Syracuse’s afternoon against Pittsburgh started with the kind of self-inflicted damage that can bury a team before it ever settles in, and that’s exactly how the Orange ended up in a 27-13 hole they never climbed out of.
The Panthers didn’t need much early help to seize control, but Syracuse handed them enough anyway. Pitt scored first after a pair of costly third-down penalties kept the drive alive, and once Heintschel slipped away from pressure and found a completion to set up first-and-goal, La’Vell Wright finished it from 2 yards out.
The sequence got uglier from there. After a rough third-down pass interference call on Demetres Samuel, Fran Brown drew an unsportsmanlike contact penalty, and Damon Ferguson turned that into a 32-yard burst that pushed Pittsburgh ahead 14-0. By then, the rain wasn’t doing Syracuse any favors, either.
The Orange finally found a spark after a low hit on Angeli, which helped unlock a deep shot to Hatcher for 30 yards. But the drive fizzled when the offensive line couldn’t hold up, and Woody’s 29-yard field goal attempt veered badly off line. Pittsburgh answered with a 42-yard field goal to make it 17-0 with 8 minutes left in the half.
Syracuse did show a pulse before halftime. Hatcher became part of the action on the ground and through the air, and a fourth-down pass interference call on Pitt extended the drive. Ahmad Miller finished it off with a touchdown run, and after Shay Barker replaced Woody on the extra point, the Orange had their first points at 17-7.
Then came another brief shot of momentum. Davien Kerr picked off a Heintschel pass, Syracuse moved the ball downfield, and Barker added a 42-yard field goal after Angeli was sacked on third down. Suddenly it was 17-10 at the break, and the Orange had at least clawed back into the game.
That didn’t last long. After a three-and-out to open the second half, Pitt’s run game took over again and the missed tackles returned. Heintschel finished that march by juking Gary Bryant at the 10 and strolling into the end zone.
Syracuse’s ground game did start to come alive, with Ahmad Miller making some plays, but the Orange kept running into the same wall: a promising drive, then nothing to show for it. They even got the ideal play-action look after leaning on the run, but Angeli underthrew a wide-open Hatcher in the end zone, and the possession died with a punt.
The fourth quarter opened with Pitt up 24-10, and Syracuse had another chance after getting the run game moving into Panther territory. This time Angeli threw directly to Raion Strader, and another scoring opportunity disappeared. The defense held, but Angeli followed with another interception, and Pitt took over at the Syracuse 40 before tacking on another field goal.
That’s when Amari Odom got his chance, and the freshman made the most of it. He brought some poise to the offense, completed all 7 of his passes, and leaned on checkdowns in a way Angeli had not. The drive still only produced another Barker field goal, but Odom’s composure stood out.
Angeli finished 13 of 25 for 161 yards with 2 interceptions. Miller led Syracuse’s rushing effort with 14 carries for 78 yards.
Hatcher added 3 catches for 58 yards and 28 yards on the ground. For Pitt, Heintschel went 10 of 23 for 123 yards with an interception.
The bigger story was Syracuse’s inability to clean up the mistakes. The Orange gave away too many chances, let Pitt’s run game dictate the game with 37 carries for 245 yards, and head into the bye week with plenty to sort out after a second straight loss.
In Other News...
Syracuse Suddenly Has A Quarterback Problem It Can't Ignore
Syracuses loss to Pittsburgh was more than just a second straight defeat. It exposed a quarterback situation that has become too shaky to brush aside, with Steve Angeli turning the ball over multiple times before being benched in the fourth quarter for Amari Odom. The offense never found much rhythm, and the Orange spent too much of the afternoon chasing the game after Pittsburgh began controlling the line of scrimmage.
The problems did not stop on offense. Syracuse also had trouble slowing Pittsburghs rushing attack and piled up 10 penalties, two issues that only made the quarterback miscues harder to overcome. With the losses mounting and the offense looking unsettled, the Orange now face a stretch where the answer at quarterback has to become clearer quickly, because this is no longer just a bad day. [Read more 🡒]
Fran Brown Added To Syracuses Frustrating Discipline Problem At Pitt
Syracuses trip to Pittsburgh was already shaping up as a night of self-inflicted issues, and the penalty sheet only added to the frustration. The Orange spent much of the game fighting flags, with special teams drawing particular scrutiny, and the mistakes undercut the kind of steady performance Fran Brown has been trying to build. Even so, there were a few offensive signs worth noting, including a more productive run game from Ahmad Miller and a late push in the passing game that featured JuJuan Johnson and Darius Johnson in the fourth quarter.
Browns own unsportsmanlike conduct penalty fit the tone of a game in which Syracuse never quite settled in. The bye week now gives the staff a chance to clean up the discipline problems that have lingered, especially on special teams, while preserving the pieces that did work a little better at Pitt. If the Orange are going to turn that stretch into something more useful, they will have to pair the improved offensive balance with a much quieter afternoon in the penalty column. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Already Has An ACC Problem Fans Wont Ignore
Pittsburghs 27-13 win over Syracuse did more than hand the Orange a conference loss. It also underlined how quickly an early-season ACC game can tilt into an uphill climb, especially when a team is fighting through penalties and quarterback changes at the same time. The Panthers kept their foot on the gas, got rushing scores from Damon Ferguson Jr., LaVell Wright and Mason Heintschel, and walked out with a clean start in league play.
For Syracuse, the concern is less about one bad afternoon and more about what it suggested about the margin for error in the ACC. Games like this tend to expose whether a team can stay organized when things get messy, and the Orange never really found that rhythm. Pitts win also gave Pat Narduzzi his school-record 144th victory, but the bigger takeaway for Syracuse fans is simpler: this is the kind of result that can linger if the issues behind it dont get fixed quickly. [Read more 🡒]