The Pitt Panthers improved to 7-0 on Thursday night with a 41-13 trouncing over Syracuse at Acrisure Stadium. The win vaults Pitt’s ACC record to 3-0, and the Panthers used a smothering defensive performance to fuel another big win. Here are five things that stood out in Pitt’s win over Syracuse.
Fins up
The strength of Pitt’s defense all season has been centered around the play of the linebackers. On Thursday, the group raised its level of play from good to elite. The ‘Sharks’ were swarming, and they smelled blood in the water early and often against the Orange.
Pitt picked off Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord five times, with four of those picks being recorded by a linebacker. Rasheem Biles, Kyle Louis, and Braylan Lovelace all recorded first half pick-sixes, while Brandon George had an incredible shoelace interception while laying on the ground.
All told, Pitt’s defense held Syracuse to a total of six yards rushing, finished with four sacks, and of course generated the five turnovers. Syracuse was just 6-of-20 on third down conversions, and had to continually go for it on fourth down because of the one-sided nature of the game.
For the third consecutive game, the Pitt defense only yielded two touchdowns to the opponent, as the group appears to be settling in and improving each week. Pitt’s defense churned out an impressive game in the 17-15 win against Cal, but topped that showing on Thursday.
The ‘sharks’ identity for the linebackers is catching on, with more shark related props in the stands, and the Acrisure Stadium loudspeaker playing the theme music from the movie ‘Jaws’ every time they walk on the field. I think having an identity, or something to lean on, has created more confidence on that side of the ball, and it’s clearly showing up in the results.
No rhythm on offense
The biggest takeaway I have on Pitt’s offense from Thursday is that it just felt like an incomplete performance. Syracuse ran 93 offensive plays to Pitt’s 44, and because of that, the Orange dominated in time of possession. When the opponent keeps throwing interceptions the way Syracuse was did, it was kind of hard for the offense to establish any kind its’s perspective, but at the same time, it kept the offense out of sync for most of the game.
Eli Holstein had a few shaky decisions at the beginning, but also completed 73% of his passes and tossed two touchdowns, and did not turn the ball over either. Desmond Reid had some running lanes, but also was only limited to 11 touches on offense, as he finished with 47 rushing yards. This was also the first game Reid has played in a Pitt uniform without scoring a touchdown.
While the defense’s brilliance played a major factor, the offense itself is still complicit in some of the poor play. Pitt was just 2-of-9 on third down conversions and the Panthers only totaled 13 first downs for the game. This was the second consecutive game Pitt churned outs its worst offensive performance of the year. Against Cal, Pitt totaled 277 yards, and only mustered 217 on Thursday.
I do think there are causes for concern moving forward, especially heading into a tough road environment next week. At the same time, the circumstances of this game were so weird that you might be able to flush it quickly, because chances are Pitt won’t be scoring three defensive touchdowns in a game down the stretch, which should allow for the offense to have some more sustained possessions.
Squeezed ‘em
From Pitt’s point of view, I am never quite sure if Syracuse is ever considered a full-on rivalry the way Penn State and West Virginia are for this program. Nevertheless, the two teams have played each other in every season since 1955, and it appears that they will be tethered together for the foreseeable future as well.
For the first time in a while, the Pitt/Syracuse showdown was played with a national TV spotlight with plenty at stake for each side going into Thursday. Syracuse should be trending upward in the future and entered this game with a 5-1 record, on the cusp of the top 25. I believe first-year head coach Fran Brown will be able to win more than some of his recent predecessors, and because of that, I expect this series to feature some big games in the coming years.
If that is indeed the case, and Brown has things pointed in the right direction, then it was a very impressive statement win by Pat Narduzzi and Pitt to knock down their ‘rivals’ down a few pegs with a 28-point beatdown with that national audience watching. Brown’s calling card is going to be recruiting, and that is how he plans to bring Syracuse up out of the ashes.
Pitt and Syracuse also recruit in similar circles at times. So again, that’s a nice feather in the cap to have if you are the Pitt coaches walking into some of the same high schools as the Syracuse staff during the offseason.
With the win, Pitt is now 19-4 against Syracuse since the start of the 2002 season. The Panthers are also now 11-1 against the Orange at Acrisure Stadium. Syracuse has only once in the Panthers’ current home field, and that was back in 2001, the year the stadium opened.
Money
Ben Sauls has made 14 field goal attempts in a row, which now stands as a Pitt record. The guy is simply automatic. Once Pitt crosses the opponent’s 40 yard line, then the team can feel confident that they are walking away with points.
College kickers are not always known to be the most reliable, but for Pitt, they are rolling through this season with a certified pro at the kicker spot. For the second consecutive game, the senior from Ohio has booted a field goal of 55+ yards. Sauls drilled a 57-yarder in the fourth quarter, as he was kicking into the open end of Acrisure Stadium, a notoriously tough place to make a long field goal.
Sauls hit a 49-yard kick earlier in the game as well. On the season, he is 12-of-12 on field goals, 33-of-33 on extra points, and routinely sends his kickoffs out of the back of the end zone. Sauls is playing at an All-American level and a is a legitimate weapon for this team. He has proven to be the difference in some of Pitt's wins, and brings that kind of reputation heading into the team’s final seven regular season games as well.
The toughest one yet…
Pitt has not had a cakewalk to get to 7-0, but at the same time, it always felt like the schedule was a bit backloaded. The first test was a 5-1 Syracuse team, which of course, was one the Panthers passed with flying colors. But the next game, well, that one should not come quite as easy.
SMU is currently 6-1, and has a road game at Duke this weekend. Should the Mustangs win, it will set up one of the biggest games of the year in the ACC. Even if SMU were to lose to the Blue Devils this weekend, it will still set the stage for Pitt’s toughest game to date.
The Panthers are 2-0 on the road this season, but going into a place like Dallas will present plenty of challenges. SMU has been cruising since its first loss to BYU back on September 6th, defeating its last four opponents by an average of three touchdowns.
SMU won 11 games a season ago, and carried that momentum into its first season as a member of the ACC. This is obviously a confident football team, with sophomore quarterback Kevin Jennings playing at a high level at the moment.
Aside from everything SMU brings into this game, Pitt has plenty of things to be concerned with on its end. The Panthers offense has sort of been stuck in neutral for two weeks, and probably can’t survive another week of not bring productive on that side of the ball. Pitt needs to get things figured out there, and not to mention, Eli Holstein did not finish the game after his head bounced off the turf on a fourth quarter scramble.
Despite Narduzzi saying Holstein will be ‘fine’ in his postgame press conference, you would have to think his status is at least a little bit questionable until they get a full evaluation on him. The Thursday game this week buys him a few extra days, however.
In any event, Pitt is enjoying its best start since 1982, and has not been 8-0 since the 1981 season. It’s an exciting time to follow Pitt football, and no matter who the opponent is, the next game is always going to be big when you start the year 7-0. SMU is going to be a challenge, but so what, because it’s better to face daunting tasks as a ranked, undefeated team as opposed to the alternative.
