Pitt improves to 7-0 with 41-13 win over Syracuse

Pitt won the coin toss and took the ball, but the drive didn’t produce anything as a Desmond Reid run, an incomplete pass that was nearly intercepted and an Eli Holstein scramble gained a total of three yards.

After a nice punt from Caleb Junko, Syracuse took over at its 23 and gained a first down. But on second-and-10 from the 33, Kyle McCord’s pass was intercepted by Rasheem Biles, who ran 35 yards to the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. It was Biles’ first career interception and Pitt’s second pick-six of the season.

PITT 7, SYRACUSE 0 - 12:47, 1st quarter

Syracuse tried running on its second possession and picked up a first down on a pair of carries by LeQuint Allen. But on third-and-10, McCord threw over the middle and the pass was tipped in the air before it fell to the ground - and into the arms of Brandon George, who was laying on the ground but caught the ball for Pitt’s second interception of the game.

Pitt’s ensuing offensive possession gained a first down on two runs from Reid, but it stalled after that and Ben Sauls added three points with a 49-yard field goal.

PITT 10, SYRACUSE 0 - 8:28, 1st quarter

Syracuse hit its first big play on the next drive when McCord connected with Oronde Gadsden for a 24-yard pickup that moved the ball into Pitt territory. But on the next third down, McCord was intercepted again - this time the pick was by Kyle Louis, who ran 59 yards for the Panthers’ second pick-six of the game.

PITT 17, SYRACUSE 0 - 6:23, 1st quarter

Syracuse started a long march on the next drive, converting third-and-4 with a seven-yard pass from McCord to Trebor Pena and then turning third-and-21 into a conversion with a pair of passes - 16 yards on third down and six more on fourth down - to put the Orange at the Pitt 35 when the first quarter ended.

SECOND QUARTER

On the first play of the second quarter, Syracuse faced third-and-6 from the Pitt 35. McCord’s pass was broken up by Rashad Battle, and McCord threw incomplete again on fourth down, giving Pitt’s offense possession at its own 35.

For the first time all game, the Panthers found success with the ball. Holstein got things started with an eight-yard run and picked up a first down plus some when a Reid run gained four and a personal foul penalty added 15 yards. Reid kept things churning with another run for a first down, and then Pitt hit its first big offensive play of the game when Holstein threw to Censere Lee from the 20 and Lee got into the end zone for a touchdown.

PITT 24, SYRACUSE 0 - 12:30, 2nd quarter

Pitt’s defense kept up its strong play on the next drive, forcing Syracuse into a three-and-out for the first time and leading to the Orange’s first punt of the game.

The Panthers couldn’t make anything out of the stop, though. Holstein was picked off on third-and-9 but a roughing penalty kept the ball with Pitt. Three plays later, Holstein was tackled for a loss on a third-and-5 run and the Panthers had to punt again.

Syracuse took the ball at its own 15 and started marching again. The Orange converted third-and-5 with an eight-yard pass from McCord to Umari Hatcher, third-and-3 when Pitt jumped offsides and third-and-4 with a seven-yard scramble by McCord. But on third-and-13, Biles sacked McCord for a 15-yard loss and forced Syracuse to punt.

Pitt’s offense was stuck inside its own 20 and never got out, but after punting and giving the Orange the ball for one more drive, the defense struck again. On first down from the 38, McCord’s pass was intercepted by Braylan Lovelace, who returned it 33 yards for Pitt’s third pick-six of the first half.

PITT 31, SYRACUSE 0 - 1:12, 2nd quarter

A Lovelace sack on the ensuing first down made sure Syracuse’s final drive of the half didn’t go anywhere, and the Panthers went to the locker room leading by 31.

PITT 31, SYRACUSE 0 - Halftime

THIRD QUARTER

Syracuse got the ball to open the second half and almost immediately found itself in a fourth-and-1 from the 36. But the Orange converted that fourth down with a McCord sneak, and a pass to Pena on the next play picked up 20 yards to get into Pitt territory. Syracuse converted another fourth down from the 35 with a pass from McCord to LeQuint Allen and then got a fourth-and-1 conversion from the Pitt 4 on another McCord sneak. Finally, on third-and-goal from the 1, the Orange got its first touchdown with a McCord sneak, but his pass on the two-point conversion was batted down.

PITT 31, SYRACUSE 6 - 5:22, 3rd quarter

Pitt got the ball for the first time in a long time after the touchdown, and while two quick passes to Kenny Johnson gained a first down, the Panthers punted three plays later. But on Syracuse’s next drive, Pitt’s defense struck again when McCord’s pass on third-and-11 from the 26 was tipped by Jordan Bass was intercepted by P.J. O’Brien.

After the fifth interception of the game, Pitt’s offense capitalized. Reid ran for 13 yards on first down; then, on second-and-7, Holstein threw to Raphael Williams for a 29-yard touchdown.

PITT 38, SYRACUSE 6 - 14:54, 4th quarter

Pitt’s defense forced a three-and-out on the next possession, and the Panthers’ offense responded by driving. Holstein turned a bad snap into a 21-yard pass to Gavin Bartholomew, and then the Pitt quarterback picked up another first down with a 13-yard run. But he took himself out of the game after that snap and went to the locker room.

That brought Nate Yarnell in, but his three passes - including one to himself - gained a net Toal of minus-5 yards. As a result, Sauls got the call for a 57-yard field goal, which he converted by sneaking it over the crossbar for another long kick.

PITT 41, SYRACUSE 6 - 11:13, 4th quarter

Syracuse got a jump start on its next drive when McCord threw to Emanuel Ross for a 37-yard gain on first down, and then the Orange converted two more fourth downs - their fifth and sixth conversions - to get inside the Pitt 5. From there, Syracuse threw it back to last year’s game at Yankee Stadium but running a Wildcat offense with tight end Dan Villari, who carried the ball twice and got into the end zone.

PITT 41, SYRACUSE 13 - 7:23, 4th quarter

The Yarnell-led Pitt offense went three-and-out after the Syracuse touchdown, and while McCord marched the Orange inside the Panthers’ 20, they couldn’t finish the drive and Jadyn Oh missed a 48-yard field goal attempt.

Pitt held the ball as time expired, and the Panthers improved to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the ACC.

PITT 41, SYRACUSE 13 - Final