Tag: pittsburgh panthers
No. 18 Pitt plots bounce-back effort, welcomes Virginia
No. 18 Pittsburgh attempts to rebound from its first setback of the season when it hosts slumping Virginia in Atlantic Coast Conference action Saturday night.
The Panthers (7-1, 3-1 ACC) had managed to stay unbeaten longer than expected thanks to three wins by four or fewer points, but they got smacked by SMU last weekend in Dallas. The Mustangs scored 24 unanswered points in the second quarter and rolled to a 48-25 win.
Eli Holstein did not throw a touchdown pass for the second time in three games and threw his fourth interception in four ACC games.
“He’s a redshirt freshman. I think everybody forgets,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said Monday. “When you win, Eli is going to be rookie of the week. When you lose, which obviously it’s our first, it’s not on Eli. We didn’t protect him well enough, run the ball well enough. We played a really good (SMU) defense.”
Holstein has 17 touchdown passes, tying Alex Van Pelt’s 1989 record for TDs by a Pitt freshman. Running back Desmond Reid ranks fifth in the nation with 156.3 all-purpose yards per game. Linebacker Kyle Louis leads the defense with 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Up next: a Virginia team that got off to a 4-1 start and was starting to think about a bowl bid in coach Tony Elliott’s third season. That dream has faded after allowing 99 points and 967 yards in its last two outings.
The visiting Cavaliers (4-4, 2-3) are coming off a bye week, trying to snap a three-game skid.
Finding two more wins to gain bowl eligibility is a tall order with three of their last four on the road and remaining games against Pitt, No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 13 SMU and rival Virginia Tech — teams with a combined 27-7 record.
Virginia’s Anthony Colandrea has passed for 1,805 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. Malachi Fields leads the team with 43 catches for 654 yards and four scores. Safety Jonas Sanker’s team-high 64 tackles include an ACC-best 43 solo stops.
Colandrea has been sacked 24 times — nine times in a 41-14 loss to North Carolina on Oct. 26 — and faces a Pitt defense that ranks fifth in the ACC with 24 sacks.
“I thought he battled,” Elliott said of Colandrea’s effort (zero touchdowns, two interceptions) against the Tar Heels. “For him to have taken as many hits as he did, he just kept getting up and kept playing. I was proud of him because I didn’t see him get flustered or frustrated. He just kept trying to battle through the adversity.”
Pittsburgh has swept six of the last seven meetings, including a 37-7 win at Virginia in the most recent contest on Nov. 12, 2022.
Narduzzi believes his Panthers are ready to bounce back on Saturday night.
“I think young players are resilient nowadays — more resilient than coaches are, I think. So you got to make sure your staff is as good as your players are, as far as wiping off and moving on,” he said. “The good thing is they came in here with a serious attitude and don’t want it to happen again.”
–Field Level Media
Week 10 College Football Picks
Eli Holstein, No. 22 Pitt aim to continue sizzling start vs. Cal
Pittsburgh is back in the Top 25 and hopes to stay there when the No. 22 Panthers take on visiting California in an Atlantic Coast Conference game Saturday afternoon.
Pittsburgh (5-0, 1-0) entered the Top 25 for the first time this season after beating North Carolina 34-24 last weekend.
A sixth consecutive victory likely won’t come easy. The Golden Bears (3-2, 0-2) fell just short against two annual ACC powers. Cal lost to the Florida State Seminoles 14-9 on Sept. 21 in the Golden Bears’ first game in their new conference and fell 39-38 to then-No. 8 Miami last Saturday.
The new long-distance rivals haven’t met since 1966. The Panthers won that game 30-15 to take a 3-2 all-time lead in the series.
Panthers standout quarterback and redshirt freshman Eli Holstein etched his name in the Pittsburgh record book when he threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns in the win over North Carolina. Holstein’s passing yardage total broke the school’s single-game mark by a freshman, passing Alex Van Pelt’s 366 against West Virginia in 1989.
Holstein’s performance earned him the Walter Camp Award as national Offensive Player of the Week. He also rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Holstein also has equaled former Panthers star Dan Marino’s early success. Holstein is the first Panthers quarterback to win his first five career starts since Marino in 1979.
Holstein also is the first Pittsburgh quarterback in school history to throw at least three touchdown passes in each of the team’s first five games.
Like everyone else who watched the end of Cal’s entertaining one-point loss to Miami, Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi wasted no time warning his club about the Golden Bears.
He also wants his players not to overlook the Bears and avoid getting caught up in celebrating the program’s first national ranking since the end of the 2022 season.
“I don’t care (about) the preseason ranking,” Narduzzi said. “The only ranking we’ll brag about is what our postseason ranking is and trying to win a championship. Those are the rankings you worry about.”
As Cal looks to record its first ACC win in school history, the Golden Bears would love to get their running back going.
Arguably Cal’s most pressing issue this season has been the health of All-American candidate Jaydn Ott, who suffered an ankle injury in the opener against U.C. Davis. He has totaled just 86 rushing yards on 23 carries in Cal’s past three outings, after eclipsing the 100-yard mark five times last season.
He sprinted 66 yards against Miami after receiving a short pass, but, according to coach Justin Wilcox, was experiencing ankle pain shortly thereafter.
“He really wants to be out there and doing his best,” said Wilcox, who added that Ott is listed as probable to return against Pitt. “It’s a physical game. One of the unfortunate realities of football is things happen from time to time. He’ll get back as soon as he possibly can.”
–Field Level Media
Pitt brings undefeated mark on road to face UNC
Pitt aims to keep its undefeated start going Saturday when it opens Atlantic Coast Conference play against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Panthers (4-0, 0-0 ACC) are coming off a bye week. In its previous game, Pitt dominated FCS Youngstown State 73-17 on Sept. 21 at home. Quarterback Eli Holstein accounted for 340 yards of total offense and five touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Tar Heels (3-2, 0-1) have lost back-to-back games. North Carolina fell 70-50 at home to James Madison on Sept. 21, then followed that with a 21-20 loss at rival Duke on Saturday. The Tar Heels went ahead 20-0 before blowing the lead in the second half vs. the Blue Devils.
Because the Tar Heels endured two straight disappointing defeats, critics of the team — and those calling for Mack Brown’s job — have become even louder. Brown, 73, is in the sixth season of his second stint at North Carolina. His loss to Duke last weekend was his first against the Blue Devils since 1989.
“We live in a world with opinions — even reporters,” Brown said. “Some are professional and some want to be tabloid because they’re trying to get better jobs and it gives them more splash. I got it. I lived in your business, I did that.
“When you lose a game, you give negative people a chance to be really loud, and that’s what they do. They become very powerful and that’s OK. … Fans have always been angry at people. It’s just more public now and everybody’s got an opinion.”
What’s undeniable is that North Carolina is giving up a lot of points this season, an average of 27.6 per game, which is the third-worst mark in the ACC.
On offense, the Tar Heels are leaning on running back Omarion Hampton, who leads the FBS in carries with 114. Hampton has rushed for an ACC-best 658 yards in five games to go along with six touchdowns.
“North Carolina’s a talented football team,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “They have players. But guess what? The other teams do, too. We’re going to bring in some talented players as well this week. Duke’s undefeated. It’s not like they got beat by a poor Duke team.”
Holstein — a redshirt freshman transfer from Alabama — has been a breakout star for Pitt, completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,183 yards, 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also has rushed for 189 yards and two scores.
The good news for Holstein is that running back Desmond Reid will be back in the mix after missing the game against Youngstown State. The junior totaled 486 yards of total offense and four touchdowns on 57 touches during Pitt’s first three games.
North Carolina has won two straight against Pitt by an average margin of 17.5 points. The Tar Heels are 12-5 all-time against the Panthers.
–Field Level Media
Pittsburgh, Syracuse limp into meeting at Yankee Stadium
Pitt and Syracuse have taken a beating in Atlantic Coast Conference play this season, leaving both teams longing for a victory Saturday when they meet at Yankee Stadium in New York City.
The Panthers (2-7, 1-4) have lost three straight games, including the last two by a combined margin of 82-14. They fell to Florida State 24-7 last weekend, although the game was tight until the Seminoles scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the third quarter.
Pitt ranks 110th in the nation in scoring with just 20.7 points a game, much to the dismay of coach Pat Narduzzi.
“We’ve got to get the ball to the right guy at the right time, and again, it’s always something you can do better,” Narduzzi said. “When you watch the tape, you look back (and think), ‘Hindsight, man, I wish we would have tried that.’ You don’t get a second chance.”
Syracuse (4-5, 0-5) is the only winless team in ACC play, as the offense has disappeared following a 4-0 start.
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson started last week’s 17-10 loss to Boston College in place of Garrett Shrader (undisclosed injury). Del Rio-Wilson battled through injuries of his own to go 7-for-17 for 37 yards, with four interceptions.
Syracuse coach Dino Babers has not made any decisions about Saturday’s starting quarterback, although he realizes the coaching staff and players need to take advantage of available opportunities.
“What we have to do is put those guys in a situation to make plays,” Babers said. “And then they have to be able to go out there and make the plays. Those kids, I thought, were in position to make plays. We just didn’t make enough plays to win the game.”
The Panthers have won 16 of the last 18 meetings between the teams, losing by only one point in 2012 and by three points in 2017.
Last season, Pitt held Del Rio-Wilson to 8-of-23 passing for 120 yards — and limited Syracuse to 145 total yards — in a 19-9 Panthers triumph.
–Field Level Media
Pitt rides momentum from upset win into matchup with Wake
Pitt made a quarterback change and it worked out, at least for the short term.
Wake Forest might go down that path.
The teams meet Saturday at Winston-Salem, N.C., looking for upticks as they begin the second half of their schedules.
Pitt (2-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has tried something new, and that could be a winning formula after a dismal opening month of the season.
“We talk about playing together and staying together,” Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi said. “That’s who our guys are. Gave us a little fuel for the second half of the season.”
Christian Veilleux is the new first-string quarterback and he threw for two touchdowns as the Panthers beat then-No. 14 Louisville 38-21 on Saturday. The victory snapped Pitt’s four-game skid.
Veilleux, a transfer from Penn State, completed 12 of 26 passes for 200 yards in his first career start.
“He made plays when needed to. Our receivers made plays,” Narduzzi said. “Our offensive line did a great job, did a good job protecting him.”
Wake Forest (3-3, 0-3) will try to avoid its first four-game losing streak in a single season since 2015.
“I know our locker room and I know our team,” Wake Forest receiver Taylor Morin said. “We’re going to fight.”
That could come with a new starting quarterback, though more on that topic probably won’t be clear until later in the week.
Wake Forest starting QB Mitch Griffis was pulled during the Demon Deacons’ 30-13 loss to Virginia Tech last week. Michael Kern, who left late in the game with an injury, came in and didn’t generate much more success, but coach Dave Clawson believed the Demon Deacons needed a spark.
“We’re going to take a hard look at what we’re doing and who we’re doing it with and give our guys a better chance of competing,” Clawson said.
Pitt won the last meeting, beating Wake Forest 45-21 in the ACC championship game in 2021. The Panthers also beat the Demon Deacons 34-13 in Winston-Salem in 2018 in the only other previous matchup.
In the past four seasons, Wake Forest has lost just three games in October — and two of those setbacks have come this year.
The teams have something in common — both have lost road games to Virginia Tech this season. The Panthers are 0-2 in road games.
–Field Level Media
No. 14 Louisville aims to extend Pitt’s losing streak
Minutes after Louisville finished a 33-20 upset of then-No. 10 Notre Dame last weekend, first-year Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm sounded a warning.
“Once you win a game like that, the bar goes from here up to here,” he said. “Every week in college football, if you don’t come ready to play, you are not going to win.”
Complacency might pose a bigger danger for the 14th-ranked Cardinals than host Pitt for Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference matchup.
While Louisville (6-0, 3-0) is undefeated and jumped 11 spots in the AP poll this week, the Panthers (1-4, 0-2) are licking a plethora of wounds that come with a four-game losing streak and the benching of a quarterback.
Former Boston College starter Phil Jurkovec, who threw for 5,184 yards and 35 touchdowns in three years with the Eagles, completed just 50.9 percent of his passes before Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi pulled the plug days after a 38-21 loss on Sept. 30 at Virginia Tech.
Penn State transfer Christian Veilleux, who’s completed 12 of 27 passes for 145 yards in two games this year, will get the call against Louisville. Narduzzi hopes Veilleux can provide a spark for an offense that has been held under 300 yards in three of the last four games.
“Christian will be the guy lined up there,” Narduzzi said, “and we expect to have a good week this week. Nobody in our program is happy with where we are right now. It goes to everybody that sits in this room on a normal day here to get it done. Coaches coach and players play. So nobody’s happy.”
Not that lack of production on offense is the sole reason for Pitt’s skid. The Panthers allowed 79 points in ACC losses to North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
“We’ve got to play championship defense,” Narduzzi said. “We’ve got to get better. We’ve got to make more plays. We need to get off the field and give the ball back to our offense.”
That might be easier said than done against the Cardinals. Brohm has put together a balanced offense that pairs the passing of Cal transfer Jack Plummer with the explosive running of Jawhar Jordan.
In the win over Notre Dame, Jordan rushed 21 times for 143 yards, scoring on 45- and 21-yard runs in the second half after Louisville fell behind 10-7. Plummer was an efficient 17 of 24 for 145 yards and a 9-yard touchdown to Jamari Thrash in the first quarter.
Thrash has 30 catches for 519 yards and six scores, while Jordan has rushed for 653 yards and eight touchdowns. Plummer has 1,551 yards in the air with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. In other words, the Cardinals are on pace to have a 1,000-yard receiver, 1,000-yard rusher and 3,000-yard passer halfway through the season.
The Panthers own a 10-9 edge in the all-time series, although Louisville won last year’s matchup 24-10 at home.
–Field Level Media
Jared Wayne’s 3 receiving TDs lead Pitt’s rout of Miami
Jared Wayne caught 11 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Pittsburgh Panthers to a 42-16 win over the host Miami Hurricanes in an Atlantic Coast Conference game on Saturday night.
Israel Abanikanda, who started the day leading the ACC in rushing, ran for 111 yards on 15 carries — an average of 7.4 yards per carry — and two touchdowns as Pitt (8-4, 5-3 ACC) won its fourth straight game.
Kedon Slovis completed 18 of 28 passes for 256 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for the Panthers, who ended a four-game losing streak in their annual series against the Hurricanes.
Despite the win, the Panthers are 2-12 in their 14 most recent trips to Miami.
Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, who started the week tied for second in the ACC with 7 1/2, missed the game due to a left shoulder injury.
The Hurricanes (5-7, 3-5), who could’ve gone to a bowl game with a win, finished their season with their worst overall record since 2007.
Miami lost two quarterbacks to injury. Starter Tyler Van Dyke, who suffered a right-shoulder injury against Duke on Oct. 22, tried to make a comeback but lasted just one series against Pitt.
Backup Jacurri Brown was injured in the third quarter.
Jake Garcia finished the game for Miami, completing 17-of-28 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He was not intercepted.
Standouts for Miami included tight end Will Mallory, who caught nine passes for 103 yards and one score, and running back Jaylan Knighton, who ran seven times for 72 yards.
Mallory’s touchdown catch was the 14th of his career, which set a Miami record for a tight end.
Pitt led 14-0 after the first quarter and 28-0 at halftime.
On the game’s first possession, Miami drove to Pitt’s 11-yard line. But a Pitt blitz led to Van Dyke throwing an interception right at linebacker SirVocea Dennis, who returned the pick 67 yards to the Miami 30. That led to Abanikanda’s 2-yard TD run.
Wayne then scored on a 66-yard pass play.
The second quarter featured two more Pitt touchdowns: Abanikanda’s 11-yard run and Wayne’s 26-yard reception.
Miami finally got on the board on Andres Borregales’ 25-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Wayne followed that with his third scoring reception, this one from 7 yards, giving Pitt a 35-3 lead.
Mallory got his record-setting touchdown with 11:52 left in the fourth, catching a 4-yard toss from Garcia.
–Field Level Media
Pitt takes advantage of Duke miscues, missed chances in win
Pitt feasted on a pair of costly Duke turnovers and running back Israel Abanikanda had another strong game as the host Panthers prevailed 28-26 by stopping a two-point conversion in the final minute Saturday afternoon.
Duke was in Pitt territory with less than four minutes remaining, but couldn’t convert on third- and fourth-and-5 plays. Then the Blue Devils took over at the Pittsburgh 22 after the Panthers botched a punt play, scoring on a fourth-and-18 play on Riley Leonard’s 19-yard pass to Jaylen Coleman with 47 seconds left. It was followed by the second failed conversion in the final 10 minutes for Duke (7-4, 4-3).
Pitt scored its first touchdown on a 6-year run by Abanikanda and its final one on a defensive score on Brandon Hill’s return of a fumble in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers (7-4, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) held on to win the matchup that might determine second place in the ACC’s Coastal Division.
Duke quarterback Riley Leonard threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. He was 24-for-45 for 290 yards, but Duke’s rushing attack was limited to 63 yards.
Quarterback Kedon Slovis of Pitt was 15-for-32 for 190 yards with a touchdown throw and two interceptions. Ben Sauls kicked field goals of 47 and 51 yards in the first half for the Panthers.
Abanikanda rushed for 113 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown and two-point conversion run.
Pitt’s first touchdown came one play after a punt hit Duke return man Jalon Calhoun and the Panthers had the ball at the Duke 6-yard line. Abanikanda ran for the score.
The Panthers went ahead 10 seconds before halftime when Slovis connected with Jared Wayne on a 15-yard play.
The score remained 20-14 through a scoreless third quarter before Hill’s touchdown while on defense and Abanikanda’s two-point conversion run. Down 28-14, Duke was quick to respond, with Leonard’s 49-yard pass play to Jordan Moore.
Duke’s first touchdown was set up by a blocked punt and came on Leonard’s 28-yard hookup with Calhoun in the first quarter. The Blue Devils were up 14-13 on Leonard’s 1-yard run with 3:01 left in the first half.
–Field Level Media