Pitt is hosting No. 20 Syracuse at Acrisure Stadium today. Here’s the latest from the game.
FIRST QUARTER
Pitt won the coin toss and deferred, giving Syracuse the ball to open the game, and the Panthers defense went right to work, making two tackles at the line of scrimmage before sacking quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson for an eight-yard loss to force a punt.
The kick was short and gave the Panthers the ball at the Orange 45, but the favorable field position didn’t produce points. Instead, after Pitt converted two third downs with run plays, Kedon Slovis ran play-action on third-and-3 from the Syracuse 14. Slovis was under pressure, though, and threw a heave to Karter Johnson in the end zone. The pass was ill-advised and Syracuse picked it off.
The Orange took over at their own 20 and converted a third-and-1 with a Sean Tucker run before a pass interference penalty on M.J. Devonshire moved the ball across midfield. Syracuse then converted third-and-6 with a 12-yard pass that moved the ball to the 25. Pitt had Del Rio-Wilson for a five-yard loss on second-and-2 from the 17, but a facemask penalty on Habakkuk Baldonado pushed the ball inside the 10.
From there, the Panthers defense stepped up. A seven-yard pass drove the Orange to the 1, but Pitt tackled Tucker twice on runs from the 1 to force a field goal for the first points of the game.
SYRACUSE 3, PITT 0 - 0:26, 1st quarter
SECOND QUARTER
After the field goal, Pitt started at at its own 29. An 11-yard run from Rodney Hammond, who started in place of an injured Israel Abanikanda, moved the ball to the 45 before Slovis hit Jared Wayne for a 24-yard pass. Another Hammond run and a short pass to Konata Mumpfield got a fresh set of downs at the Syracuse 20, and from there it was all Hammond, as the sophomore back ran for four, two, eight and six, with the final carry reaching the end zone for a Pitt touchdown.
PITT 7, SYRACUSE 3 - 10:26, 2nd quarter
Pitt’s defense forced a three-and-out on the next Syracuse drive, but the offense couldn’t capitalize, picking up two first downs and moving across midfield before an incomplete check-down to Vincent Davis, a dropped pass by Wayne and a four-yard throw to Gavin Bartholomew stalled the drive at the Syracuse 44.
The ensuing punt, which saw Sam Vander Haar kicking after he missed the last two games, resulted in a touchback plus 15 yards on a Karter Johnson personal foul. Syracuse struck quickly with a 31-yard pass on the first play of the drive, but the defense stoned the Orange after that and forced another field goal.
PITT 7, SYRACUSE 6 - 3:44, 2nd quarter
Pitt took the ball with 3:44 on the clock looking to drive and end the half with points. While that would ultimately be the outcome of the quarter, it didn’t happen on that possession, as the Panthers got to third-and-1 but fumbled the snap and had to punt. Pitt’s defense forced Syracuse into a punt of its own, giving the offense the ball at its own 30 with 1:01 left in the half. The pressure fell on Slovis, and the quarterback delivered, completing a pair of 20-yard passes to Wayne to get to the Syracuse 20. The drive ended there, but Ben Sauls connected on a 43-yard field goal to give the Panthers a four-point lead at halftime.
PITT 10, SYRACUSE 6 - 0:05, 2nd quarter
THIRD QUARTER
Pitt got the ball to open the second half, but the Panthers couldn’t generate any points. They picked up one first down on a nine-yard pass to Wayne and a six-yard run from Wayne, but Slovis threw incomplete on second-and-8 and only hit Mumpfield for six yards to bring out the punt team.
The defense got the ball right back, though, and on first down from the Pitt 40, the Panthers hit a big play when Slovis threw a screen pass to Mumpfield, who got two good blocks and ran 29 yards into Syracuse territory. On the next play, Slovis threw a lateral to Wayne, who pulled up and threw for Hammond on the other side of the field. Syracuse read the play, though, and intercepted the pass.
The defense came right back, overcoming a roughing penalty to stop Tucker for a four-yard gain and then thwart a pair of Del Rio-Wilson pass attempts to force another punt.
The Panthers took over at their own 35 with 8:08 on the clock and began marching. This time, Notre Dame transfer C’Bo Flemister was leading the charge. Seeing his first significant playing time of the season, Flemister busted runs of 11 and 13 to get across midfield and then chipped away to get inside the 25.
But the biggest play of the drive came on third-and-6 from the 24, when Slovis dropped back and fired to Wayne, who made the catch at the 1. Two plays later, Flemister flipped into the end zone for the first touchdown of his Pitt career.
PITT 17, SYRACUSE 6 - 1:49, 3rd quarter
Syracuse’s final drive of the third quarter met the same fate as the first two: a three-and-out. This time, Calijah Kancey ended the possession with a sack on third down, forcing another punt to end the quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
Pitt’s offense was in a hole to open the fourth quarter, turning second-and-13 into third-and-5 before Slovis took a 12-yard sack to lead to a punt. Things got worse from there, as Cam Guess had to field a high snap and then kicked a dribbling line drive that ended up netting two yards, giving Syracuse the ball at the Pitt 27. But the Panthers’ defense stepped up again, stuffing Tucker for a one-yard loss and then breaking up a pair of passes to force a 46-yard field goal.
This time, Syracuse kicker Andre Szmyt had to kick into the wind, and the gusts kept his kick from going through the uprights, preserving Pitt’s 11-point lead.
Pitt went three-and-out on the next drive, but the defense did it again, giving Syracuse five yards on an offsides penalty on first down but still forcing the Orange back to fourth-and-16 and another punt.
After another Pitt three-and-out, the Panthers’ defense had the Orange where they wanted them - facing third-and-10 from the 15. But Del Rio-Wilson scrambled under pressure and picked up 15 yards for Syracuse’s biggest play of the second half. Syracuse did even better on the next play, when Del Rio-Wilson threw deep down the right side for a 45-yard pickup. The defense didn’t let Syracuse get any closer than the 25, but Szmyt connected from 49 yards for his third field goal of the game.
PITT 17, SYRACUSE 9 - 4:52, 4th quarter
Pitt got the ball looking to run out the clock, and the Panthers got about three-quarters of the way there, draining more than three minutes before running into a fourth-and-1 at the Syracuse 44. Pat Narduzzi opted not to go for it, taking a delay of game and then punting.
It worked out, though: Sam Vander Haar’s punt was downed at the 1 by SirVocea Dennis, and on first down, Deslin Alexandre got to Del Rio-Wilson in the end zone for a safety.
PITT 19, SYRACUSE 9 - 1:35, 4th quarter
Syracuse couldn’t recover the onside kick attempt, and Pitt knelt the time away for the Panthers’ fifth win of the season.
PITT 19, SYRACUSE 9 - Final
