Tag: Pitt

East Carolina turns five Pitt miscues into Military Bowl triumph

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Anthony Smith caught two long touchdown passes, Nick Mazzie kicked three field goals and East Carolina took advantage of five Pitt turnovers to win the Military Bowl, 23-17, on Saturday in Annapolis, Md.

Chaston Ditta, making his first start at quarterback, threw for two touchdowns among his eight completions. He accounted for 177 passing yards as the Pirates (9-4) won the Military Bowl against an Atlantic Coast Conference team for the second year in a row.

Mason Heintschel was 25-for-40 for 256 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Pitt (8-5), which lost three of its final four games. Rahseem Biles racked up 16 tackles, including five for losses, and turned one of his sacks into a fumble and touchdown.

East Carolina’s first touchdown came on its first second-half possession when Ditta threw 47 yards to Smith, who got beyond Pitt’s coverage on the left side. That gave the Pirates a 10-7 lead.

There was a huge shift in momentum later in the third quarter. East Carolina’s Marlon Gunn Jr. ripped off what appeared to be a 68-yard touchdown run on fourth down, but it was reduced to a 14-yard gain because of an inadvertent whistle just as he broke free. Two plays later, Biles hit Ditta and forced a fumble that he scooped up for a 23-yard touchdown return and a 14-10 lead.

It took just two snaps for East Carolina to regain the lead as Ditta hit Smith cutting across the middle and the receiver turned it into a 72-yard scoring play. Smith finished with four catches for 156 yards.

The Pirates got the ball back on a Pitt fumble and turned it into Mazzie’s 33-yard field goal in the opening minute of the fourth quarter for a 20-14 edge.

Pitt drove to the East Carolina 20, but Kevon Merrell’s interception and 70-yard return put the Pirates in position for Mazzie’s third field goal — a 28-yarder.

Pitt reached the East Carolina 2 before opting for Trey Butkowski’s 21-yard field goal with 1:23 remaining, but the Pirates recovered the onside kick. Following a punt, Pitt got the ball back with 57 seconds left and no timeouts.

East Carolina had the upper hand throughout the first half until Pitt went ahead with four seconds to play on Heintschel’s 22-yard pass to Raphael Williams Jr. That capped a 10-play, 77-yard drive to give Pitt a 7-3 halftime lead.

East Carolina threatened first, but Mazzie missed on a field goal from 51 yards out. He was good from 42 yards in the second quarter.

Quarterback Katin Houser, who threw for 3,300 yards while serving as East Carolina’s starter all season, missed the game with the intention to enter the transfer portal.

–Field Level Media

Departures may hurt East Carolina facing Pitt in Military Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Pitt missed out on bigger things late in the regular season, but the Panthers still can capture a nice finishing prize.

Pitt takes on East Carolina in the Military Bowl on Saturday at Annapolis, Md.

The roster for East Carolina (8-4) looks ravaged by departures, but that can’t be a concern for the Panthers.

“It really doesn’t matter. They are football players and they all got hearts,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “It comes down to who plays with more toughness and who wants it the most.”

Pitt (8-4) entertained major bowl or College Football Playoff aspirations until the last week of the regular season, when it lost to Miami a week after winning at nationally ranked Georgia Tech. The Panthers also had a November loss to Notre Dame.

A bowl victory would put Pitt at nine or more victories for the third time in five seasons.

“It’s a celebration and it’s an opportunity to go out and play one more football game with your football team,” Narduzzi said. “This is the last time this ‘25 team will play together. Again, tradition, we try to uphold that tradition all the time.”

The depth chart is largely intact for Pitt other than linebacker Kyle Louis and running back Desmond Reid preparing for the NFL Draft.

The Panthers will look for quarterback Mason Heintschel to continue his strong production. Heintschel, who became a midseason starter with notable successes, has thrown for 15 touchdowns and rushed for two TDs.

It’s not so simple for East Carolina. The Pirates will be without quarterback Katin Houser, who’s intending to enter the transfer portal. He threw for 19 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards during the regular season.

East Carolina coach Blake Harrell said he hopes his team’s personnel changes at least make Pitt uneasy in preparations.

“Let’s go let it rip, go have fun with it,” Harrell said. “… I’m sure that’s what Pitt’s doing right now, making some preparations for what they think might be coming.”

The Pirates will be without receivers Yannick Smith and Jayvontay Conner, who combined for more than 900 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Both entered the transfer portal.

This is further complicated by the departure of offensive coordinator John David Baker.

This puts Mike Wright (formerly of Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Northwestern) and/or Chaston Ditta in the quarterback role for East Carolina.

“Somebody has to stand back there and take some snaps,” Harrell said. “Thankfully, we’ve had some guys do that this year. Chaston Ditta has taken some snaps back there. Mike Wright has taken some snaps back there.”

Then this week, word came that running back London Montgomery, who led East Carolina with 742 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, is skipping the bowl in advance of exiting the program.

East Carolina is trying to win the Military Bowl for the second year in a row against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent after defeating North Carolina State last December. Harrell was finishing his first partial season as head coach in that postseason game.

It’s easy this time for the Pirates to be in the underdog role.

“We’ve got 30 seniors playing their last college football game with each other and for the Pirates,” Harrell said.

Defensive coordinator Josh Aldrich also left East Carolina, heading to South Florida. Defensive line coach Roy Tesh will oversee the defense, though Harrell will return to a role as defensive play caller.

Pitt is 2-5 under Narduzzi in bowls. His first bowl with the Panthers was in the Military Bowl 10 years ago in a loss to Navy.

–Field Level Media

ACC, CFP stakes on both sides as No. 22 Pitt hosts No. 12 Miami

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Miami and Pitt each face a must-win situation to keep their respective College Football Playoff and Atlantic Coast Conference championship hopes alive when they clash on Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh.

The No. 22 Panthers (8-3, 6-1 ACC) returned to the CFP rankings this week following their 42-28 victory last Saturday at Georgia Tech.

Pitt needs to beat Miami and hope either No. 18 Virginia loses to Virginia Tech or No. 21 SMU loses at California to clinch a spot in the ACC championship game. Being a 3-loss team, the Panthers’ only obvious path into the CFP is by winning the conference title.

The 12th-ranked Hurricanes (9-2, 5-2) need more help to make it to the conference title game as it involves Miami beating Pitt and two of three teams (SMU, Virginia and Duke) losing. A Miami win paired with Duke and Virginia losses would set up a Miami-SMU matchup for the ACC title.

Unlike Pitt, though, the Hurricanes have a slim chance of being selected as an at-large to the CFP even if they do not win the ACC or play for the title.

“It’s all about us,” said Miami safety Zechariah Poyser. “We’ve got to control what we can control. We can’t look ahead. We’ve got to dominate today.”

Pitt has persevered despite numerous injuries and bounced back after a lopsided 37-15 loss to Notre Dame on Nov. 15. Pitt had 12 players out against Georgia Tech and still found a way to come up with one of its biggest wins of the season.

Ja’Kyrian Turner led the Panthers with 201 rushing yards and a touchdown as they jumped out to a 28-0 first-half lead before needing to hold off a Yellow Jackets comeback late in the fourth. Pitt’s defense was clutch with a pair of interceptions of Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, who had thrown only two prior to Saturday’s game.

“Not a surprising win even though a lot of people said that. We have a good football team here at Pittsburgh,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. ” … We talk about toughness. Our guys maximized that, as we needed to and as we have in the past.”

Since Miami’s loss at SMU on Nov. 1, it has also been resilient and playing much better. In wins over Syracuse, NC State and Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes have outscored their opponents 113-34.

Miami was in danger of letting a 27-10 lead slip away last week against the Hokies, but found a way to nail down its victory when Poyser recovered a fumble forced by Akheem Mesidor on a strip sack.

Quarterback Carson Beck has completed 66 for 83 passes for 858 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions during the Hurricanes’ three-game win streak.

On the injury front, there’s a chance the Hurricanes have key players return this week as Miami coach Mario Cristobal indicated defensive tackle David Blay Jr., who has missed the past two games, and cornerback OJ Frederique Jr., who has missed the past four, might be available. Miami also seems to have caught a break regarding standout safety Jakobe Thomas, who is expected to play after injuring his arm in last week’s win at Virginia Tech.

It’s unclear whether any key players could return this week for Pitt. That includes starting kicker Trey Butkowski, with Narduzzi saying he has no timeline to return. Sam Carpenter made all six of his extra points against Georgia Tech, but he missed his lone field goal try. Butkowski has converted 19 of his 21 field-goal attempts.

–Field Level Media

Pitt jumps out to 28-0 lead, holds off No. 16 Georgia Tech

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ATLANTA — Mason Heintschel completed 20 of 27 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday as visiting Pittsburgh pulled off a massive 42-28 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Freshman Ja’Kyrian Turner ran for a career-high 201 yards — including a game-sealing 56-yard rush — as Pitt (8-3, 6-1) built a 28-0 lead and held on. The Panthers have to beat Miami next Saturday to clinch a spot in the conference title game.

Georgia Tech (9-2, 6-2) would have clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game with a win. Haynes King threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions in the loss. King also rushed for 76 yards and a score for the Yellow Jackets, who face No. 4 Georgia on Friday.

Trailing by 14, Georgia Tech threatened to cut its deficit to a touchdown, but King was picked off by Braylan Lovelace, who returned it 100 yards to push Pittsburgh’s lead to 35-14 with 5:55 left in the third.

The Yellow Jackets pulled within 14 again at the 8:26 mark of the fourth, as Jamal Haynes’ 4-yard rush cut the deficit to 35-21.

Georgia Tech then forced a Panther turnover on downs, before King connected with Isiah Canion for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 4:51 left, trimming Pitt’s lead to seven.

Turner then iced the game with a 56-yard rushing score with 2:41 left.

Heintschel began the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Johnson with 7:49 left in the first quarter.

After Pitt stuffed Georgia Tech on fourth down, the Panthers doubled the lead on Heintschel’s 19-yard pass to Justin Holmes.

Kavir Bains-Marquez then picked off King in Yellow Jackets’ territory, before Juelz Goff’s 1-yard rushing score gave Pittsburgh a 21-0 advantage with 39 seconds left in the opening quarter.

The onslaught continued after Georgia Tech’s three-and-out, as Heintschel’s 3-yard rushing score stamped an eight-play, 69-yard drive with 11:47 remaining in the first half.

Georgia Tech finally found the end zone at the 4:45 mark of the second quarter, as King’s 5-yard rush pulled the Yellow Jackets within 21.

After a Pitt punt, Georgia Tech trimmed its deficit in half on King’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Canion with 1:08 left.

Pitt’s Sam Carpenter missed a 47-yard field goal as time expired, leaving the Panthers’ halftime-lead at 14.

Georgia Tech was 4 of 18 on third and fourth downs in the contest.

–Field Level Media

Streaking No. 22 Pitt, No. 9 Notre Dame collide in Pittsburgh

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Marcus Freeman wants one thing to be clear.

No. 9 Notre Dame (7-2) is taking nothing for granted heading into Saturday afternoon’s game against No. 22 Pitt (7-2) in Pittsburgh. The Fighting Irish are thinking about the Panthers and nothing else, particularly not a potential run in the College Football Playoff.

Freeman clarified his team’s approach after someone he knew sent him a text message describing the matchup against Pitt as a “trap game.”

“I said, ‘This is not a trap game,’” Freeman recalled. “‘This is a challenge. This is a real challenge, a great challenge. So we have to understand the challenge we have ahead of us on Saturday and use that as a reminder to prepare the right way.”

Since losing its first two games of the season against Miami and Texas A&M, Notre Dame has reeled off seven consecutive wins and will look to make it eight straight this weekend. The Fighting Irish are coming off a 49-10 win at home against Navy last weekend.

Pitt also is on a roll with five straight wins, including a 35-20 win on the road against Stanford in their most recent game Nov. 1. The Panthers have a 5-1 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference and know that they also have a path to competing in the CFP tournament.

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi created a stir this week when he downplayed the matchup against Notre Dame. Narduzzi responded to a question about whether it was a “must-win” game for Pitt.

“Absolutely not,” Narduzzi said. “It is not an ACC game. I’m glad you brought that up. It’s not an ACC game. I would gladly be beat 103 or 110-10 in that game. They can put up 100 on us as long as we win the next two after that.”

It was not the only thing Narduzzi said, but the comment quickly circulated on social media and drew criticism from some fans who thought he was sending the wrong message to his players.

Other comments by Narduzzi reflected his confidence in his team.

“You could play this game at 7 a.m. over at the fieldhouse or in the parking lot,” Narduzzi said. “Doesn’t matter what time, doesn’t matter who we’re playing against. Our guys are coming to play, period.”

The same is likely to be true for Notre Dame.

Fighting Irish first-year starter CJ Carr has passed for 2,275 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. Jeremiyah Love has rushed for 988 yards and 13 touchdowns, and fellow running back Jadarian Price has rushed for 568 yards and nine touchdowns.

Pitt is led by quarterback Mason Heintschel, who has passed for 1,547 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. Kenny Johnson (37 catches, 573 yards, 4 TDs) and Raphael Williams Jr. (36 catches, 525 yards, 6 TDs) are his top targets in the passing game.

On the ground, Ja’Kyrian Turner leads Pitt with 399 rushing yards and a half-dozen touchdowns.

This will be the 74th meeting in series history between the programs. Notre Dame leads the series 51-21-1, including a 28-11-1 advantage at Pittsburgh.

–Field Level Media

Nov 1, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Kenny Johnson (2) runs the ball against the Stanford Cardinal during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images

Mason Heintschel keeps Pittsburgh offense rolling in road win at Stanford

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Mason Heintschel threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, Ja’Kyrian Turner rushed for a season-best 127 yards and Pittsburgh ran away from Stanford in the second half for a 35-20 Atlantic Coast Conference victory Saturday afternoon in Stanford, Calif.

Seeking a fourth straight home win, the Cardinal (3-6, 2-4) grabbed a 10-7 lead midway through the first period on a 35-yard pass from Ben Gulbranson to CJ Williams.

But Deuce Spann ran 4 yards for a go-ahead score on the first play of the second period and Heintschel connected with Raphael Williams for a 5-yard TD later in the quarter, helping the Panthers (7-2, 5-1) ease off into a 21-13 halftime advantage.

Pittsburgh then dominated the final 30 minutes on both sides of the ball, with Heintschel completing his big day with a 14-yard scoring strike to Jake Overman before Shawn Lee Jr. intercepted a Gulbranson pass and raced 30 yards for a 35-13 lead.

Stanford’s only score of the second half came with just 18 seconds remaining on a 19-yard pass from backup quarterback Elijah Brown to Williams, his second TD of the game.

Heintschel finished 23 for 38 while recording the fourth 300-yard and third three-touchdown games of his freshman season. He also suffered two interceptions.

Turner’s 127-yard rushing effort nearly doubled the previous best of his freshman season, while Kenny Johnson topped Panthers receivers with four catches for 71 yards and the game’s first score, a 17-yard hook-up with Heintschel.

Gulbranson was intercepted three times during a 17-for-30, 228-yard effort. Brown went 10 for 14 for 102 yards in relief. Both had one TD pass.

Williams was the game’s leading receiver for Stanford with seven catches for 122 yards and the two scores. The Cardinal actually out-passed the visitors 336-304.

In winning its fifth straight game, Pittsburgh outgained the Cardinal 466-326 overall mostly on the strength of five sacks that drove the host’s rushing total into the negative at minus-10. The Panthers rushed for 162 yards.

–Field Level Media

Sports fans bet and watch the first games of the NCAA basketball tournament in the FanDuel Sportsbook at the Meadowlands Racetrack on Thursday, March 21, 2019, in East Rutherford. Meadowlands March Madness Gambling

SEC urges NCAA to reverse Nov. 1 plan to permit betting on pro sports

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Betting on pro sports was illegal for college athletes, but that’s set to change thanks to the NCAA approval of the proposal taking effect Nov. 1.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey voiced his concern to the NCAA in a letter sent last week, informing president Charlie Baker the member institutions were “united” in his message over two-pages detailing his request for a reversal of the plan.

“The SEC’s Presidents and Chancellors believe the NCAA should restore its prior policy — or a modified policy — communicating a prohibition on gambling by student-athletes and athletics staff, regardless of the divisional level of their sport,” Sankey wrote in the letter.

A 16-member board of directors is scheduled to meet Tuesday for an existing date to discuss other business, but the agenda is now expected to include whether the approved proposal should be paused.

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi also finds fault with the decision, which has no impact on a standing ban on college athletes betting on college sports.

“It’s absolutely one of the stupidest decisions I’ve ever seen,” Narduzzi said. “First of all, it’s a habit. It’s no different than smoking, drinking, doing drugs, it’s a bad habit. I don’t think anyone here encourages you guys to go out drinking and getting smashed on a Friday night or Saturday night, or at a ballgame.”

Athletes and members of athletic staff received the OK to place bets on professional sports earlier this month. The councils for Division II and Division III athletes followed suit, adopting the same policy last week.

Illinois athletic director Josh Wittman, who played football for the Illini, said the concerns of the Division I council were outweighed by the desire to bring the chance for the sake of aligning athletes “with their campus peers.”

The news was overshadowed by the federal charges levied Oct. 23 against NBA head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and others in a complex gambling ring that allegedly involved the use of inside information to benefit an organized crime circuit that include members of the mafia.

“I’m not a gambler. So I just don’t understand it,” Narduzzi said. “I’m not addicted to anything. I just don’t think it’s a great thing to teach our young people how to do. It’s hard enough in the compliance office of trying to get your guys not to gamble — you can gamble at a boxing match, you can gamble on horse races because it’s not an NCAA sport, but who’s really gambling on horse races, really, unless you go to the track? You can go to the casino and play craps or whatever you’d want to play.

“But now, it’s a thing on your phone. You can pick it up, get on an app, and it’s like … what are we doing? Once you do it once and you win, you want to do it again. It becomes an addiction. I just think it’s not good.”

At Big East Media Days last week, NCAA president Charlie Baker said integrity would remain a strength of the institution.

“We run the largest integrity program in the world on sports betting across all the various games,” Baker said.

In 2023, Ohio State’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery launched the Collegiate Problem Gambling Workgroup to develop and rapidly expand virtually non-existent campus tools for identifying and addressing problem gambling. Resources have not advanced nationwide as problem gambling and addiction increases.

An estimated 1 in 10 college students has experienced what could be defined as pathological or problem gambling, which typically leads to financial stress. the National Council on Problem Gambling estimated 6% of all current college students has a gambling problem, or double the national average for adults.

CPGW executive director Jim Lange said the heightened financial stress becomes a “barrier to completing a college degree” and can be a risk factor for “suicidal ideation.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) passes against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Mason Heintschel tops 400 yards, Pitt cruises past NC State

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Mason Heintschel went 28 of 48 passing for 423 yards and three touchdowns to lead Pittsburgh to a 53-34 home win over N.C. State on Saturday in an ACC contest.

Cataurus Hicks caught four passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, and Kenny Johnson had seven receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown for Pitt (6-2, 4-1), which has won four straight.

CJ Bailey went 24 of 40 passing for 225 yards and three touchdowns for NC State (4-4, 1-3), which has lost four of five.

It was Pitt’s first win over NC State since the 2001 Tangerine Bowl.

Leading 24-21 in the second quarter, Pitt scored 22 unanswered points to take a 46-21 lead.

First, Pitt took a 31-21 lead with 12 seconds left in the first half on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Heintschel to Johnson.

Following a 41-yard field goal by Trey Butkowski, Pitt then went up 40-21 with 10:46 to go in the third quarter on an 84-yard touchdown pass from Heintschel to Hicks.

Butkowski hit a 35-yard field goal with 7:02 to go in the third and a 43-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining in the third to put Pitt up 46-21.

Bailey hit Teddy Hoffman for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 11:16 remaining to bring NC State to within 46-28, but Ja’Kyrian Turner scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 6:59 left to put Pitt ahead 53-28.

Trailing 17-7 in the second quarter, NC State cut Pitt’s lead to 17-14 with 14:46 left until halftime on a 65-yard touchdown run by Hollywood Smothers.

Pitt mounted a long touchdown drive, going 90 yards in seven plays and taking a 24-14 lead with 7:15 left in the second quarter on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Heintschel to Raphael Williams Jr.

NC State cut Pitt’s lead to 24-21 with 3:20 left in the second quarter on a trick play. On a double pass, Hoffmann threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Justin Joly.

–Field Level Media

Oct 18, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) celebrates his touchdown run with wide receiver Kenny Johnson (2) against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Pitt leans on special teams, defense in win over Syracuse

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Kenny Johnson returned a punt for a touchdown to spark visiting Pitt to a 30-13 win over Syracuse in ACC action on Saturday.

Pitt’s Mason Heintschel was 13-of-24 for 143 yards with an interception and a rushing score. Trey Butkowski kicked three field goals for the Panthers (5-2, 3-1 ACC), who have won three straight games.

Rickie Collins threw a pair of touchdown passes for Syracuse (3-4, 1-3), but he also was intercepted three times. He finished 16-of-32 for 126 yards — 66 of which went to Johntay Cook II (seven receptions) — and added a team-high 37 yards on the ground.

On the third play of the game, Collins overthrew Cook on a ball that was intercepted by Tamon Lynum. Shortly thereafter, Heintschel scrambled up the middle for a 36-yard touchdown.

Later in the first quarter, Heintschel’s deep ball was intercepted by Davien Kerr and returned 34 yards to the Pitt 12. Two plays later, Collins found Darrell Gill Jr. for an 11-yard touchdown.

The Panthers kicked a field goal early in the second quarter to go ahead 10-7, but the highlight of the period came in the waning seconds. With the clock ticking down, Syracuse’s Jack Stonehouse unleashed a 43-yard punt that Johnson fielded in a crowd before bursting up the field for a 66-yard score.

Pitt’s first drive of the third quarter ended with Butkowski’s 42-yard field goal, but the rest of the quarter featured five punts. At one point in that stretch, the Orange benched Collins in favor of Luke Carney, who went 2-for-3 for 10 yards and ran three times for nine yards.

Collins returned and promptly threw another interception — this one on a deflected ball — as Kavir Bains-Marquez’s pick set up Butkowski’s 32-yard field goal. That kick put the Panthers up 23-7 with about 11 minutes left.

On the ensuing possession, Collins connected with Justus Ross-Simmons for a 12-yard touchdown. The Orange failed on the ensuing two-point conversion, but they executed a surprise onsides kick to give themselves another chance at points.

However, that drive was ruined by penalties as the hosts turned it over on downs. Juelz Goff sealed the win for the visitors with a 1-yard TD run with just under two minutes left.

–Field Level Media

Oct 11, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) runs the ball in the first quarter against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Mason Heintschel, Pitt carry momentum into matchup with Syracuse

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With their seasons trending in opposite directions, Pitt and Syracuse are set to renew what has been a lopsided rivalry in recent years.

The Panthers are seeking their third straight win Saturday, while the host Orange are aiming to avoid a third consecutive defeat.

Pitt (4-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) opened October with a resounding 48-7 victory over Boston College before earning a 34-31 road win over then-No. 25 Florida State last week.

Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel, a true freshman, threw a pair of touchdown passes to Desmond Reid against the Seminoles and finished with 321 yards through the air.

“It’s everything you ever dream of, for sure,” Heintschel said. “It’s a blessing and a dream come true for me, but it’s more about the team and winning games. That’s all it’s about here.”

Pitt trailed by seven points at halftime and by three early in the fourth quarter before scoring on three straight possessions to take control. Coach Pat Narduzzi’s team is averaging 39.8 points per game, which ranks 15th nationally.

“We talk about ups and downs in a game,” Narduzzi said. “They’re going to happen. They’re going to happen this weekend up in Syracuse. There’s going to be good plays, bad plays. There’s going to be adversity. And it’s how you react to that adversity that really matters.”

On the opposite sideline this weekend will be the Orange (3-3, 1-2), who dropped contests to Duke, 38-3, and SMU, 31-18, prior to an open date last week. Syracuse remains committed to LSU transfer Rickie Collins, who has struggled as the starting quarterback since taking over for Steve Angeli (torn Achilles).

“We’re just gonna work one day at a time and stay focused on the mission,” Syracuse coach Fran Brown said. “All their dreams and goals, aspirations for the season are still ahead of them. They’ve just got to be able to grab them.”

Pitt has won 17 of the past 20 meetings between the teams, including a 41-13 home victory last season.

–Field Level Media