Pitt opened ACC play with a comfortable 27-13 win over Syracuse on a night when the Panthers controlled the line of scrimmage and never really gave the Orange a way back in.
The tone was set early. La'Vell Wright punched in a two-yard touchdown run with a little more than three minutes left in the first quarter, and Pitt kept leaning on Syracuse from there. Damon Ferguson Jr. broke loose for a 32-yard score up the middle in the second quarter, then Mason Heintschel got in on the ground-game action to start the second half with a nine-yard touchdown run.
Syracuse managed to answer twice in the second quarter, first when Ahmad Miller finished a drive with a two-yard touchdown run and then with a 42-yard field goal to close the half. That was about as good as it got for the Orange.
Pitt added only a field goal after halftime, but Syracuse couldn’t build any real momentum. The Orange didn’t find much offensively until late in the fourth quarter, when they put together a 71-yard drive on 12 plays and kicked a 30-yard field goal with just under three minutes remaining. By then, the outcome was already settled, and Pitt ran out the clock to secure its third straight home win in 2026.
Heintschel finished with 123 passing yards, going 10 of 23 with an interception. He also ran for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Ferguson Jr. led the Panthers on the ground with 102 yards and a score on 10 carries, while Wright added 81 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts.
Carson Kent paced Pitt’s receivers with two catches for 63 yards. Bryce Yates was the only other Panther to top 10 receiving yards, finishing with three grabs for 36 yards.
Pitt’s defense did its part, too, producing two sacks, eight tackles for loss and two interceptions.
The Panthers now have one more home game to begin the year, hosting Bucknell in Week 4. After that, they travel to Virginia Tech for their first road game of the 2026 season before returning home to face North Carolina.
Later on, Pitt heads to Boston College and then to No. 5 Miami.
The Panthers close out their home schedule against Georgia Tech and Florida State before finishing the regular season on the road at No. 23 Louisville and Cal.
In Other News...
Pitt Just Proved Its Unbeaten Start Is Built To Last
Pitts unbeaten start has a sturdier look to it now, and not just because the Panthers handled Syracuse 27-13 to move to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in ACC play. The ground game again did a lot of the work, with Damon Ferguson Jr., La'Vell Wright and Mason Heintschel all finding the end zone on the ground, while Pat Narduzzi picked up his school-record 144th win in the process.
Syracuse never found much rhythm, spending much of the afternoon battling penalties and sorting through quarterback changes. For Pitt, the larger question is no longer whether the hot start is real, but how much more there is to build on now that conference play has begun and the early schedule has already started to test the Panthers in meaningful ways. [Read more 🡒]
Fran Brown Explains Syracuse Sideline Meltdown Against Pitt
Fran Brown spent part of Syracuses game against Pittsburgh trying to manage more than just the scoreboard. The Orange coach drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a heated exchange with an official, later saying he lost his composure and used inappropriate language as the frustration built around several calls against his team.
The larger concern for Syracuse is how the sideline flare-up fit into a night that also featured too much yellow laundry on the field. Syracuse was flagged 10 times, and Brown acknowledged afterward that the team needs better discipline moving forward. For Pitt, it was another reminder that games in this matchup can turn chippy in a hurry, with emotions spilling over long before the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Pitt Offense Suddenly Has A Syracuse Problem Fans Will Notice
Pitts offense is heading into its matchup with Syracuse with a few familiar questions still hanging over it. The final availability report lists starting running back JaKyrian Turner as a game-time decision, while wide receiver Malik Knight is out, adding more uncertainty to a unit that has already been dealing with injury-related turnover. Turner also missed the previous game against UCF, and Knight left that contest early.
The rest of the report does little to settle the picture. Synkwan Smith, Rodney Dunbar, Max Hunt, Josh Nindl, Ben Kaufman and Nigel Maynard are all listed as out, leaving Pitt to sort through its depth chart with kickoff approaching. For an offense that needs stability, especially against Syracuse, the bigger issue may be how much it can ask of the players who are actually available. [Read more 🡒]