled by a number of impressive individual performances, and many players are worthy of all-conference consideration, if not more. In 2023, only one player earned all-ACC recognition (MJ Devonshire, second team), but that’s common of a three-win team. Now with Pitt poised to be towards the top of the league standings at the end of the year, it’s only natural more individuals will be recognized. Here are the guys I believe have positioned themselves to date.

Eli Holstein is going to have a really strong case to be the ACC Rookie of the Year, considering he has already won Rookie of the Week five times. The freshman quarterback will also be in position to land an numerous freshman All-American teams. The three all-conference teams may be competitive with guys like Cam Ward, Kyle McCord, and Tyler Though having strong seasons, but Holstein is right there through six games.

Desmond Reid should be a first team All-ACC pick at the end of the year if he maintains his current pace, it’s just a matter of what spot. The league has an ‘all-purpose’ position on its all-conference teams, and Reid could land there with his versatility. He is, after all, second in the country in all-purpose, but he would have a case to simply be a first team running back as well.

Konata Mumpfield should factor in as a second or third team pick as a wide receiver, or higher with some big games. The senior currently is fourth in the ACC in receiving yards per game and has been as reliable as they come this season, which was expected from the senior.

Lyndon Cooper appears to be the most likely offensive linemen to earn postseason recognition. The NC State transfer has been reborn at Pitt and has been an anchor of the Panthers’ line. He feels like one of the 15 best linemen in the conference today.

Kyle Louis, I think, is going to be the second linebacker under Pat Narduzzi to be a first team all-conference selection following in the footsteps of SirVocea Dennis. Truthfully, I think he’s been the most impactful defensive player in the ACC given he is a factor in all parts of the game. At the midway point, he is the only power-four defender with 50+ tackles, 8+ TFLs, 3+ sacks, and two interceptions. Literally no other linebacker is doing what he’s doing, so he needs to be considered for ACC Defensive Player of the Year if this continues.

Rasheem Biles is tied with Louis with 8.5 TFLs on the season, which is good for third in the ACC. Biles won’t crack the first team, but if he comes off of his injury strong, there’s no reason he couldn’t keep his name in all-league consideration of some kind.

Donovan McMillon’s 56 tackles are tied for second most in the ACC. He is on pace to become the first Pitt defender to have consecutive 100-tackle seasons since Scott McKillop accomplished that in 2007-08. The difference between first and second team may be more turnovers, as McMillon only has one pick this season.

Ben Sauls is one of the best kickers in America, and as long as he keeps it going, he will be heading towards all-American honors as well as all-league. He’s 10-for-10 on field goals, hasn’t missed an extra point, and has proven he’s basically in range once Pitt gets to about the 40-yard line. Sauls is a legitimate weapon for this team right now.

What are Pitt’s toughest remaining games?

The record of Pitt’s first six opponents is currently combined sitting 15-23. As it stands today, Cincinnati at 4-2 is the only team above .500 the Panthers have defeated thus far. In the back half of the schedule, all six opponents are above .500 with a current combined record of 27-9.

Needless to say, Pitt’s second half of the season will decidedly be more difficult, but that’s sort of the expectation when you get into the teeth of conference play. The Panthers are set to face a pair of ranked teams over the next six games, with three at home, and three on the road. In terms of difficult, here is how I see the next six games laying out for the undefeated Panthers.

6. Virginia, November 9th

Virginia is admittedly better than I expected. The Cavaliers hung tough with Louisville recently and actually knocked off Boston College. Anthony Colandrea is a tough little quarterback who can make things difficult on opponents by extending plays. This is a home game, but even here isn’t necessarily a cake walk with the Cavaliers owning a 4-2 record.

5. @ Boston College, November 30th

Boston College is also enjoying a wave of excitement with a new head coach. Bill O’Brien has brought this team some credibility right away, and Thomas Castellanos is one of the more dynamic quarterbacks in the league. It’s hard to say how this game will look as of right now, because it’s the last game of the season. Will either team be playing for something big? Given that this game is also on Thanksgiving weekend, you have to wonder how tough of an environment this will be with most BC students on break.

4. Syracuse, October 24th 7:30

Pitt’s next opponent will be a challenge. The Orange are riding the natural energy a new coach brings to a program. Syracuse has dangerous offensive weapons and a veteran quarterback to tie it altogether. Not that the Dome is a terrifying place to play, but it’s better to see them at home rather than a night game on the road.

3. @ Louisville, November 23rd

Again, you have to wonder where both teams are at this stage of the season. But right now, Pitt and Louisville are two teams fighting for position in the ACC standings, so this has the potential be a big game for each side. On top of that, Louisville is a solid team. Jeff Brohm, for my money, is one of the better coaches in the country and the Cardinals have good players on both sides of the ball.

2. @SMU, November 2nd

I’ll admit, I wasn’t sold on SMU competing right away, but the Mustangs are one of four ranked teams in the ACC as it stands today. SMU is coming off of an impressive road win against Louisville. The Mustangs have two more road games prior to the Pitt contests against Stanford in Duke, but if both teams take care of business, then a big spotlight could be on this game.

1. Clemson, November 16th

The last time Clemson visited Pitt, the Panthers grabbed a 10-point win over the Tigers back in 2021. Pitt rarely seems intimidated by Clemson like some other ACC teams, but the Tigers are still the class program of the league. On pure talent alone, Clemson is still the type of team that can overwhelm opponents. This will be a challenge, but could also be a nice home field environment for the Panthers, especially if things trend well for both of these teams in the next couple of weeks.

ONE PREDICTION

Eli Holstein bounces back against Syracuse

One game does not define a season, and that’s where I am at with Eli Holstein. The Panthers’ freshman quarterback has had a storybook start to his career, and while the team won last week, he was not at the center of it for a change.

Holstein undeniably struggled against Cal, and played like a freshman for the entire game. In other games this season, the talented quarterback showed his greenness, while also overcoming it in the game’s crucial moments. It didn’t happen last week, but the Panthers won anyway.

I do not really see that as a trend for Holstein, or this offense. A fair amount of credit should go to Cal for slowing Pitt down for four quarters, but I can’t imagine that will be common practice for the rest of the year. Bell has been very good calling plays, and the team has responded by making them. The Panthers are going to have big offensive games in the second half of the season, and Holstein will be a big reason why.

He is on pace for a 3,000-yard and 30-touchdown season. One slip-up against Cal does not diminish what he was doing in the first five games. Players do not accidentally lead fourth quarter comebacks, there is a lot of skill and poise that goes into it, of which Holstein has both.

Syracuse’s defense has some talent and he may be playing with a new set of offensive linemen, but I think Holstein, and the Pitt offense, bounces back on Thursday. I’m not sure if that necessarily equates to a win, but I think it should make for a higher score than say, 17-15.