Syracuse walks into Thursday’s rivalry game with Pitt carrying more than just the usual pressure that comes with an ACC trip. The Orange are coming off a tight loss to Cal, sitting at 0-2 in conference play and in a spot where the bowl picture starts looking awfully thin if they slip again.
The cleanup list is long. Steve Angeli threw a career-high three interceptions against the Golden Bears.
Tripp Woody missed two fourth-quarter field goals. Syracuse was flagged 14 times for 110 yards.
And after ripping off 56 rushing yards on its first two plays, the Orange managed only 62 more on the ground the rest of the way.
“Just make one more play than they make at the end of the game,” Fran Brown said.
That’s the challenge as Syracuse (1-1, 0-1 ACC) heads to Pitt (2-0, 0-0 ACC) on Thursday.
The matchup history hasn’t given Syracuse much comfort. Pitt leads the all-time series 45-33-3, has taken 20 of the last 24 meetings and hasn’t lost to the Orange at home since 2001.
The last time these teams met, Pitt rolled into the JMA Wireless Dome on Oct. 18 and left with a 30-13 win. Syracuse shuffled between Rickie Collins and Luke Carney at quarterback, and Collins’ two touchdown passes were offset by three interceptions in a third straight loss that eventually became part of an eight-game skid.
Even in that defeat, Syracuse’s defense had a few bright spots. The Orange produced a season-high seven sacks and held Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel to 140 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
Pitt has looked sharp through two games this season. It opened with a 59-14 win over Miami (Ohio), and Heintschel lit up the scoreboard with 453 passing yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Last week was messier in the rain, but the Panthers still found a way to beat UCF 12-7 with points coming via a field goal, a safety and a touchdown in the first half.
The Panthers’ defense has been just as sturdy. Pitt leads the ACC in rushing yards allowed per game at 23.5.
That lines up with what Pat Narduzzi teams usually look like: physical, aggressive and built to choke off the run. Narduzzi is in his 12th season, and Pitt has been one of the conference’s toughest rushing defenses for a while, ranking second last season and tying for third in 2024.
Heintschel is still the key piece on offense. The true freshman took over midway through last season and went 6-3 as a starter.
The Oregon, Ohio, native has already spread the ball around this year, with seven different receivers catching touchdown passes. Cataurus Hicks, who was Heintschel’s third passing option last year, leads Pitt’s returning production with 422 yards and four scores in 2025.
Braylan Lovelace anchors the defense. The linebacker was an All-ACC Honorable Mention in 2025 after finishing with 80 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions.
For Syracuse, the path is pretty clear: protect the ball and avoid repeating the kind of night Kyle McCord had the last time the Orange visited Acrisure Stadium, when he threw five interceptions in a 41-13 loss.
That means Angeli has to be much cleaner than he was against Cal. It also means Syracuse can’t keep letting special teams fireworks disappear under laundry.
Demetres Samuel Jr. and Davien Kerr have both shown they can turn punt returns into something dangerous, even touchdowns, but penalties have repeatedly wiped those plays out. If Syracuse wants to swing this one, those hidden yards have to count.
One number that stands out: 35:04. That’s Pitt’s average time of possession through two games, the best in the ACC.
Syracuse isn’t far behind at 33:20. But Thursday figures to come down less to who holds the ball longer and more to who does something with it when the chance arrives.
Heintschel will be the player to watch. After his breakout freshman season, Miami reportedly tried to lure him away after reaching the national championship in January, but he stayed put. He threw for 2,354 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions in nine starts last year, was a Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Semifinalist, and opened this season with seven touchdown passes against Miami (Ohio) alone, matching Pitt’s single-game record.
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