The Pitt Panthers improved to 6-0 for the first time since the 1982 season, following a 17-15 victory overt the Cal Golden Bears at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. Pitt also moved to 2-0 in ACC play with the victory, and needed yet another dramatic finish to get there.
Pitt’s high-powered offense was held in check for the first time all season, but the defense also provided its best performance of the year.
What stood out from Pitt’s win? Here are my five takeaways.
Survive and advance
There are not style points when it comes to attempting to win a conference title in college football. The only numbers that matter are wins and losses, and for now, Pitt does not have a crooked number in the loss column. The Panthers survived Saturday’s game against Cal with zero points scored in the second half, a gritty defensive performance, and also a bit of luck.
...and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
No team in college football needs to apologize for a win or being undefeated through six games, but especially a team like Pitt, who was picked to finish 13th in the ACC in the preseason, and coming off of a three-win campaign no less.
Fortunately for this team, they are used to nail biters by now, making Saturday easier to stomach, at the very least. The Cal game represented Pitt’s third one-score win of the season. Pitt has ‘found ways to win’ this season, which is a cliché, but also true at the same time. The Panthers have stormed back from second half deficits like in the Cincinnati and West Virginia games with electric offensive displays, and also have played with their backs against the wall defensively in tight games, like today.
Pitt survived, and that’s really the only takeaway that matters.
Hammerin’ heads
The Pitt defense, led by the linebackers specifically, put together their best performance of the season. The 15 points by Cal on Saturday, was the lowest output the Panthers have allowed this season. The Golden Bears had 12 different offensive possessions and only three of them netted any kind of points.
Cal had to punt six times in the game, missed a field goal attempt, and turned the ball over on downs twice, including its final possession with the Pitt defense smelling blood in the water.
That of course, is because that is simply what they do.
The 'sharks', or the Pitt linebackers, have been the driving force to most of the defense’s success this season, and that held true again on Saturday. Kyle Louis, the main shark himself, led the Panthers with 12 tackles, two TFLs, and a sack. Right behind him was Brandon George with 11 stops, and Braylan Lovelace added seven tackles, and recorded his first two career sacks. The Panthers played without Rasheem Biles due to injury, but Lovelace did more than fine picking up the production, and also with Louis elevating his game yet again to an all-conference level.
The linebackers were pacing the efforts against Cal, but Pitt’s pass rush was much improved this week, and that started up front. Sophomore Jimmy Scott exploded for three sacks, obviously a career high for the first-year starter. Pitt’s veteran safeties, Donovan McMillon and Javon McIntyre, both made pivotal plays down the stretch as well.
The sharks were the catalysts, but the defense as a whole delivered a clutch performance for four quarters, and Pitt does not win this game without them.
The league caught up to Eli
You often hear this line of thinking in baseball more than football. But sometimes when a rookie pitcher makes his debut, he can have some success his first few starts and take the league by storm.
Rookies in baseball, much like freshmen in football, can hit a proverbial wall from time to time. The league ‘catches up’ so to speak, and will knock the pitcher around for an afternoon.
On Saturday, Cal did exactly that.
The Golden Bears have a good defense, and there is little denying that. They led the country in interceptions coming into Saturday for a reason. Head coach Justin Wilcox is a defensive-minded coach, and he saw ways on film to exploit a freshman quarterback, and succeeded in that game plan against the Panthers.
Pitt had zero second half points. Holstein was held to a season-low 133 passing yards, and threw two interceptions in a game for the first time in his young career. It felt like the first time Pitt was really, truly playing with a freshman quarterback all season.
Holstein struggled at times in some earlier games, but not like this, and he did not have some heroic drive to save the day either. Holstein missed easy throws. He took shots when they weren’t there, and ignored underneath receivers all game. Pitt’s offense is all about getting guys in space, but he kept looking for tight windows, when the simple play was in front of him.
Holstein took immediate ownership after the game, credited Cal’s defense, but also appeared angry about his performance. I think he sort of got a dose of reality, which is all part of growing up as a player, especially one playing the most important position on the field. Holstein is still primed for big games ahead, and Pitt’s offense isn’t likely to be held to 17 points most nights, but Cal got the better of him on Saturday.
Better call Sauls
Ben Sauls has been nothing short of brilliant this season, and only added to that against Cal. The Panthers’ senior kicker nailed a 58-yard field goal with 10:04 remaining in the season quarter to put his team ahead at 17-6. It represented Pitt’s last score on Saturday, as the defense held up that 17 points in the second half.
Aside from kicking a game-winner, it tied as the longest field goal in Pitt history. Former Panther Alex Kessman also kicked a 58-yarder, against Boston College back in 2020, which has stood as the school record ever since. The kick is just one yard off the Heinz Field/Acrsiure Stadium record, held by current Steelers’ kicker Chris Boswell.
Sauls is 10-for-10 on field goals this season, as he has simply been automatic, for lack of a better term. He is pretty much in range when he steps on the field, his kickoffs go out of the back of the end zone regularly, and at this point he is a true, valuable weapon for this team.
Let’s face it, you could easily say Sauls is the best kicker in the country right now, and not too many people would have a case to argue it. The Panthers have a good chance for points every time they cross into the opponent’s 40-yard line, and that’s just not a luxury every team has, you know, with respect to the Cal kicker who missed a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter.
More time off…
Pitt is heading into its second bye week of the 2024 season. The Panthers will next play on October 24th, a Thursday night game against traditional foe Syracuse, at Acrsiure Stadium for a nationally televised game. Pitt is off next weekend to avoid a short week of practice leading up to that game, which makes for a weird scheduling quirk.
Normally you would not have two full weeks off before the middle of October, but it also probably comes at a good time for this team, even if it clutters the schedule a bit.
I think Saturday’s game showed that the Panthers need to make some adjustments on offense, because it’s clear some teams have picked up on some tendencies. It is not like I am saying Pitt is bad on offense all of the sudden. They could play someone tomorrow and drop 500 yards for all I know, but it also feels like a good time for a reset to iron out some miscues.
At the midway point of the 2024 campaign, there are not too many complaints with this team as a whole. This is the program’s best start since 1982, as it has been well documented by now, but at a certain point, I think the expectations need pushed forward for this team.
It’s not a novelty anymore.
Pitt is 6-0, tied at the top of the ACC, and ranked in the national polls with legitimate all-conference and all-American players up and down the team. The Panthers have a powerful offense that can win them games, and as evidence of today, a defense that can do the same. The stakes keep getting raised for this team each week, but that should only make for an even more entertaining second half of the season.
