Pitt beats Syracuse 21-10

Pitt is hosting Syracuse at Heinz Field this afternoon. Here’s the latest from the game.

FIRST QUARTER For the second week in a row, Pitt won the coin toss to open the game and opted to defer. The decision paid off, as Syracuse gained one first down but was stopped after that. The Panthers couldn’t capitalize after the Orange punt, though; a Vincent Davis four-yard run started the drive nicely, but two incomplete passes from Kenny Pickett to Jordan Addison killed the possession.

To make matters worse, Pitt’s first punt was called back due to a formation penalty, and when the Panthers punted again, Syracuse returner Nykeim Johnson got back to the Pitt 35. The Panthers’ defense picked up the slack with an impressive three-and-out capped by Calijah Kancey’s first career sack on third down.

That led to another Syracuse punt, but Pitt’s offense committed another blunder. After picking up a first down on a nice sideline catch by freshman Jordan Addison, the Panthers turned the ball over when Pickett threw a second-down swing pass to Davis. The pass was dropped and ruled to have gone backward, which allowed Syracuse to recover at the Pitt 14.

The Panthers’ defense stuffed the Orange inside the 10 and forced a field goal, but Pitt’s errors staked Syracuse the first lead of the game.

SYRACUSE 3, PITT 0 - 6:08 1st quarter

After Syracuse’s field goal, Pitt’s offense woke up. A pair of strong runs from Daniel Carter got things started and then Pickett starting finding his stride. He hit DJ Turner for a 17-yard pass to move into Syracuse territory, got another 13 yards on a screen to Shocky Jacques-Louis and then capped the drive with a smooth toss to the end zone for Addison, who caught it for his first career touchdown.

PITT 7, SYRACUSE 3 - 4:12 1st quarter

Syracuse found a little running room on its next drive, but Pitt’s defense quickly closed the door with back-to-back sacks. First, David Green took down Tommy DeVito for a three-yard loss on second-and-10. Then Rashad Weaver made his triumphant return to the backfield with his first sack since missing the 2019 season due to injury.

SECOND QUARTER Pitt ended the first quarter on a high note when Pickett and Turner connected for a 20-yard gain to move into Syracuse territory, and on the first play of the second quarter, Todd Sibley took a direct snap out of the wildcat formation and ran for 13 yards.

Pitt tried the wildcat again on the next snap, but it went wrong and started a string of negatives. First, Bryce Hargrove was flagged for a false start to negate the wildcat play. Then, after an eight-yard pass on first-and-15, Pickett was sacked for a four-yard loss to set up third-and-11. Curiously, the Panthers chose to run the ball on third-and-long, but then when the play gained eight yards, the coaches still opted to kick a field goal.

Alex Kessman’s 37-yard attempt was wide left, though, and Pitt was left with no points.

Syracuse capitalized on the Pitt failure when the Orange faced a third-and-11 of their own on the next drive. Backup quarterback Rex Culpepper dropped back and fired a pass to Taj Harris, who had a step on Jason Pinnock and then stepped out of a tackle to go 69 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.

SYRACUSE 10, PITT 7 - 10:33, 2nd quarter

Pitt took the ball back looking to answer Syracuse’s touchdown, and while it wasn’t always pretty, the possession was effective. The drive was built largely on short-gaining plays: a five-yard pass to Turner, a six-yard pass to Lucas Krull for his first reception as a Panther, a series of runs from A.J. Davis and a defensive holding all got the Panthers into the red zone.

But once they reached the 20, Pitt stumbled with a pair of incomplete passes to set up third-and-10 from the 18. That play looked like it was in trouble when Pickett had to scramble out of the backfield, but he found Addison and the freshman receiver fought forward for a 12-yard gain.

Three plays later, Pickett took a snap from under center and snuck into the end zone for a touchdown.

PITT 14, SYRACUSE 10 - 5:06, 2nd quarter

After giving up a touchdown the last time it was on the field, Pitt’s defense came out much stronger on the next possession, forcing a three-and-out to give the ball back to the offense with just over three minutes remaining in the half.

Things didn’t start well. On first down from the 23, A.J. Davis bobbled a short pass but corralled it and was tackled for a 10-yard loss. Vincent Davis got 14 yards back on the next play and then the Panthers benefited from some flags. First was a pass interference penalty that turned third-and-6 into first down; then, on the next play, Syracuse was called for roughing the passer, giving Pitt 30 free yards to get into Syracuse territory.

But the Panthers continued to struggle with short gains and plays that went for loss, including a sack of Pickett that turned second-and-11 at the Syracuse 27 into a third-and-18 that didn’t get converted by a screen pass to Addison.

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi ran the clock down after that play to set up a half-ending field goal for Kessman, but the Panthers’ kicker never got a chance to attempt the 46-yarder as holder Kirk Christodoulou bobbled the snap and the teams went to the locker rooms with Pitt ahead 14-10.

PITT 14, SYRACUSE 10 - Halftime

THIRD QUARTER Pitt got the ball to open the second half, but the possession was wasted almost immediately. Pickett threw the ball away after rolling out on first down and only got three yards with a screen pass to Addison on second down. The third down play was another mess, as Pickett had to scramble before throwing incomplete to Jared Wayne.

Fortunately for the offense, Pitt’s defense picked up in the third quarter where it left off in the second. After the Orange moved the chains with the run game, the Panthers attacked, culminating with Weaver’s second sack of the game, a seven-yard stop on a fourth-down attempt.

Once again, the offense stumbled. A defensive pass interference penalty bailed the Panthers out on fourth-and-4 and a sweep by Addison picked up 13 yards to get close to the red zone, but on second-and-8 from the 20, Pickett threw for Krull but never saw Syracuse linebacker Mikel Jones, who picked the ball off for the day’s second turnover.

Syracuse’s offense looked to build off the turnover on the next drive and looked like it was having some success, using the run to drive inside the Pitt 40. But on third-and-11 from the 35, Orange quarterback Tommy DeVito threw a wobbly screen pass and Pitt safety Paris Ford dove to pick it off and give the ball back to the Panthers’ offense.

This time, Pitt capitalized on its defense’s strong play. Starting at their own 34, the Panthers put together their sharpest drive of the half and overcame two penalties along the way. The second flag, a holding on Jake Kradel, set up first-and-20, but the Panthers beat that with a 25-yard pass from Pickett to Wayne in the middle of the Orange defense.

Two plays later, Pickett and Wayne connected again with a 17-yard pass to the middle of the end zone for a touchdown.

PITT 21, SYRACUSE 10 - 0:54, 3rd quarter

FOURTH QUARTER

Syracuse got the final possession of the third quarter but went three-and-out and punted on the first play of the final frame. Pitt’s offense couldn’t do anything with it, though, as the Panthers posted a three-and-out of their own. They got the ball right back when Deslin Alexandre recovered a fumble on third down of the ensuing drive, but once again, the Panthers faltered on offense. Despite taking over at the Syracuse 33, Pitt only gained four yards before setting up another Kessman field goal attempt.

For the third time this season, Pitt’s redshirt senior kicker missed and the lead stayed at 11 points.

The Panthers’ defense was up to the task again after the missed field goal, forcing another punt with a third-down sack by John Morgan. But they had to do it again when freshman linebacker Bangally Kamara was called for a personal foul - leaping - on the punt. That wasn’t a problem for the Pitt defense, as they forced another three-and-out on Syracuse’s second try at the drive.

The trend continued after the Orange punt, which was downed at the Syracuse 6. With two running plays and a pass that turned into a scramble, Pitt’s offense gained a net of four yards and punted for the fourth time in the game.

Syracuse’s last possession didn’t look too different from what came before it, as the Panthers pitched one last three-and-out and then got a stop on fourth down. From there, Pitt’s offense found some success running with Vincent Davis, as the sophomore running back rattled off five runs for 24 yards to kill the clock and secure the victory.

Davis finished with 53 yards on 18 carries and two receptions for 26 yards. Pickett completed 25-of-36 passes for 215 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

PITT 21, SYRACUSE 10 - Final