Pittsburgh’s defense has spent the first two weeks making life miserable for opposing offenses, and now Syracuse gets the next shot at figuring it out.
The Panthers welcome the Orange to ACC play Thursday night riding the kind of defensive start that sets a tone fast. In two nonconference wins over Miami (Ohio) and UCF, Pitt has given up just 21 points total. Against UCF, the Panthers were even more suffocating, allowing only 20 rushing yards and 206 total yards in a 12-7 win.
That front-and-linebacker group has been the backbone of the early run, and coach Pat Narduzzi didn’t sound remotely surprised by what he’s seen.
"That's kind of what we do, and so that doesn't surprise me at all, especially with the linebacker corps," Narduzzi said of his defense Monday. "I told you we had that D-line up front. If you look historically, we're going to stop the run."
Pitt has six sacks through its first two games and is allowing just 23.5 rushing yards per game. Thursday also brings a milestone for Narduzzi, who is coaching his 144th game and will move past Jock Sutherland (1924-38) for the most in school history. He’s also looking to keep the Panthers on track for a 3-0 start for the third time during his tenure.
On the other sideline, Syracuse arrives needing a reset after a messy 21-18 home loss to Cal. The Orange were hit with 15 penalties for 132 yards, missed two field goals and watched quarterback Steve Angeli throw three interceptions while under heavy pressure.
"We got to play better," Syracuse coach Fran Brown said Monday. "Can't let our quarterback (get) hit as much as he was hit. We just gotta continue to get better and play better."
Angeli will now have to deal with a Pitt defense Brown described as relentless.
"They run around," Brown said of the Panthers' aggressive defense. "They fly to the football.
They create turnovers. They make it hard for offenses."
Pitt, meanwhile, will again be hoping for another efficient outing from Mason Heintschel, who has thrown for 665 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. The Panthers may be without some help around him, though. Running back Ja'Kyrian Turner was held out last week because of an undisclosed issue and is listed as questionable for Thursday, and wide receiver Malik Knight, who caught a touchdown pass in the opener, could also miss the game because of a shoulder injury.
In Other News...
Pitt Win Now Looms Over A UCF QB Situation To Watch
Alonza Barnett IIIs injury turned the UCF-Pittsburgh matchup into more than just another nonconference game for the Panthers to track. UCF coach Scott Frost confirmed Barnett suffered a significant hamstring injury during the game, and the Knights are now waiting on imaging to learn the full extent of the damage.
Keyone Jenkins is likely to step into the starting role if Barnett is sidelined, though UCF has not made anything official yet. For Pitt, the aftermath matters because the quarterback change could reshape how UCF handles the next stretch, even as the Panthers can only wait to see how long Barnett is out. [Read more 🡒]