PITTSBURGH — Pitt entered the game against Syracuse undefeated, ranked 19th in the latest AP Poll, and it still felt like the Panthers needed to prove that they were for real.
A 41-13 drubbing of Syracuse, perhaps the best defensive performance of the college football season, certainly made a statement. Pitt dominated a one-loss conference opponent on national television and enters a mini-bye week before the biggest game since 2021.
It was a good night at Acrisure Stadium.
“Heck of a defensive performance,” Pat Narduzzi said after the win. “I mean, I don’t care how we win, offense, defense. We got great coordinators, got great coaches, got great players. It’s a tribute to just the overall coaching and play-makers.
“We talked about ‘start smart’ was our deal this week. We wanted to start smart. We knew kind of Syracuse was kind of like us as a football team. They won games and squeaked by some games and won ’em. We kind of thought they were very similar to what we were. Just talked about how we needed to start fast and be smart, just do all the details. Precision execution is kind of what our deal was. We certainly did that.”
Best Linebacking Corps in College Football
Pitt can roll five or six deep at linebacker, and the unit seemingly doesn’t miss a beat. The talent and depth in the linebacking corps are seriously impressive.
Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles, Brandon George, Braylan Lovelace and Jordan Bass combined for 32 tackles (18 solo), four tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions (three returned for touchdowns), a pass breakup and three quarterback hits.
It’s a young unit behind George, who is new to starting himself, to be fair, and Narduzzi pointed to the development under linebackers coach Ryan Manalac.
“I mean, it’s called development,” Narduzzi said. “It’s called coaching. Coach Manalac does a great job with those Sharks, as we well know. Sharks were on attack today. Jaws would be proud of what happened out there today.
“Again, we knew it in spring ball. I mean, Kyle Louis was our best linebacker in spring ball. You could ask anybody on the offense, defense. Kyle Louis has been dominant. He remains dominant. Biles is right there with him. Lovelace, the last two weeks, that guy’s played lights out as well. Brandon George continues to play solid inside.”
Louis (60 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a touchdown) and Biles (52 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, an interception and a touchdown) look like legitimate All-American candidates.
And George is a reliable leader on the inside, with Lovelace and Bass contributing in heavy doses.
Ben Sauls Has NFL Range
Pitt has had some good kickers during the Pat Narduzzi era, but he’s confident in who the best has been.
“He’s the best one I’ve ever been around,” Narduzzi said. “I would imagine he’d be up for the Lou Groza. They should just give it to him mid-season. He’s automatic from 57, 58. Doesn’t matter where you put him. He’s been outstanding this entire season.”
Sauls connected on both of his field goal attempts against Syracuse, stretching his consecutive made field goal attempts to 14 — a program record. He drilled attempts of 49 and 57 yards and all of his point-after attempts.
I’ll admit that I was skeptical Sauls could drill a 57-yarder into the open end zone of Acrisure Stadium, but the kick sailed true. His leg is nearly limitless.
He’s drilled all 12 field goal attempts (with a long of 58 yards) and all 32 point-after attempts. If Pitt crosses midfield, the Panthers are in range to put points on the board.
Kickers aren’t selected in the NFL Draft every year, but Sauls has all the tools to be selected by an NFL team.
What’s Up With the Offense?
I’m not worried about Eli Holstein long-term, he’s going to be the starting quarterback at Pitt for multiple seasons, but I am slightly concerned for the rest of this season.
If Pitt is going to achieve its goals this season, it needs the Holstein from the first five games of the season. He hasn’t looked like that over the last two games. And he was slightly better against Syracuse than he was Cal, but it wasn’t really a bounce back — and he got hurt.
“Eli is going to be fine,” Narduzzi said. “He’s in there smiling, happy, jumping around. So we’ll be fine. Just added precaution. Kept him out. At first we just thought he had dirt in his eye. It was a little bit more than dirt, but he’s fine and happy.”
Holstein completed 11-of-15 pass attempts for 108 yards and two touchdowns, but he just didn’t look comfortable. The game was moving too quickly.
Holstein has completed 138-of-215 pass attempts (64%) for 1,808 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions, adding 286 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and three touchdowns on the ground, this season. He’s been excellent, just for a second-year freshman. But Pitt needs him to calm down and make the throws he’s asked to make — especially against SMU.
It was a weird game for Pitt, offensively, at least, in terms of not having much rhythm. Pitt scored defensively, and when it didn’t, it played a game in which it wanted Syracuse to draw out its possessions.
It will be important to establish the run game going forward, getting touches for Desmond Reid (just 11 against Syracuse) and making use of Rodney Hammond Jr. and Daniel Carter.
There’s not a serious concern yet, but it’s up to the offense now to match the defensive output. If it can? Watch out.
Next Biggest Opportunity of the Season
Pitt hasn’t played a ranked vs. ranked matchup since Week 2 of the 2022 season against Tennessee.
If No. 22 SMU dispatches a good Duke squad this weekend, the matchup between Pitt and SMU in Dallas, Texas next weekend will be huge. It’s a matchup that will draw College GameDay hype and will have conference and national storylines.
“Again, team win overall,” Narduzzi said. “Moving on to the next, SMU. Big game down in Dallas. Looking forward to it.”
It’s a big game, the biggest in years. The ACC is still talked about as a three-team race between Miami, Clemson and SMU. ESPN gives Pitt a 2.4% chance to win the conference, behind the three aforementioned teams by a considerable margin.
A win against SMU would go a very long way in establishing Pitt as a legitimate conference (and Playoff) contender. And make the November matchup against Clemson that much bigger.